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Occupational Therapy

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Entry Points (2017)
531

Course Overview

Occupational therapists work with both children and adults with acquired conditions such as stroke or spinal cord injury, people with mental health problems or congenital conditions such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida, and with many others. Occupational therapists aim to facilitate independence in daily ‘occupations’, such as selfcare, work, financial management, leisure pursuits or education. Any illness, trauma or disruption can result in difficulties in these areas due to problems with moving, thinking or carrying out the tasks. Occupational therapists design and deliver intervention programmes to address these difficulties.

 

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, Mathematics, a laboratory science subject (i.e. Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Physics with Chemistry (joint) or Agricultural Science), and any other subject recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Students must satisfy the Garda/Police vetting and Medical Clearance requirements.
Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2018

A Level Grades (2017)

A*A*A* & a(AS) or equivalent combination

Average intake

25

Closing Date

Next start date

September 2018

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY502

PAC code

Course Outline

Year 1

  • Principles for Practice/ Fundamentals I
  • Psychology
  • Anatomy
  • Human Body Function
  • Mental Health 1
  • Mental Health 2
  • Enabling Occupation Physical Disability
  • Group work and Professional Skills


Year 2

  • Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy II
  • Neuroanatomy
  • Neurophysiology
  • Health Psychology
  • Enabling Occupation Paediatrics
  • Enabling Occupation Intellectual Disability
  • Practice Education I & II
  • Case Study I & II


Year 3

  • Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy III & IV
  • Cognitive Neuropsychology
  • Evidence-Based Practice
  • Enabling Occupation Community
  • Standardised Testing in Occupational Therapy
  • Enabling Occupation for Older Adults
  • Emerging Areas of Practice
  • Research Methods
  • Social Policy
  • Neurology


Year 4

  • Practice Education III & IV
  • Case Study III & IV
  • Management and Leadership
  • Preparation for Practice
  • Research Project

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject
Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject
A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Required OY110: Mental Health 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required SI317: Human Body Function - 10 Credits - Semester 1
Required PS214: Developmental Psychology 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required OY107: Principles for Practice/Fundamentals - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required AN230: Human Body Structure - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required OY108: Enabling Occupation - Physical Disability - 10 Credits - Semester 2
Required OY109: Groupwork & Professional Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required OY111: Mental Health 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required PS118: Introduction to Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required PS407: Forensic, Abnormal & Clinical Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 2

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Required OY2111: Communication for Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required AN208: Neuroanatomy - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required SI209: Neurophysiology - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required PS151: Health Psychology - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY212: Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY2116: Enabling Occupation - Paediatrics - 10 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY2115: Practice Education 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 4
Required OY2110: Occupational Science - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required OY2103: Social Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required OY2113: Practice Education - Case Study 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 4
Required OY215: Enabling Occupation - Intellectual Disability - 5 Credits - Semester 4

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Required OY308: Standardised Testing - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY306: Evidence Based Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY312: Enabling Occupation - Older Adults - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY313: Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy 3 - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3115: Community Engagement - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3105: Cognitive Neuropsychology - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY307: Research Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required OY309: Neurology - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required OY310: Social Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required OY311: Enabling Occupation - Community Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required OY314: Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy 4 - 5 Credits - Semester 6

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Required OY407: Fieldwork 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY401: Fieldwork Case Study 1 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY402: Fieldwork Case Study 2 - 15 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY406: Fieldwork 1 - 0 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY409: Preparation for Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 8
Required OY403: Research Project - 20 Credits - Semester 8
Required OY404: Management - 10 Credits - Semester 8

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the degree course will have a professional qualification and may work in a variety of settings such as:

  • Hospitals
  • Voluntary organisations
  • Mental health services
  • Child and adolescent services
  • Physical and sensory services
  • Community rehabilitation
  • Disability services


Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

 

Work Placement

All students are required to complete 1,000 hours of Practice Education successfully under the supervision of a qualified occupational therapist. Practice Education is a process of workbased learning which involves a partnership between the practice educator and the student in the practice setting. Practice Education takes place at the end of Semester 2 in first year (one week), Semester 2 of second year (2 x 8 weeks) and Semester 1 of fourth year (2 x 8 weeks). Students may be required to undertake practice education anywhere in Ireland and can also avail of the opportunity to go on an international placement.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€8,092 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Tuition

€4,868 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2018/19

Fees: Non EU

€23,750 p.a. 2018/19 Discounts available through recognised recruitment pathways
EU Fees 2018/19:
- Tuition: may be paid by the Irish Government on your behalf if you qualify for free tuition fees see - free fee initiative.
- Student Contribution: €3,000 - payable by all students but may by paid by SUSI if you apply and are deemed eligible for a means tested SUSI grant.
- Student Levy:  €224 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI.

Find out More

The School of Health Sciences
Occupational Therapy
T 353 (0)91 492 957
F 353 (0)91 495 540
E healththerapies@nuigalway.ie
www.nuigalway.ie/occupational_therapy

What Our Students Say

Cliodhna

Cliodhna O' Mahony |   BSc (Occupational Therapy)

...I was attracted to the course because it involved studying a comprehensive range of subjects with a good balance between practical learning and academic learning. The Department of Occupational Therapy were very welcoming and because of the small class it was easy to get to know people. The lecturers made a huge effort to get to know us personally and made us feel comfortable in asking them for help on any issue, academic or otherwise. The placement element of the course was great!...

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