Study Guide

Descriptions

CURRICULUM
Bachelor of Health Care, Occupational Therapy, multimodal studies

The programme in Occupational Therapy at Karelia University of Applied Sciences is part of a versatile rehabilitation competence module offered by the institution. In Karelia University of Applied Sciences, the education in social and health care focuses on multidisciplinary cooperation, age competence, entrepreneurship and digital competence in welfare services. The programme in Occupational Therapy provides you with an extensive knowledge base in occupational therapy. As an occupational therapist, you are a rehabilitation professional whose expertise is based on researched and evidence-based knowledge. During the education, you will work on your own way of acting with different people and you will be able to encounter them as equals and experts in their own lives. You will study, network and work in various groups as an expert in your own field.

Degree

Degree Title: Bachelor of Health Care
Extent: 210 cr. / 3.5 yrs

Description of Competences

As an occupational therapist, you walk alongside the client and enable them to succeed in the activities of daily living in a meaningful way. You will work independently, encounter people in different life situations and, based on research evidence, guide them on how to cope with their daily lives.

The competence profile in the programme is based on the nationally and internationally defined common competence requirements for occupational therapy and the generic competence requirements for the degrees granted by the universities of applied sciences. The qualification gives you the statutory right to work as an occupational therapist. When you graduate as an occupational therapist, you will be entered as a licensed health care professional in the database of the Finnish National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health.

The education in occupational therapy will give you an understanding of human functional capacity, occupation, environment and the underlying factors. Occupational therapy takes a process approach, starting with an assessment of the situation and followed by the setting of goals for therapy. The goals guide implementation and change is assessed in terms of the benefits experienced by the client. Professionalism is also built through continuous interaction with other social and health care professionals.

Through multidisciplinary studies, you will gain the skills to work in a multi-professional way for the benefit of the client. Multidisciplinary studies in the field of social and health care consist of client work competence, service and work development skills, and change competence in employment and cooperation. You will study these together with the students of physiotherapy, applied gerontology, nursing, social services and public health nursing. During your studies, you will learn how to work as an occupational therapist independently and as a member of your work community, effectively utilising the possibilities of digitalisation and technological development.

Competence Development and the Content of Studies

Your degree consists of working life-based core competence studies in occupational therapy (180 cr.) and complementary studies that develop occupational therapy expertise (30 cr.)

Your core competence skills will develop gradually.
• At the beginning of your studies, you will familiarise yourself with the occupational performance of clients and its significance in their everyday environment. You will develop your ability to analyse and adapt activities to suit the client.
• In the second year, while integrating theory and practice, you learn to promote and support the occupational performance of clients to enhance inclusion. You will also reflect on how to achieve sustainable development in sparsely populated areas and how smart services enhance the potential of occupational therapy.
• The third year enhances strong evidence-based working life skills. Research evidence and its application will deepen your thinking towards an action-oriented approach.
• Before graduation, you will develop your skills towards expertise in occupational performance and you understand the importance of continuous learning in your professional development.

As your studies progress, you will expand and apply your knowledge in specific areas of occupational therapy when you encounter various client groups in different settings. You will learn to take responsibility for the occupational therapy process, patient safety and the quality and effectiveness of your work. Furthermore, you will acquire skills in research, development and innovation activities, internationalisation, entrepreneurship and leadership, and you will complete a working life-based thesis.

The complementary studies that develop expertise in occupational therapy (30 credits) consist of choices based on your own career planning. You can utilise the course supply of Karelia UAS or that of other institutions of higher education. Complementary studies can be taken over several semesters, including the summer semester.

As an entrepreneur or as someone planning to become one, you can get guidance and support to combine your studies and entrepreneurship. If you want to pursue an entrepreneurial path, you can apply to the Business Academy (Y-akatemia), that is, Karelia UAS learning environment for entrepreneurship.

Work-Related Learning

During your education, you will study both in Karelia UAS's own learning and service environments, such as the multidisciplinary settings of Tarmo and Simula, and in numerous work placement environments. Part of your studies may be carried out in joint research and development projects between education and working life.

Work-related learning starts at the very beginning of your studies with an orientation placement in an occupational therapy setting. Each semester contains practical training and allows you to apply theoretical knowledge into practice.

