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QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Ipswich campus: 936181

CRICOS code (International applicants): 111904C

You are currently viewing the 2023 Handbook. For study in 2024, please refer to the .

Notes

In 2023 the programs follows the Semester calendar. The Academic Calendar and Important Dates webpage will allow you to view and download a copy of the important dates for the Semester calendar.

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy Honours program is accredited (with conditions) by the .

To gain registration as an Occupational Therapist, graduates of this program will have to satisfy registration criteria of the .

This program is compliant with the and meets the for safe and effective occupational therapy practice.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) will keep a register of students enrolled in the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) for the duration of their study or clinical training. UniSQ as the education provider will pass on students' details directly to AHPRA. No fees are required. UniSQ is also obliged to report to AHPRA when there is a ‘reasonable belief’ that a student has an impairment that, when undertaking clinical training, may place the public at substantial risk of harm. Further details are available at the website.

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Program aims

The program aims to prepare graduates for a career as an occupational therapist. Occupational Therapy is an AHPRA regulated health profession. The course provides the foundational skills to enable graduates to work with individuals, families, and communities across the lifespan, for whom participation in daily occupations may be jeopardised due to injury, developmental difficulties, or illness. Students learn the importance of client centred practice, where it is the occupational goals of the patients or clients (and their families) that frame the therapy intervention. Therapy interventions may seek to increase skills of the person, modifying the environment, and or adapting the occupation (PEO). During the four-year degree program, students will complete the mandatory 1000 hours of occupational therapy clinical practice essential for registration. The program has been designed with full awareness of the Australian Commission on safety and Quality in Health Care National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards 2nd edition, 2021. Students will, at all times, need to perform their roles within applicable clinical governance frameworks to improve the safety and quality of care for patients, clients and families.

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Program objectives

On completion of this program students should be able to:

1. Design and deliver high quality occupational therapy assessment and interventions to diverse user groups by synthesising occupational therapy theory and practice;

2. Acknowledge the place of culture and context in determining effective ways of working with individuals, communities and populations;

3. Apply high quality communication sills to build positive and authentic therapeutic relationships with service users, in both face to face and virtual environments;

4. Critically appraise empirical and practice evidence to inform professional practice;

5. Articulate the role and scope of occupational therapy to clients, managers, and multidisciplinary colleagues;

6. Uphold high standards of professional conduct, behaviour, and communication;

7. Examine practice through critical self-reflection that is enhanced through continued professional learning and development.

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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 08. Graduates at this level will have advanced knowledge and skills for professional or highly skilled work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Program Information Set

View UniSQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Have achieved a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 75, or equivalent qualification.^

• Prerequisites: English (Units 3 & 4, C); at least one QCAA Science Subject, (Units 3 & 4, C), or equivalent;

• English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 4.

Meeting entry requirements does not guarantee admission. Places within the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) are limited by quota.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

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Inherent requirements

There are inherent requirements for this program that must be met in order to complete the program and graduate. Make sure you read and understand the for this program online.

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Requirements for professional experience placements

Practical experience is an integral component of the program and each student is required to undertake a series of clinical placements to acquire the knowledge, skills and professional attributes necessary to practise as registered health practitioners.

Progression into practical courses is dependent upon a pass grade in theoretical and other practical courses which have been set as prerequisites.

Applicants must be willing to undertake and submit the requirements of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland and Queensland Health for practical placement. Please refer to the applicable Clinical Placement Handbook for Occupational Therapy Students.

Mandatory Documents required prior to commencing clinical placement courses:

• Blue Card or Working with Children Check

• Yellow Card (if working with people with disabilities)

• Australian Police Certificate

All students must also provide the following immunisation evidence prior to commencing clinical placements:

• Hepatitis B immunisation evidence

• Measles, Mumps and Rubella immunisation evidence

• Varicella immunisation evidence

• Pertussis immunisation evidence

• Influenza immunisation evidence

• Tuberculosis Risk Assessment

• COVID-19 vaccinations as directed by health services

• Mast FIT Testing

• Evidence of other relevant vaccinations for infectious diseases that may emerge

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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, external or online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

The Program entails four years of full-time study, during which time the student will complete 32 units, comprising 20 compulsory occupational therapy courses (24 units), a compulsory statistics course (1 unit), a compulsory psychology course (1 unit), 2 compulsory nursing courses (2 units) and 4 compulsory interprofessional units (4 units). The program includes two embedded Honours pathways with the opportunity for high achieving students to complete a 4-unit individual research project across their third and fourth years of study. Other students will complete a 3-unit practice pathway program based on a small group quality assurance project in collaboration with local service providers.

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 9 years to complete this program.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the .

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

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Enrolment

Progression

Students are advised to consult with student support usq.support@usq.edu.au in situations where their progression is affected either by failure in pre-requisite courses, or where they choose a part-time study pattern.

Clinical Placements

World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) mandates that students complete 1000 hours of practice education in a variety of settings. At UniSQ, practice education occurs over various simulated learning events during class time in addition to 4 placement blocks.

• 2 week full time telehealth practice education block (HMS2101)

• 2 week full time telehealth practice education block (HMS3101)

• 10 week full time practice education block (OCT3201)

• 10 week full time practice education block (OCT4101)

All practice education placements are supervised and supported by AHPRA registered occupational therapists. Placements are structured in a variety of different models and styles appropriate to the workplace.

Practice placement hours are as follows:

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Practice Pathway - Full-time commencing in Semester 1 2023
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Research Pathway - Full Time commencing in Semester 1 2023
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Practice Pathway - Part Time commencing in Semester 1 2023
• Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Research Pathway - Part Time commencing in Semester 1 2023

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Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Practice Pathway - Full-time commencing in Semester 1 2023

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Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Research Pathway - Full Time commencing in Semester 1 2023

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Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Practice Pathway - Part Time commencing in Semester 1 2023

The Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) is designed as a full-time program of study. At the same time, care has been taken to provide some study options for students who are not successful in courses of study, or whose life circumstances do not support full time study. Pre-requisites have been arranged with a view to enabling students to continue with their study part time if these situations arise. This strategy has been invoked to minimise attrition from the program. Due to the prerequisite structure, there are some limits in part time study patterns and these are best negotiated with the Discipline Lead as an approved individual study plan. Approaching part time study this way provides opportunities to respond to individual circumstances.

The following is a guide to how pre-requisite, placement and Honours requirements might be met within a 7 year part-time study program.

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Recommended Enrolment Pattern - Research Pathway - Part Time commencing in Semester 1 2023