OCC4010 Foundations of occupational therapy
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
OCC4010 Foundations of occupational therapy is a level 4, 12-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. It isn't offered in 2025. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 1 unit, leading on to 4 units in all.
- Credit points
- 12
- Offered in 2025
- Other periods
- Peninsula
- Assessment
- No exam
- 7 tasks
- Workload
- 80 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before OCC4010
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After OCC4010
1 unit list OCC4010 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
Enrolment rules
Corequisite: Must be enrolled in course M6017.
Overview
This unit introduces you to the profession of occupational therapy and key knowledge, skills and attitudes that are essential for professional practice. Within this unit you will gain the theoretical foundations of occupational therapy which include: theoretical concepts and models underpinning health and occupational therapy practice; principles and mechanisms underlying the relationship between the person, their environment and occupations, and how this relates to human health and wellbeing, and the occupational therapist within the interdisciplinary team. You will explore the legal, cultural and ethical issues relevant to professional practice and will learn beginning communication and interviewing skills together with other pre-clinical skills for safe practice. You will develop beginning skills in occupational therapy problem solving and clinical reasoning processes through the use of case scenarios presented throughout the unit. You will commence practice education, totalling 80 hours by the end of the second unit OCC4020.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Term 3 | Peninsula | Immersive |
Assessment
- Individual application of communication skills. (30 minutes plus 500 words)Demonstration20%
- Human Library Reflective Essay (2000 words)Written20%
- Models of Practice Case Analysis Essay-Group assignment (3,000 each student)Written25%
- Individual Oral Presentation - Staff and Peer assessment (20 mins)Presentation35%
- Submission of completion certificate of the First Steps online module (Pass/Fail)ExerciseCompetency hurdle-
- Submission of completion certificate of Connecting Across Cultures online module (Pass/Fail)Quiz / TestCompetency hurdle-
- Commencement of practice education (80 hours by the end of OCC4020) (Pass/Fail)Work integratedCompetency hurdle-
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Explain and justify the role of an occupational therapist, in relation to the history of the profession, current practice, and similarities and differences from other health professionals within a collaborative practice environment.
- 2
Apply client-centred communication and interviewing to simulated occupational therapy practice situations.
- 3
Compare and contrast key features of contemporary occupational therapy models of practice and an interdisciplinary framework of functioning and disability, and apply these to a practice scenario.
- 4
Identify the socio-cultural, economic, and physical determinants of health with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and culturally diverse populations, and describe how these affect care provision within a practice scenario.
- 5
. Identify the challenges and barriers to community participation likely to confront a person with a disability.
- 6
Describe and apply ethical, legal and workplace safety issues pertinent to a practicing occupational therapist, including identification of ideal professional behaviours to a practice scenario.
- 7
Apply the process of reflective practice in the context of simulated disability experience task and community -based experience activities.
- 8
Locate, retrieve and use resources that inform understanding about health and occupational issues.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials100 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
This unit will run for 9 weeks of academic/practice education followed by one week of assessment. As this is an accelerated program, the workload demands are more than would be expected of an undergraduate 12 credit point unit as it is run over 9 rather than 12 weeks.
4.5 hours per week scenario-based learning tutorials
8-9 hours of tutorials per week
You are also expected to:
- undertake 10-12 hours per week self-directed study related to the weekly material and further required reading.
- commence practice education, totalling 80 hours by the end of OCC4020.
A total of 80 hours Practice education by the end of OCC4020.
For full details of the teaching approach to this unit, please refer to Moodle.
Learning resources
Required resources
See Moodle for details about required resources.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Ms Kirsty Pope
- Unit Coordinators
- Ms Kirsty Pope
- Ms Natalia Mendes
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for OCC4010?
OCC4010 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
What can I take after OCC4010?
OCC4010 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 1 unit, including OCC4020. Those lead on to 4 units in all.
When is OCC4010 offered?
OCC4010 has no offerings listed in the 2025 handbook.
How much work is OCC4010?
The handbook expects about 80 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does OCC4010 have an exam?
No. OCC4010 has 7 assessment tasks and no exam.