OCC4010 · Foundations of occupational therapy

Overview

This unit introduces you to the profession of occupational therapy and key knowledge, skills and attitudes that are essential for professional practice. Within this unit you will gain the theoretical foundations of occupational therapy which include: theoretical concepts and models underpinning health and occupational therapy practice; principles and mechanisms underlying the relationship between the person, their environment and occupations, and how this relates to human health and wellbeing, and the occupational therapist within the interdisciplinary team. You will explore the legal, cultural and ethical issues relevant to professional practice and will learn beginning communication and interviewing skills together with other pre-clinical skills for safe practice. You will develop beginning skills in occupational therapy problem solving and clinical reasoning processes through the use of case scenarios presented throughout the unit. You will commence practice education, totalling 80 hours by the end of the second unit OCC4020.

Areas of study: Occupational therapy

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook lists an examination for this unit.

Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Explain and justify the role of an occupational therapist, in relation to the history of the profession, current practice, and similarities and differences from other health professionals within a collaborative practice environment.
2. Apply client-centred communication and interviewing to simulated occupational therapy practice situations.
3. Compare and contrast key features of contemporary occupational therapy models of practice and an interdisciplinary framework of functioning and disability, and apply these to a practice scenario.
4. Identify the socio-cultural, economic, and physical determinants of health with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and culturally diverse populations, and describe how these affect care provision within a practice scenario.
5. . Identify the challenges and barriers to community participation likely to confront a person with a disability.
6. Describe and apply ethical, legal and workplace safety issues pertinent to a practicing occupational therapist, including identification of ideal professional behaviours to a practice scenario.
7. Apply the process of reflective practice in the context of simulated disability experience task and community -based experience activities.
8. Locate, retrieve and use resources that inform understanding about health and occupational issues.

Workload

This unit will run for 9 weeks of academic/practice education followed by one week of assessment. As this is an accelerated program, the workload demands are more than would be expected of an undergraduate 12 credit point unit as it is run over 9 rather than 12 weeks. 4.5 hours per week scenario-based learning tutorials 8-9 hours of tutorials per week You are also expected to: • undertake 10-12 hours per week self-directed study related to the weekly material and further required reading. • commence practice education, totalling 80 hours by the end of OCC4020. A total of 80 hours Practice education by the end of OCC4020.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.