• In the first placement, the setting and analysis of occupational performance in the everyday environment is carried out together with a student of physiotherapy, applied gerontology or social services. Practical learning will guide you to understand how clients perform in their own everyday environment.
• The second training will focus on assessment skills and goal setting under the guidance of an occupational therapist, helping you to understand the frameworks of occupational therapy. This will deepen your assessment skills and develop the versatile use of assessment methods.
• In the third placement, you will practice the implementation of high-quality interventions in project-based settings together with students of social services and health care. You will also deepen your skills to enhance inclusion and participation.
• The fourth placement emphasises the importance of recognising the challenges and the relevance of performance in clients. The training is supervised by an occupational therapist and draws on evidence-based theoretical knowledge.
• In the fifth placement, the aim is to assess the perceived effects and benefits of rehabilitation in an occupation-centred way together with an occupational therapist, who will guide you in the use of research evidence.
• The sixth placement before graduation guides you to broaden your perspectives, allowing you to deepen your expertise at individual, family, community or societal level.

Together with your teacher tutor, you will plan the content of your placements to be as varied as possible and to support your professional development. Furthermore, specific issues related to courses will be practised simultaneously with various clients.

Pedagogical Choices and Learning Environments

Occupational Therapy studies are based on the concept of learning as a reflective, experiential and socially constructed process. Your learning will be based on personal experience, observation and conscious reflection. Interaction, active participation, self-direction, responsibility and making use of feedback are an essential part of your learning. Learning is understood both as an individual process and as an activity based on social interaction that is supported by exploratory, experiential and collaborative learning methods.

During your studies, you will learn to acquire and evaluate evidence-based knowledge in a versatile and critical way. You will be able to apply the knowledge you have acquired in new and changing contexts. The constant changes in society and working life require the ability to continuously learn and update your skills. Developing your capacity for continuous learning will be a key focus. The aim is to learn to make your own learning and competence development visible to yourself and others. Reflection is central to learning and development.

Ways to Study and Flexible Course Implementations

Multimodal course offering enables studying that is partly independent of time and place. The studies include contact teaching on campus, independent and guided online learning and self-study in groups and independently. The programme in Occupational Therapy has a wide range of content. At Karelia, we emphasise creativity and the importance of personal development and self-development in the development of occupational therapy expertise. You can apply for the recognition of prior studies or for the validation of the competence acquired elsewhere as part of your degree in occupational therapy. Your studies can be shortened by up to half a year by completing complementary studies, thesis and practical placements during the summer.

Internationalisation

You will have excellent opportunities for internationalisation through courses or parts of courses taught in English, project work, international student exchanges and practical placements. During your studies, you will meet international students in Karelia and aboard. We offer courses in English and practical placements for students on international exchange. Language learning is an integral part of occupational therapy studies and language teaching is also integrated into the practical exercises of the courses. You can participate in an international exchange once you have completed a sufficient number of courses in professional studies. Typically, the exchange takes place during the third year. Internationalisation issues are discussed and planned together with the tutor teacher and the internationalisation coordinator.

Assessment

Competences and their development are assessed in various ways throughout your studies. In occupational therapy studies, assessment takes place during course implementations, in guidance situations, during client encounters, in exams and competence-based tests, and on the basis of reports and learning assignments. Students’ self-assessment and peer evaluation and feedback are also utilised. Studying is supported by reflection sessions, where you analyse and evaluate your learning against the set objectives. Assessment and feedback help you to follow your development and to set new objectives for your learning. Karelia has defined general criteria for the assessment of competences, yet, the specific assessment criteria are explicated in course descriptions.

Career Opportunities

As the population ages, the role of rehabilitation is becoming more important and the need for occupational therapists is increasing. Occupational therapists are increasingly needed for the home rehabilitation of older people, to support well-being and growth in children and to prevent social exclusion.

After graduation from Karelia, you have the professional qualification required of social and health care professionals and you can practice your profession as a licensed occupational therapist. You can work with various client groups in individual, group or community rehabilitation by using in-person or virtual therapy. You may work in health/ wellness centres and hospitals, social, health and rehabilitation enterprises or research institutions, special care districts or be an entrepreneur. You may also be employed by third sector organisations and associations and various projects.

Transformation of work and your own interests create different career opportunities. Your career development requires continuous learning after graduation. A major part of learning takes place at work, yet it can be enhanced through education. You can complement your competence through studies in an open university of applied sciences or through master level studies. Completing a Master's degree can open new recruitment opportunities for supervisory or demanding expert and development tasks, or to teaching jobs. Teacher-tutors and study counsellors support your career planning throughout your studies.