Bachelor's Degree Programme in Occupational Therapy
Key learning outcomes
An occupational therapist is an expert in rehabilitation who, working in collaboration with the client, seeks to enable meaningful and well-functioning everyday life for the client. During their studies, the students will learn to examine factors that facilitate the client’s occupational performance and ways to support the client’s coping in their everyday life though meaningful activity.
The occupational therapist builds their client work on an occupation-centred and multidisciplinary theoretical background of occupational therapy and works in a person-oriented manner with different kinds of client groups in individual, group or community rehabilitation. The occupational therapist is able to use well-studied occupation-centred methods in the assessment of the client’s functional capacity and environment and to prepare, in collaboration with the client, individual objectives and a plan for promoting rehabilitation. To enable participation, the occupational therapist is able to adjust or utilise physical, social, technological and natural environments to improve the client’s opportunities to be active in their everyday life in a meaningful way.
As part of their studies, the students learn a way of working that is based on research evidence. The occupational therapist’s expertise is based on a discipline known as occupational science, which studies the actions of people and groups in everyday life. Occupational therapy and occupational science are interested in individual choices related to activities and the significance of occupational activities for a balanced life, health and well-being.
Education content and professional growth and know-how
In the Degree Programme in Occupational Therapy, the students complete the degree of Bachelor of Health Care in Health Care and Social Studies.
The studies focus on enabling the occupational performance and participation of clients of different ages and supporting independent coping in life. The studies focus on establishing therapeutic relationship, the assessment of occupational performance and the goal-oriented use of occupations, assessment of environments, client centred processes, advice and counselling. The overarching theme running through the studies is multidisciplinary rehabilitation competence that familiarises the student with client centred and innovative future solutions in the rehabilitation sector, such as the opportunities offered by digitalisation and virtual rehabilitation in the multicultural operating environment of health care and social services.
During the first study year, the focus is on the common studies in health care and social services that examine client relationships in health care and social services in the changing operating environment. Additionally, the students will study generic skills and the theoretical basis of occupational therapy. The professional core competence in occupational therapy will develop in such a way that during the first year, the studies will focus on the occupation-centred approach and the significance of occupation and participation in the life of an individual.
During the following study years, the students will further examine the assessment and promotion of occupation and participation by means of occupational therapy. The studies also examine the opportunities offered by occupational therapy in different environments, networks and communities. Familiarity with the different stages of the occupational therapy process and understanding of research evidence based occupational therapy are the overarching theme running through the different stages of the studies.
Flexible studies
Both full-time and part-time studies require an active approach to studying for about 40 h a week and a willingness to take responsibility for your own learning. Both forms of study make use of inter-professional cooperation and, to an increasing extent, digital learning opportunities, such as electronic materials and online interaction.
Full-time studies require participation in studies on weekdays. In addition to teamwork that takes place at the JAMK campus, the studies include lectures, learning assignments, exams, online studies and practical training in workplaces in the field that promotes professional skills, as well as participation in working life projects.
In part-time studies, the studies include, in addition to online studies, learning assignments, exams, contact days at the JAMK campus and practical training in workplaces in the field that promotes professional skills, as well as participation in working life projects. Part-time studies require, in particular, basic IT skills and a willingness to develop as an online learner, an opportunity to participate in webinars on weekdays, and classroom days in Jyväskylä 2 to 5 days per month.
The studies in occupational therapy degree programme proceed flexibly according to the student’s personal learning plan. For example, students can complete practical training according to their personal learning plan in different parts of Finland or abroad flexibly at different stages of their studies. A student who possesses previously acquired competence in the social and health care sector is advised to check their opportunities for accreditation for the first-year studies, for example. Additional flexibility and opportunities for speeding up graduation are provided by summertime studies, for example, on which occasion the students may complete their practical training, thesis or courses offered by the nationwide CampusOnline or regional EduFutura as supplementary studies. The choices made with supplementary studies, practical training work placements and thesis provide the student with an opportunity to deepen their competences according to their personal interests.
The student may develop their internal entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial competence by taking part in entrepreneurship courses, with studies at the Startup Factory, or by means of StartUp activities. The student also has an opportunity to participate in working life driven research, development and innovation projects and in the rapid testing and try-out of service products. The student’s internationalisation competence develops during their studies, because part of the studies is carried out in English and the majority of the course material is in English. Furthermore, the student can improve their international competence by completing courses or practical training abroad.
