Bachelor of Occupational Therapy

2017 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2017 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current.

Year	2017 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from 2017. If you require a course map from a previous year, please contact a Student Adviser.
Campus	Offered at Waterfront (Geelong)
Cloud Campus	No
Duration	4 years full-time or part-time equivalent Students who meet eligibility requirements will enrol in H455 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) for their fourth year of study.
Deakin course code	H355
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Quality Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

As a qualified occupational therapist you will have the specialised knowledge to improve your clients’ lives – at home and at work - and to promote good health and wellbeing in workplaces. Study a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at Deakin and get rewarding, real-world training commencing in your first year.

Occupational therapists work collaboratively with people who might have limitations, including those caused by injury, health conditions, delayed development or the effects of ageing. Occupational therapy (OT) interventions are designed to enhance participation in everyday life and may include activities or assistive devices, or modification of home or work environments to facilitate active engagement in work, home, social and leisure activities.

This course draws upon Deakin’s core strengths in health education to ensure you receive a relevant, practical OT education that meets contemporary workforce needs.

Throughout the course, you will get a chance to consolidate your skills through a series of supervised placements which commence in year 1. You will undertake seven different placement opportunities throughout your degree, during 1000 hours of practical work experience in a diverse range of OT practices including: childhood development (including schools and hospitals); acute and rehabilitation hospital settings; community health settings; aged care and more.

You will also benefit from our on-campus clinical skills laboratory which simulates real life settings and enables you to gain the knowledge required to meet the needs of your future clients. Our purpose-built OT lab will give you access to hands-on facilities with a range of assistive technologies and rehabilitation areas in which to practice.

Our occupational therapy staff have extensive experience in a diverse range of OT specialisations. In addition to being world leaders in their fields of research, many of our staff continue to practice their expertise in the real-world.

You can travel around the world with your occupational therapy qualification from Deakin. Our Bachelor of Occupational Therapy is accredited by the Occupational Therapy Council (Australia and New Zealand) and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, allowing graduates to practise professionally in Australia and overseas. Our OT graduates have found roles with organisations like Alfred Health, Barwon Health, Karingal and the Department of Education, as well as in various special schools and in private OT practice.

Selected students will have the opportunity to complete an honours year as part of this course.

Indicative student workload

As a student in the Faculty of Health you can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals, online interaction and practicum placements. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.

Professional recognition

All information regarding professional recognition is accurate at the date of publication. Enquiries regarding accreditation and professional membership should be directed to the School of Health and Social Development in order to ascertain the current status of accreditation at any future point in time beyond publication. Representations about accreditation apply only to the course, and the relevant professional body retains discretion as to who they admit as members of their association. Deakin University cannot exercise any control over membership of an external body.

Department of Human Services policy - Police Record Check and Working With Children Check

In accordance with Department of Human Services policy, all students are required to undertake a National Police Record Check prior to clinical placements in each calendar year of their course.

In accordance with the Department of Justice 2007, Working with Children Act 2005, amended 2017, all students are required to undertake a Working with Children Check at the commencement of their course. Students who fail to obtain a Police Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to the commencement of clinical placement will not be able to undertake clinical placement and this will impede progress in the course.

Students may also be required to declare their immunisation status to satisfy the requirements of health organisations where they will be undertaking their clinical learning experience. A health organisation may refuse to accept a student for placement if the student’s immunisation status is not satisfactory to the health organisation.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline Specific knowledge and capabilities	Apply specialised knowledge about occupation and health across the lifespan; and knowledge of research principles and methods, to provide person centred occupational therapy services for individuals, groups, organisations, communities or populations and to conduct an occupationally relevant research project.
Communication	Communicate effectively, professionally and respectfully with clients, families, carers, co-workers and colleagues using clear and appropriate language and communication modes. 2.2 Effectively communicate the implication of research findings for occupational therapy practice
Digital Literacy	Seek out and critically evaluate information located and accessed from digital and other technologies to inform occupational therapy practice, support continuing professional development, research projects and promote participation for people with diverse abilities.
Critical thinking	Critically assess, interpret, and evaluate information to plan and implement appropriate, person-centred occupational therapy intervention and to inform research ethics and activity.
Problem Solving	Effectively apply problem solving skills using critical thinking, professional reasoning, decision making and reflection to the design, implementation and evaluation of person centred occupational therapy service, research and scholarship.
Self-management	Demonstrate high professional standards through identification and implementation of independent learning and professional development strategies for the benefit of clients, families and others, colleagues and the profession.
Teamwork	Establish and maintain occupational therapy practice within inter-professional teams that is ethical, evidence based, professional, respectful and collaborative, and assume leadership, supervisory and management roles as appropriate.
Global Citizenship	Apply ethical, culturally relevant, professional and appropriate decision making which is respectful of the diverse social, cultural and environmental contexts within Australian and global communities. Justify the position of a research project within a national and international context.

Course rules

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy comprises 32 credit points, including 29 credit points of core units, 1 selective unit and 2 credit points of elective units.

To be awarded H455 Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) a person must

achieve at least a distinction average upon completion of level 3 studies;
successfully complete HSO302 Evidence-Based Occupational Therapy Practice 1
complete the four honours units at level 4 (listed under course structure H455 below).

Failure of a fieldwork component in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy will normally lead to exclusion. Students will be required to complete at least one fieldwork component in a regional area of Victoria or adjacent areas.

Course structure

Core units

Course structure applies to students who commenced in 2013 onwards. Students who commenced prior to 2013 should refer to previous online handbooks or consult your course enrolment officer.