What will I learn on this module?
By the end of this module, you will have consolidated your Occupational Therapy knowledge and skills by achieving a minimum of 1000 hours of assessed Occupational Therapy practice. This will build on the skills and experience gained during placement 1 and 2. Through supervised practice, you will actively participate in the delivery of Occupational Therapy services, learning to apply knowledge drawn from your work in modules completed so far, as well as integrating core practice skills. You will reflect on the core values important to service users and carers and consider their application to practice. You will learn about, and experience, the importance of cultural intelligence, collaborative working and utilise opportunities to develop your professional and organisational skills and consider the role of the environment in creating an enabling/ disabling experience. You will apply this knowledge to taking an active and increasingly autonomous role within the delivery of safe and effective occupational therapy practice.
The placement will continue to encourage your learning of the reflective process and support your development as a reflective and evidence-based practitioner and will make links to theoretical concepts from other Y1, Y2 and Y3 modules. Part of being a professional in practice is managing workload and your own emotional responses and there will be opportunities to reflect on this both in University and on placement in order to develop physical and mental health self-care strategies during lectures, seminars and small group work as well as formal and informal clinical supervision during placement.
As you will be guided by professional and regulatory body requirements for student occupational therapists, practice placement is a fundamental part of preparing you for your own future professional employment. Hours completed on this module contribute to the 1000 hours of supervised practice required to be eligible to register to practice on completion of the programme. Some of the pre and post placement university learning can be verified as placement hours.
The preparatory period in university prior to placement will revisit the professional conduct required in practice as set out by the Professional standards for occupational therapy practice, conduct and ethics (RCOT, 2021) and HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (2016).
How will I learn on this module?
The majority of this module will be practice based and may use simulation or telehealth to support your learning. You will engage with an identified practice area and work in collaboration with 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, disciplines 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. You will be encouraged to take an active and increasingly autonomous role within your practice learning, negotiating and identifying learning opportunities and providing a range of evidence to achieve placement competencies.
University sessions will help you to link theory to practice and consolidate learning. Tutorials may be in the form of individual or small group tutorials, in university, in practice and make take place face to face or online
How will I be supported academically on this module?
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. University sessions including lectures, seminars and group tutorials will enable you to prepare for and reflect upon your placement experiences.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Understand principles of occupational engagement and performance and the role/ potential role of the OT in the therapeutic process within the practice context.
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
2. Apply core occupational therapy and professional theories, concepts and principles to demonstrate development of professional reasoning skills throughout the therapeutic process
3. Apply and appraise relevant OT techniques/core skills with supervision by meeting identified practice competencies and demonstrating safe and effective practice
4. Analyse research evidence and apply to practice.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Demonstrate awareness of policy context, the value of collaboration, communication and team working to person centred care.
How will I be assessed?
Formative assessment:
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.
Summative assessment
Level 6 Practice Placement Competencies (ALL MLOs)
You will be assessed by your Practice Educator on a pass/fail basis in line with specified level 6 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
Pre-requisite(s)
N/A
Co-requisite(s)
N/A
Module abstract
This module provides further opportunity to experience and be actively involved in delivering occupation focussed activity in a real world environment. You will spend 12 weeks as part of a team within an identified area of practice, learning from and with service users, occupational therapists, health/social care professionals and wider services and team members. You will be allocated to a qualified Occupational Therapist who will guide and support your learning.
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. This module will enable you to consolidate and integrate skills developed during previous placements and to link to theories, concepts and skills developed during university modules.
The placement process will also be supported by university sessions before, during and after your placement to help you to prepare for practice and to assist you to consolidate learning and future development needs.
Course info
UCAS Code B925
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 3 years Full Time
Department Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing
Location Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2025 or September 2026
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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