Theme Healthcare - Specialised Studies in Physiotherapy, 9 credits

For entry to the course Theme health care - Specialised Studies in Physiotherapy, 9.0 credits, are required that all courses semester 1 - semester 4 (120 credits) and component 1 Physiotherapy in out-patient care in the course Theme health care - Physiotherapy in Primary Care are passed.

Students who fail a clinical placement (or equivalent) as a result of demonstrating such a serious lack of knowledge, skills or attitude that patient safety or the patients' confidence in medical care is at risk, will only be qualified for a new clinical placement once the individual action plan has been carried out.

The aim of the course is to strengthen the student's ability to independent practice and reflecting to placement through specialisation in a physiotherapeutic field.

Expected learning outcomes:
On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• discuss the value of physiotherapeutic interventions in the chosen field and prioritise among these based on evidence in scientific litterature and evidence based clinical practice
• identify and formulate clinically relevant questions based on scientific knowledge
• develop entrepreneurial attitude by identifying possible improvements in clinical activities and discuss possible solutions in order to create value for the patients
• identify own need of additional knowledge to develop her/his professional skills and take responsibility for the development of these
• plan and lead collegial discussion/forum for learning in clinical practice
• use feedback as an educational tool for own and others' development in reflective practice

Clinical specialization within a physiotherapeutic knowledge field containing independent, integrated theoretical and practical studies.

Clinical practice and specialization within a physiotherapeutic area of ​​knowledge.

Theoretical studies and work with a theoretical assignment which is presented both orally and in text.

Teaching and learning activities are based on a problem-oriented and collaborative approach to learning to provide opportunities for the students to be actively responsible for their own learning. The student is expected to engage  in scientific evidence and in evidense based parctice in the clinic during the course. More than half of the course takes place in a clinical physiotherapeutic context where theoretical knowledge and professional attitude are integrated with clinical work. Clinical placement with own patients will be offered in different physiotherapeutic knowledge fields.
The student should plan for and lead a seminar to develop entrepreneurship and leadership.
Self evaluation, peer review, and review by clinical supervisors is included as well as patient review when possible.

The course is examined according to the following:

• a written assignment with following oral seminar
• clinical assessment within the clinical placement, which is based on continuous observation with respect to the student's ability to make independent and critical assessments grounded in current knowledge base
• that the student has planned for and carried out a seminar in order to develop entrepreneurship and leadership

Compulsory elements of education:

• attendance at the clinical placement
• participation in seminars

The course coordinator decides if, and how, absence from compulsory parts can be compensated. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the course coordinator. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

Should the intended learning outcomes for the clinical placement not be met, they should be compensated for at the next coming course of the following semester. The clinical training can be repeated only once.

Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five more occasions. This will not apply when the course has been discontinued or undergone major changes. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. Each occasion the student participates in the same test counts as an examination. In case a student is registered for an examination but does not attend, this is not regarded as an examination. Late submissions of examination tasks are not accepted. Students who have not submitted their examination on time are refered to the occasion for re-take.

The examiner may, with immediate effect, interrupt a student's clinical placement (or equivalent) if the student demonstrates such serious deficiencies in knowledge, skills or attitude that patient safety or patient confidence in healthcare is at risk. If a clinical placement is interrupted in this way the student is deemed to have failed that element and to have used up one clinical placement opportunity. In such cases, an individual action plan should be established, that states which learning activities and examinations are required before the student is given the possibility for a new clinical placement in the course.Before the action plan is fulfilled, the student should not be offered a new clinical placement within any education program at KI. The number of examinations in the action plan is limited to twice.If the student has failed on the final possible examination no further action plan should be established. A student who has started and not completed a clinical placement without formal reasons should be assigned the grade fail. In such case, the student has forfeited an opportunity for clinical placement.

In case of the existence of special reasons, or need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus's regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of completion or exemption from compulsory educational elements, etc. Content and intended learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

An examination will be made available for a period of one year in the event of the course being discontinued or a new course syllabus being devised.

Course evaluation is carried out according to the guidelines established by the Committee for Higher Education.