ERGP3 Independent professional practice under supervision - clinical placement

Contents and structure

The student is in asupervised clinical placement within an arena where occupational therapists work, and should have an occupational therapist as a supervisor. The student will apply practical knowledge based on the conceptual foundations of occupational therapy and evidence-based practice. The purpose is to perform independent professional practice, however, under supervision. The student prepares and implements learning objectives and a plan for the clinical placement. In addition, the student must complete 1) three learning situations (LS), 2) activity analysis, 3) critical assessment and presentation of a scientific paper relevant to the workplace, 4) participate and contribute in group supervision, and 5) interprofessional collaboration.

Relevant working methods will be: a) independent work (under supervision) in all phases of an occupational therapy intervention process, b) critical assessment of one's own professional practice, c) interprofessional collaboration, d) reporting/documentation, e) pedagogical facilitation, and f) supervision.

Learning Outcome

A student should aquire the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

The student...

• can discuss how people's activity, participation and health affect each other and interact with the environment throughout the life course

• has broad knowledge of occupational therapy intervention processes and methods that promote activity and participation

• can reflect on how activity analysis can be used innovative in development of services

• has knowledge of and relates to health and social policy and can apply up-to-date knowledge of the health and welfare system, laws, regulations and guides in the performance of their services

Skills:

The student...

• can master occupational therapy intervention process models

• can carry out systematic activity analysis at individual/group/system level, and develop interventions to enable participation

• can apply professional knowledge about adaptation of activities, and in collaboration with the service recipient apply activities methodically to promote activity performance

• can find and refer to legislation that is relevant to the professional practice of occupational therapy

• can identify, reflect on and apply therapeutic and ethical expertise in collaboration with clients, patients, relatives and relevant personnel

• can apply professional knowledge about meaningful activity to promote health for people in habilitation, rehabilitation, treatment and palliation

• can apply relevant professional knowledge about children, young people, adults or the elderly, and the experiential competence of persons and relatives, in therapeutic interaction

• can apply professional knowledge and make professional assessments, decisions and actions in line with evidence-based practice

General qualifications:

The student…

• has knowledge of and follows the professional ethical guidelines for occupational therapists to promote people's right to activity and participation

• can convey and document professional occupational therapy practice to clients and collaborators

• can plan and collaborate interdisciplinary, interprofessional, cross-sectoral and across companies and levels, and initiate such collaboration

• can plan and carry out treatment or services that ensure clients' and relatives' participation and rights

• can assess and prevent the risk of adverse events and has knowledge regarding methods for systematic follow-up of such events

Entry requirements

The course is open for students from institutions the Norwegian University of Applied Sciences (HVL) has agreement with. Students who have passed the first and second years of an occupational therapy bachelor's degree is eligible to apply.

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Teaching methods

During the clinical placement, the student usually receives weekly supervision and have an occupational therapist as a supervisor. Learning objectives and plan are followed up both by a teacher and the appointed supervisor. The student's work related to learning objectives and plan, learning situations, activity analysis and critical assessment of a scientific paper, will be discussed in tutorials. Other topics that are relevant can also be addressed in tutorials.

A teacher provides feedback on and approve learning objectives and plans for the clinical placement period. Follow-up, usually in the form of a digital meeting or phone call, is conducted by the practice teacher as follows: 1) an initial conversation after approximately two weeks of placement, and 2) a midway follow-up around the middle of the placement period.

The student must follow laws, instructions, internal rules and working hours that apply at the individual workplace. The student must adhere to confidentiality agreement in line with other personnel at the workplace. At the beginning of the study, each student signs a confidentiality agreement for the entire study period, including clinical placements. HVL wants the student to have access to participate in the institution's/department's meetings and access to internal teaching that may be important and beneficial for the student during the clinical placement. This is, however, up to the workplace to decide upon.

The student must also have time for self-study corresponding to one working day per week. Allocated time for self-study must be adapted to work routines at the individual workplace, which the student and supervisor agree on. It is not possible to save study time in order to shorten the period of clinical placement. A work effort equivalent to 40 hours per week is expected; 30 hours at the workplace and 10 hours for self-study.

Students receive clear written feedback according to specific criteria on the written compulsory learning activities to help students to gain an understanding of what is good and what is lacking in their learning activities. Students are expected to use and engage with the feedback to achieve relevant learning outcomes during the clinical placement.

Compulsory learning activities

• Attendance: 90%

The following compulsory learning activities must be approved before the student receives a final assessment in practice

• Learning objectives and a plan for the clinical placement, where a minimum of three relevant learning situations (LS) are included
• Activity analysis relevant for a client/patient. The analysis and the results of the analysis should be discussed with the student's supervisor.
• Critical evaluation of one scientific paper related to the clinical placement (and learning objectives and plan). The student must present the content and the analysis of the paper to the supervisor during the clinical placement.
• participate and contribute in group supervision, and
• Interprofessional collaboration:
  • participate in the TVEPS group where this is organised, with the learning activities this entails
  • where TVEPS groups are not organised, the student must write an individual note related to the client's treatment needs, focusing on interprofessional collaboration (TPS) of 750 words +/- 10%.

The student receives feedback on the written compulsory learning activities. If the student submits learning activities that does not meet the minimum requirements, the student must resubmit them before receiving feedback from the teacher.

If the clinical placement has to be repeated, the compulsory learning activities must also be repeated, as they are linked to the current clinical placement and workplace.

Assessment

A conversational assessment is conducted between the student and the supervisor mid-term (mid-term assessment) and at the end of the clinical placement (final assessment). The supervisor and the student fill in the assessment forms.

The clinical placement is assessed as passed or failed. The assessment is based on the student's performance in practice, which includes whether the learning outcomes (learning objectives and plan for practice) have been met. The assessment also includes the completion of LS, activity analysis, the presentation of a critically appraised scientific paper, and completed group supervision.

The supervisor recommends passed/failed clinical placement. The teacher is responsible for the final assessment of the clinical placement.

The 90% attendance requirement must be met, and the compulsory learning activities must be completed and passed.

If in doubt as to whether the student will reach the learning outcomes and pass the clinical placement, and the doubt arises before the student is halfway through the practice period, the student must be notified in writing. In this notice, the supervisor must state what the student does not master, and which requirements must be met in order to pass the period.

New clinical placement

No new assessment is arranged in a course of clinical placement. Failed clinical placement entails changed study progression where the clinical placement is completed in its entirety together with the next class.

Examination support material

None

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