BSc (Hons) Occupational Therapy with Foundation Year

This module will provide you with the underpinning knowledge and skills in relation to the key aspects of human development from childhood to older adulthood. You will utilise the biopsychosocial model in order to appreciate the physical, psychological and social changes through key life stages, studying biological, psychological, social and environmental theories.

This module will foster your ability to effectively communicate within the health and social care environment. Through the analysis of your own interpersonal proficiency and the exploration of different models of communication you will understand the importance of your influence and impact on others to develop effective therapeutic and professional relationships with patients/service users and within the teams in which you work.

This practical module will equip you with the necessary core skills and techniques you need before you start your practice-based learning placement. You will learn how occupational therapists help people to maintain and improve their independence and satisfaction in life in a variety of ways. The module also outlines the expectations you need to achieve during your placement experience.

This module explores the context of different health and social care services and how patients / service users might access and progress through these services. You will look at the legal and ethical frameworks that health professionals are bound by and you will be aware of your professional responsibilities both as a student and as a registrant in your chosen profession. You will consider the safety of others in the workplace and your responsibilities in maintaining others’ safety.

Clinical governance is a framework through which organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services. This module explores the underpinning principles of clinical governance, focusing on different types of evidence and the contexts in which they are applied in the practice area, such as clinical audit, research and patient surveys. You will also learn why evidence-based practice (EBP) is important in supporting high quality care and how you will utilise EBP as a healthcare professional.

Occupational therapists help people to reach their optimal potential and recognise that performance is based upon the relationship between the person, the occupation and the environment. This module will look at these relationships in more depth, exploring how environmental, social and cultural factors influence occupational performance and how these will change through the lifespan depending on personal life circumstances. The module will also explore how both physical and mental health conditions may modify occupational performance.

This module will focus on the key physical and psychological disorders you need to be aware of in order to practice as an occupational therapist. It also outlines the expectations you need to achieve during your placement experience.

Collaborative working and effective leadership are essential to maintain and promote patient/service user safety and to improve service provision. Within this module you will explore a range of models and perspectives on leadership, decision making and teamwork and you will apply these to your experiences, enabling you to effectively lead and collaborate with others to ensure patient/service user safety is paramount in your practice. You will also consider your responsibilities in relation to the delegation and support of others, such as students and unregulated staff when you are a regulated practitioner.

This module will promote your skills and knowledge in occupational therapy practice preparing you for your role as a registered professional. You will focus on the application of the theory you have learned through the assessment and implementation of occupational therapy interventions, liaising with other professionals, and non-professionals as appropriate to promote service user independence and quality of life. This module also outlines the expectations you need to achieve your competencies during this placement experience.

This module will provide the opportunity for you to consolidate your learning in all aspects of occupational therapy, preparing you for your role as a newly qualified occupational therapist. You will lead and make decisions on the occupational therapy assessment, treatment and interventions undertaken with service users, including the utilisation of outcome measures and evaluation of the service provision.

This extended piece of work will give you the opportunity to research an area that is of interest to you in some depth. The topic area must be of relevance to your profession although the exact nature of the project will be negotiated at the outset of the project with your module lead and / or your project supervisor. This module will consider how you would approach this research if you were to undertake a formal research project in the subject area.