Master of Science in Occupational Therapy

This study programme, personal development and research was devised to

i) Prepare occupational therapists to become expert, critical, and reflective thinkers and problem solvers, and confident practitioners in service, research and management;

ii) Enable occupational therapists to interpret their conviction about the value of human occupation into practical terms, demonstrating applied competence in all their work endeavours;

iii) Prepare graduates to be leaders in their field, capable of addressing National and African health priorities, building on their prior knowledge acquired in the undergraduate occupational therapy course.

The entrant to this programme will have achieved the following

• An NQF level 4 certificate with University exemption (grade 12). The qualification must include a pass in mathematics (higher grade or not less than 50% on standard grade), and a pass in Physical Science and/or Biology (higher grade or not less than 50% on standard grade)
• Basic English literacy, numeracy and computer skills
• A Bachelor degree in Occupational Therapy that is registered or register able with the Health Professions Council of South Africa
• Experience working as an occupational therapist (at least one year, preferably two)
• Evidence of continued professional development post qualification.

Senior certificate with Matriculation Exemption or equivalent university admission qualification

First degree

Bachelor or Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Honours degree

4 year undergraduate degree

Recognition of prior learning

60% pass an undergraduate and or practical experience post graduation (preferable two years) and evidence of continued professional development post graduation

a)

Critical cross-field outcomes

• Transform experience into learning
• Plan, execute, and report research
• Extrapolate, integrate and apply principles of practice (service, management and research)
• Advocate, enable and apply the tenets of social justice

b)

General outcomes

• Literacy: Lucid, informed and well constructed
• Numeracy: basic competence and confidence in understanding, choice and application of statistics
• Computer skills: finding the best evidence and data analysis
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills

c)

Specific outcomes

• Disability Studies: increased awareness and informed participation in disability issues
• Health Promotion and Education: value assigned to the link between these concepts and health through occupation.
• Human Occupation: advocate human occupation as a determinant for health
• Management: relate basic principles of economics and health service management to public health
• Rehabilitation: evidence-based health care at all levels of service

a)

Be able to

• Take responsibility for own learning: diagnose own needs, choose learning opportunities, find resources and evaluate results.
• Recapture, notice and re-evaluate experience, turning it into learning
• Use a variety of approaches (individual, group, project) and strategies to execute self-directed learning.

Be able to

• Prepare and propose a plan for research, including ethical considerations;
• Operationalise ideas, apply research methodology and benefit from expert supervision;
• Analyse, interpret and derive information from data;
• Apply the required rigor to the evaluation and presentation of results;
• Present research and defend results.

Be able to

• Produce written evidence to show that the knowledge and skills acquired during study have been projected into and applied within the students' own field of practice.
• Articulate clearly and accurately, both verbally and in writing, evidence of the application of general principles in particular situations, and an understanding of real life practice within the South African context.

Be able to

• Share through communication and a willingness to be evaluated, a preparedness to challenge and change own prejudices and stereotypes about people with disabilities, the disadvantaged and the poor.
• Show discernment and conceptual clarity in value judgements about equity, equality and human rights during discussions and written assignments.

b) Be able to

• Submit coherent, critical writing which

i) Agrees with, accedes to, defends or confirms an argument;

ii) Proposes a new point or concedes that an existing point has merits but could be better qualified

iii) Reformulates and provides a new point of view;

iv) Dismisses, rejects, rebuffs or refutes an argument on reasoned grounds

v) Reconciles two positions that may seem to variance

Presents critical summaries and assessments of a range of existing materials, including the most recent publications

Analyse text for the purpose of qualitative research, recognising pattern and form, metaphor, and other figures of speech.

Be able to

• Understand published quantitative research
• Interpret basic statistical results and perform elementary data descriptions
• Analyse data with the help of computer programmes
• Prepare, present and interpret budgets (do financial planning) and manage basic accounting

Be able to

• Access general and specialist databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library and the Internet

Conduct data searches and retrieve best evidence by

i) selecting the best source

ii) choosing an appropriate database

iii) devising a search strategy

Use data analysis programmes (e.g. Statistika, N Vivo) satisfactorily in order to save time and increase efficiency

Be able to

Engage with people for different purposes

i) individuals e.g. free attitude interviews, and/or

ii) groups e.g. focus groups

iii) communities e.g. participative action research

iv) public officials e.g. policy issues

Form and maintain collaborative partnerships with fellow students for learning purposes, other professionals and members of the community for the purpose of development and research

Practice observation skills and record the results as part of naturalistic inquiry

Use the opportunity for dissertation supervision both to convey and clarify study problems and development and to reflect on own progress

c)

Be able to

• Compare the social and medical models of disability and relate these to policy and practice
• Integrate local and international information about disability rights, equity and equal opportunity for the purpose of deeper understanding and insight
• Explore public and private services and overarching legislation to better understand development and service barriers and opportunities
• Develop the capacity and deal with the emotions of self and others related to disability issues.

