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Occupational Therapy
Entry Points (2022)
589
Course Overview
Occupational Therapy is an interesting and rewarding career. Occupational Therapists aim to enable people to participate in the activities of everyday life. As an Occupational Therapist you will assist in enabling individuals to do things that enhance their ability to live independently in their daily ‘occupations’. ‘Occupation’ is the term used to describe those tasks and activities essential for daily life – washing, dressing , feeding and moving around, to the more complex areas of working, leisure, socialising and managing finances and home. Illness or trauma or social disadvantage can result in difficulties in these areas. Occupational Therapists design and deliver intervention programmes to address these difficulties.
Applications and Selections
Who Teaches this Course
Students will take lectures in Anatomy, Psychology, Physiology in their 1st and 2nd Year as well as taking modules in Occupational Therapy. The course is taught by various academic staff in these Disciplines.
Lecturers include:
Professor Agnes ShielMr Manigandan Chockalingam Dr Orla Dolan Ms Jackie Fox Dr Sinead Hynes Dr Hazel KilleenRequirements 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. Students must satisfy the English Language Requirements where English is not their first language
Duration
4 years
Next start date
September 2023
A Level Grades (2022)
universityofgalway.ie/alevels
Average intake
25
QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes
Closing Date
NFQ level
Mode of study
ECTS weighting
Award
CAO
GY502
Course code
Course Outline
This course explores how difficulties in relation to physical or mental health can affect occupation (i.e. daily activities) in all groups of people – children, adolescents, adults and older adults.
In the First Year of the programme, students will gain a basic understanding of the human body, psychology and be introduced to the concepts of enabling occupation. These concepts will be further developed in the second year of the programme, with an additional focus on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
In years three and four of the programme, students will develop their research skills and evidence based practice. They will learn to analyse, report and present on case studies. In addition to this, year four of the programme prepares future graduates for active engagement in occupational therapy practice. Students will review current health care strategies and policies and learn about continuing their professional development once they graduate from the programme.
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 1Required SI317: Human Body Function - 10 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 1
Required OY109: Groupwork & Professional Skills - 5 Credits - Semester 1
Required OY111: Mental Health 2 - 5 Credits - Semester 2
Required PS1101: Developmental Psychology - 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 3Required 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 4
Required OY2103: Social Policy - 5 Credits - Semester 4
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)
Required OY312: Enabling Occupation - Older Adults - 5 Credits - Semester 5Required OY3106: Enabling Occupation - Community Practice - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY308: Standardised Testing - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY306: Evidence Based Practice - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3115: Community Engagement - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3105: Cognitive Neuropsychology - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3108: Practice Education 2 - 0 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY3107: Practice Education - Case Study 2 - 10 Credits - Semester 5
Required OY309: Neurology - 5 Credits - Semester 6
Required OY307: Research Methods - 5 Credits - Semester 5
Year 4 (60 Credits)
Required OY4106: Practice Education 4 - 0 Credits - Semester 7Required 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
In the first Year of the programme, students will gain a basic understanding of the human body, psychology and be introduced to the concepts of enabling occupation. These concepts will be developed further in the second year of the programme, with an additional focus on neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.
In years three and four of the programme, students will develop their research skills and evidence based practice. They will learn to analyse, report and present on case studies. In addition to this, year four of the programme prepares future graduates for active engagement in occupational therapy practice. Students will review current health care strategies and policies and learn about continuing their professional development once they graduate from the programme.
Further Education
Students may continue further study from the following:
- PhD Occupational Therapy - Full-time or part-time
- MPhil Health Sciences – Occupational Therapy - Full time or part-time
Why Choose This Course?
Career Opportunities
Occupational Therapy graduates will be in a position to work in a variety of settings and with a variety of patients/clients including:
- Hospitals
- Community Rehabilitation Services
- Mental Health Services
- Child and Adolescent Services
- Voluntary Organisations
- Physical and Sensory Disability Services
- Private Practice
- Primary Care teams
Who’s Suited to This Course
Learning Outcomes
Transferable Skills Employers Value
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 work based 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 (8 weeks), Semester 2 of third year (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
Study Abroad
Related Student Organisations
Course Fees
Fees: EU
€8,208 p.a. 2023/24
Fees: Tuition
€4,868 p.a. 2023/24
Fees: Student Contribution
€3,000 p.a. 2023/24
Fees: Student levy
€140 p.a. 2023/24
Fees: Non EU
€24,840 p.a. 2023/24
Occupational Health Service
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.
EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Levy €140 - payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.
Find out More
Jane Bowman
The School of Health Sciences , College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
T 353 (0)91 492 957
What Our Students Say
Anna Lynam | BSc (Occupational Therapy)
There is an excellent balance between academic learning and practical work. Placements were organised by the college and provided me with opportunities to apply the skills and theory I had learned in a practical setting. These placements were not only enjoyable but also supported me in becoming more confident in both myself and my role as an occupational therapist. This course also offers brilliant modules on different aspects of Mental Health, which is an area I now feel particularly passionate about pursuing. As the class is relatively small, I got to know the lecturers very well and developed lifelong friendships with my classmates. Lecturers always offer constructive feedback, which supports you in developing any areas for improvement. I am so excited to start my journey as an occupational therapist and believe I have the skill set, confidence and knowledge base to do so.