Students have a choice of alternative or elective studies offered by partner universities in Finland and abroad, such as other universities of applied sciences (CampusOnline), universities and educational institutions involved in the EduFutura collaboration (University of Jyväskylä and Gradia). Higher level studies completed elsewhere may be accredited as part of your degree. The student must have a certificate or some other document to prove that they have completed the studies. Skills acquired elsewhere can also be described and demonstrated to enable accreditation. Further information is available in the Study Guide.
Working life oriented learning
The studies put special emphasis on working life oriented learning. About one-third of the studies consist of practical training or development assignments carried out in workplaces in the field, such as private and third-sector social and health care service units and communities, as well as in projects and development initiatives. Practical training and development assignments are carried out according to the student’s personal career and learning plan at different stages of their studies. Their purpose is to develop the professional competence and multidisciplinary teamworking skills needed in future working life. The student may also complete practical training abroad. If the student works in social and health care sector duties concurrently with their studies, they are advised to check the opportunities for studification. The thesis is a long-term research, development or innovation project implemented in response to working life development needs.
Working life oriented learning is included in bachelor’s degree courses throughout the studies. These include practical training to promote professional skills, the thesis and various working life projects. At JAMK University of Applied Sciences, the operating model for working life oriented and student-driven learning is called JAMK Future Factory®. It combines working life operators, students, JAMK experts and working life oriented LAB environments and other learning environments. In addition to multidisciplinary and working life oriented project studies, it offers students a chance to develop their future working life skills, career paths and networks.
Studification is also among the options offered by working life oriented learning. It refers to combining work, project work, Future Factory activities, etc. with studies. Studification involves students drafting a studification plan and documenting it in the manner agreed with the teacher. Further information is available in the Study Guide.
Career opportunities and employment
Occupational therapists can work in the public or private sector or in non-governmental organisations. They may work in a hospital, for example, or in a health centre, rehabilitation centre, school or day-care centre. Occupational therapists also have an increasing number of opportunities for employment in organisations and projects in the well-being sector as well as workplaces in non-governmental organisations.
Students of occupational therapy who have learnt about entrepreneurship during their studies by means such as entrepreneurship studies, practical training completed in a company or the Startup Factory activities might establish their own business after graduation.
The choices made by the student during the course of their studies that address the requirements of the job being applied for may also help the student in finding employment. Examples include practical training or development assignment completed as part of the thesis, getting familiar with a specific occupation-centred assessment or working method, international activities, or familiarisation with digital solutions in the health care and social services sector during their studies.
Qualifications
The qualification title of occupational therapist can only be used, and the profession practised, by a graduated licensed occupational therapist. The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health Valvira grants qualified occupational therapists the licence to practise the profession in response to an application to this effect.
Further studies
Students may, after graduation and a working career of at least two years, apply for studies leading up to a master’s degree. Studies can also be continued by applying for a university master’s degree programme or similar programmes as well as professional teacher education. After a bachelor’s degree from a university of applied sciences, it is also possible to continue studies at higher education institutes abroad on master’s degree level programmes. A university of applied sciences also provides opportunities for continuing education in the form of specialisation studies, open studies, an online study portal (CampusOnline) and working life based continuing education.
A student who completes a master’s degree at a university of applied sciences may apply to continue on to postgraduate studies in science or arts at universities (Act 558/2009, Section 37).
Education planning
In addition to the teachers, student representatives as well as representatives from the field of health care and social services have participated in the planning of the education in events discussing the common competences in the field of health care and social services as well as profession-specific competences, in particular from the point of view of future competence needs. The students have been heard for the purpose of refining not only the content of the studies, but also the ways of learning.
The education and training meet the minimum standards imposed on occupational therapist education by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). This conformance is checked by means of an international audit every five years. JAMK’s occupational therapist education curriculum is based on the competence descriptions defined by the European Network of Occupational Therapy in Higher Education (ENOTHE).
Contact Information
Emmi Ritvos
Senior Lecturer, Rehabilitation and Social Studies
+358504098259
firstname.lastname@jamk.fi