Be able to

• Conceptualise health promotion in the public and private domain for individuals, groups and the population and expand ideas about the implications this has on occupational deprivation, alienation, imbalance and risk-taking behaviour.
• Relate Human Scale Development (Max Neef) to community and personal development and the achievement of the ideals of the Ottawa declaration.
• Generate ideas about the interface between teaching, learning and therapy, and how best the principles of education can be applied.

Be able to

• Contribute to the professions knowledge base
• Address theoretical issues related to the form, function and meaning of occupation and apply these to own field of practice
• Appraise information about human occupation generated outside South Africa and compare and contrast it with local (contextualised) data.
• Examine, explain and evaluate the impact of occupation on health and adaptation.

Be able to

• Apply cost analysis in their own practice
• Read and understand information that uses economic evaluation techniques
• Comment about the financial and organisational framework of different health sectors
• Develop budgets for their own projects
• Apply resource and workload indicators in own work
• Describe and analyse different approaches to health policy
• Develop strategic and business plans
• Explain different roles in organisations and acquire some practical management skills
• Acquire the capacity to deal with organisational issues related to disability

Be able to

• Interrogate issues related to the meaning of rehabilitation and its relationship to the primary health care approach
• Establish service quality based on access, relevance to need, equity, effectiveness and acceptability
• Facilitate the transfer of research into practice through diffusion, dissemination and implementation
• Measure rehabilitation outcomes and choose appropriate tools, indicators and parameters for the purpose
• Demonstrate professional autonomy, competence and accountability by producing evidence of decisions, judgement and the consequences.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

Formative and summative assessment is undertaken, using a variety of methods. In keeping with the principles of adult education, the course aims to provide students with feedback about their personal development as learners and to convert all forms of assessment into learning opportunities. The integrated assessment is designed to collect evidence during the period of study and at its completion that the student has attained the course/exit level outcomes.

Formative Assessment

Class presentations

Students are required to prepare and present information on selected topics during classes. No marks are allocated for this but the lecturer and fellow students give extensive feedback. The lecturer/tutor challenges the presenter and all the other students to develop their critical reasoning, problem solving, presentation skills and knowledge through this process.

Assignments

Each course module requires the student to complete at least one assignment. Four of the six courses give students the opportunity to apply the answer to their own work environment and experience. In this way students learn to apply theory to practice. The value of these marks with respect to the final mark varies between modules but the general formula is given below.

Protocol preparation and presentation

Students work in groups during the Research Methods module to prepare a research protocol on a given subject. The lecturers and an external examiner mark both the presentation and the protocol content.

Students are also required to prepare and present a protocol in their second year of study for their own dissertation. This protocol must be approved by fellow students, the lecturer/supervisor, the Ethics and Scientific committees of the Faculty of Health Science and Fund Holders, if the student chooses to follow this route. There is no independent mark for this protocol, but the student receives extensive feedback from the named sources.

Discussion of each students' dissertation

i) Dissertation discussion with the supervisor(s). Each student chooses a supervisor who is then approved as suitable for the candidate by the Faculty of Health Science. The task of the supervisor is to regularly guide and direct the student through the research process, giving detailed feedback about the application of research methodology.

Dissertation discussion with peers. The students who have completed their coursework meet weekly to present and discuss their work in progress. They are given moral support, critical appraisal and intensive examination on every aspect of the presentation. The opportunity for learning is shared by the whole group. Each student takes responsibility for their learning and is self-directed within this supportive framework.

Summative Assessment

Examination of course modules.

The eight course modules are examined at the end of the semester during which they are completed (two per semester)

Examination of dissertation

The supervisor gives permission for the student to submit the dissertation for examination when the work has rached a satisfactory conclusion.

Summary of formally credited assessments to ensure achievement of degrees' purpose

There are eight modules. Each requires assignments and a three-hour written examination.