MAMUS4100 Physical Therapy for Musculoskeletal Conditions - Part 1 Course description

Language of instruction: Norwegian

This course covers more recent knowledge on the most common musculoskeletal injuries, illnesses and conditions (MSDs) in a life course perspective from childhood to old age. Teaching and learning activities are based on a knowledge-based practice model, which incorporates theoretical and research-based knowledge, clinical experience, the patient’s preferences and contextual factors. The course has an emphasis on the critical assessment of current examination and treatment methods, the organisation and quality of the health services and the role of physiotherapists in interdisciplinary cooperation and interaction. It will also include teaching of implementation methods of documented knowledge and on physiotherapy in the primary health services of the future, for example physiotherapists’ tasks as part of a follow-up or primary health team.

This course provides an overview of third generation clinical models and interventions. It draws specifically on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) while presenting other clinical approaches among third wave cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT). These therapies will be presented and discussed in light of a selection of diseases and disorders. This course aims at enhancing students’ ability to understand and select intervention strategies for approaching psychological distress.

Admission to the study program

On successful completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes classified as knowledge, skills, and competence:

Knowledge

The student can

• describe and discuss mindfulness concepts and techniques
• describe and discuss functional analyses in clinical behavior analysis
• describe and discuss value-based behavioral repertoirs
• describe and discuss roots of behavior influence

Skills

The student can

• describe and discuss acceptance and commitment therapy and a selection of other third-wave clinical behavior analysis approaches
• describe and discuss the application of cognitive-behavioral therapies with different clinical populations
• describe and discuss ethical considerations in the application of clinical behavior analysis

Competence

The student can

• present the conceptual underpinnings and describe practical cases of clinical behavior analysis
• present basic elements of exposure therapy

Campus-based lectures, exercises, oral presentations, discussions, and individual papers are the main teaching methods. Students read selected texts in advance for each day of class, and everyone is expected to participate in class through questions and through joining in discussion. Feedback is used on written assignments.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• 2 individual assignments to be presented in class, maximum 5 minutes per assignment.

Individual home examination, 3 hours. Exam questions are in English. Students may submit their exams in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

All

Pass/Fail

All answers are assessed by one examiner.

An external examiner is used regularly, at a minimum of every third completion of the course. When selecting answers for external evaluation, a minimum of 10 percent of the answers shall be included, with no fewer than 5 answers. The external examiner’s assessment of the selected answers shall benefit all students.