Occupational Therapy

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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Entry Points (2020)

555

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 2021

A Level Grades (2020)

nuigalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY502

Course code

Course Outline

YEAR 1 MODULES

Principles for Practice/Fundamentals
Psychology
Human Body Structure
Human Body Function
Mental Health 1
Mental Health 2
Enabling Occupation- Physical Disability
Groupwork and Professional Skills
A one week Observation Placement takes place at the end of Year 1

YEAR 2 MODULES

Fundamentals of Occupational Therapy 2
Neuroanatomy
Neurophysiology
Health Psychology
Enabling Occupation – Paediatrics
Enabling Occupation – Intellectual Disability
Social Policy
Occupational Science
Communications for Practice
Practice Education 1 (Work Placement 1)
Practice Education -Case Study 1

YEAR 3 MODULES

Cognitive Neuropsychology
Evidence Based Practice
Enabling Occupation - Community Practice
Standardised Testing
Enabling Occupation - Older Adults
Community Engagement
Research Methods
Neurology
Practice Education 2 (Work Placement 2)
Practice Education - Case Study 2

YEAR 4 MODULES

Practice Education 3 (Work Placement 3)
Practice Education – Case Study 3
Practice Education 4 (Work Placement 4)
Practice Education – Case Study 4
Management
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)

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 3
Required OY2110: Occupational Science - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY2103: Social Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY2113: Practice Education - Case Study 1 - 5 Credits - Semester 3
Required OY215: Enabling Occupation - Intellectual Disability - 5 Credits - Semester 3

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Required OY4106: Practice Education 4 - 0 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY4105: Practice Education 3 - 0 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY4104: Practice Education - Case Study 4 - 15 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY4103: Practice Education - Case Study 3 - 10 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY409: Preparation for Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY403: Research Project - 20 Credits - Semester 7
Required OY404: Management - 10 Credits - Semester 7

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. 2020/21

Fees: Tuition

€4,868 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Student levy

€224 p.a. 2020/21

Fees: Non EU

€23,750 p.a. 2021/22

Occupational Health Service Fee

In year one students are required to pay a €200 fee towards a subsidised Occupational Health Service provided to students of the College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences in compliance with all relevant legislation and standards.

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 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!...