Bachelor of Medical Science Honours in Biokinetics

Purpose

The qualification serves as a foundation and core knowledge base whereby the acquisition of professional abilities such as; understanding, skills, values and attitudes are ensured, as well as gaining applied competence to act as a specialist health care professional, namely a Biokineticist, should prove to be the end product. Competent and qualified Biokineticists are able to work in a variety of settings, including the public and private sector and in both urban and rural settings. Biokineticists primarily utilise their professional expertise in exercise, physical activity and health education to enhance/promote health in general, and specifically prevent dysfunction, restore and maintain an individual's compromised functional ability, particularly in respect of orthopaedic injury and chronic disease states.

The qualification will provide all economic sectors with a pool of well-qualified people whose competence will be internationally recognised and who will be able to perform specialised biokinetic health care services within any community setting.

The Professional Qualification: Health Professional - Biokineticist is distinct from other qualifications in the health care profession as its main focus is scientifically based prescriptive exercise in the four domains of practice.

Rationale

Biokinetics has become a specialised field and there has been an increasing demand for experts in this discipline. The programme was established to meet this demand, and to produce experts who can provide the theoretical and practical basis for the controlled use of physical activity in the prevention of disease and as the primary therapeutic modality during final phase rehabilitation. Graduates are required to complete a one-year internship in a registered biokinetics practice before students can register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as a Biokineticist.

Entry Requirements

The programme requires a good theoretical grounding in the fundamentals of Human Physiology and Exercise Physiology/Science as acquired during the course of a Bachelor of Science (BSc) or Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree specialising in Human Movement Science or Sport Science. Or a BSc Degree majoring in Human Anatomy and Physiology or other standard university qualification at Level 7.

Students are required to complete 78 Credits core courses and a 42 Credit research report over a period of 1 year. The combination of various modules which are available as 'fundamental learning' 'applied learning' and clinical learning' will mean that the qualification will serve as a passport to higher Degrees at any of the universities in South Africa. All learning modules are compulsory. The didactic modules provide the candidates with a concentrated study of current subjects in human biology and disease/injury mechanisms, with obligatory modules in 'Fundamentals and Applied', 'Principles of good scientific investigation', 'Scientific writing and platform presentation' and 'Ethics in Research'. Candidates will need to select fairly early on the 'discipline' within which their research project will be conducted to suit the timelines for completion of their mini dissertation.

1) Applied Science competence: The learner will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills related to

• Structure and function of human body systems.
• Biomechanics.
• Exercise Physiology and Clinical Exercise Physiology.
• Promotion of health, recreational, exercise and physical activity interventions.
• Prevention and rehabilitation of musculo skeletal injuries.
• Prevention and management of chronic diseases and disabilities.
• Biokinetics Practice Management.

2) Basic science competence

• Specialist knowledge of selected research areas.
• Computer literacy appropriate to university level studies.

3) Research competence

• Ability to define a problem.
• Ability to formulate a hypothesis.
• Ability to describe ways to test the hypothesis.
• Ability to design an experiment that will lead to meaningful results.
• Ability to conduct experiments, with reasonable technical competence in a range of techniques appropriate to the disciplines.
• Recognise the importance of lab safety issues.
• Show ability to work independently and produce meaningful results.
• Ability to interpret results at honours level study.
• Ability to discuss and integrate data with general scientific literature.
• Ability to present research results to scientific audiences at Honours Degree level, both orally and in written dissertation.

4) Ethics

• Understand and apply ethics of using information and understand the basics of confidentiality.
• Understand and apply the ethics of animal use in research, if this applies to the discipline concerned.
• Understand and comply with laws of copyright protection.
• Take responsibility within own limits of competence.
• Demonstrate ability to work as a team and to show sensitivity to colleagues and demonstrate tolerance in the workplace.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Specific areas of knowledge will be assess in tests and exams.
• Be able to critically evaluate scientific literature on specialist topics - assessed during tests and exams.
• Be able to communicate acquired specialist knowledge and insight both orally and in written form.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Be able to write essays on the application of specialist topics in the medical field concerned.
• Specific areas of knowledge will be assessed in tests and exams.
• Be able to critically evaluate scientific literature on specialist topics - this will be assessed during journal club presentations and in exams and tests.
• Be able to communicate acquired specialist knowledge and insight both orally and in written form.
• Ability to access and utilise electronic information in the discipline concerned.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Lab books will be assessed on an ongoing basis.
• Seminars will be presented.
• Mini-theses will be written and examined by internal and external examiners.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Understanding and implementation of all the above will be assessed by supervisors and staff in different teaching settings, including lab meetings, journal clubs and general discussions.
• Copyright, plagiarism, etc. will be monitored by teachers and supervisors.
• Self-evaluations and group evaluations will take place during the year and at the end of the course.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment to ensure that the purpose of the Degree is achieved: An integrated assessment of the competence of the learner occurs on a continual basis through the course of the Honours programme. Each module is examinable and the final assessment will be aimed at determining whether the student has achieved the requisite level of knowledge required at this level, as well as the ability to critically review current literature in selected fields, to apply skills to practical problems towards carrying out a research project, to report on such a project and to present a comprehensive overview of a research project in the form of a written paper and as a platform presentation. Assessment methods will include formal examination, review of essays and/or oral presentations or other written assignments where appropriate, and a review of a mini-dissertation on the laboratory research module. Integrated Assessment will take into account elements of scientific literacy, numeric and computer literacy relevant to the study area. Module examination of a three-hour examination. Submission of a mini dissertation, e.g. covering the laboratory project, written as a scientific paper, a week before the final examination. An oral examination that will involve questions on the theoretical, practical and clinical aspects of the Honours programme; conducted by three examiners, one of whom is external to the university. The overall pass mark is 50%.