OT4001 - Practice Placement 1

The module will begin with a period of university learning to help you to prepare for professional practice. This will also include mandatory skills (such as moving and handling, basic life support and safeguarding) which are essential for professional practice.

Practical approaches will also be used to build skills and knowledge in relation to scenarios you will face in practice. A period of simulated practice placement will be used to recreate conditions you are likely experience in practice and to build a foundation awareness of what it means to be a professional occupational therapy student in practice. Experts by experience representing different perspectives will also support learning on this module – through the sharing of narratives and engagement in dialogue, students will be supported to explore values, examine assumptions and work towards inclusive and person-centred occupational therapy practice.

The majority of this module will be practice based. You will engage with an identified Occupational Therapy practice area and work alongside a qualified Occupational Therapist(s) who will act as your practice educator to facilitate your learning. Alongside the identified educator(s), opportunities to learn from other team members and related services can be negotiated throughout the placement. Your practice educator, alongside other professionals, will support you to apply knowledge and skills in the real-world practice environment.

University sessions prior, during and following the practice placement will help you to link theory to practice and consolidate learning in preparation for year two. Tutorials may be in the form of individual or small group tutorials, in university or in practice.

The module tutor, alongside other academic staff, will support you at key points before, during and after the placement. You will also have an identified practice educator (a qualified Occupational Therapist) who will facilitate and support your learning in practice. In addition, you will be supported to identify and access other professionals and disciplines available in the particular practice area.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Understand the role of the Occupational Therapist in an identified area of contemporary practice

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Demonstrate an awareness of the professional skills required for safe and effective practice by meeting the identified practice competencies.
3. Demonstrate appropriate written and verbal communication skills in order to work collaboratively with others

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):

4. Demonstrate self awareness and ability to reflect on own impact within practice environments
5. Demonstrate a commitment to the values of inclusive, person centred occupational therapy.

Formative assessment:

Simulated Placement
The simulated placement will conclude with a formative practical assessment in relation to an identified scenario or area of skills development. Written feedback will be provided after this formative assessment.

Practice Placement 1
Ongoing formative assessment of practice where strengths and areas for development are identified. This will be supported through regular supervision meetings between the student and the practice educator and will be summarised during a mid-point contact with an academic tutor. Both weekly supervision and the mid-point contact will be summarised in writing.

Summative assessment:

Practice Placement Competencies
You will be assessed by your practice educator on a pass/fail basis in line with specified level 4 competencies. You will receive written and verbal feedback on your strengths and areas for development from your practice educator.

The summative assessment will promote achievement of all MLO’s

N/A

N/A

This module provides an opportunity to experience Occupational Therapy practice at first hand. The beginning of the module will include a period of University learning and a simulated placement experience, to help recreate some of the conditions you will experience on your placements and to help you to practice foundation skills before starting your first practice placement.

For the period of practice placement, you will be allocated to a qualified Occupational Therapist in an identified practice environment, who will guide and support your learning. You will spend time as part of a team within an identified area of practice, learning from and with service users, occupational therapists and wider services and team members. Through opportunities for supervised practice with ongoing assessment and feedback and monitored through regular supervision with your allocated practice educator, you will be supported to work towards the placement competencies relevant to your level of learning. The assessment of practice competencies is assessed on a pass/fail basis.

At the end of your first year, this module will enable you to link the foundation knowledge and skills you have developed through university modules to a practice context. The placement process will also be supported by university sessions before, during and after your placement to help you to prepare for practice, to assist you to consolidate learning and future development needs and to reflect upon your placement experiences with staff and students.