Occupational Therapy AUTUMN

Exchange courses in Occupational Therapy

A programme for international exchange students who have obtained at least 120 ECTS in Occupational Therapy, on bachelor level. The language of communication is English.

Before arrival students of the department PXL-Healthcare have to submit

• a report in English of their blood sample results stating that the student is immune to Hepatitis A and B
• a recent negative result for the intradermal Tuberculosis control. If necessary, a TB-control will be done in Hasselt upon arrival.

All healthcare students will have a general health check before starting the placement.

AUTUMN 2024

Language courses 

*This course unit is obligatory for all students (autumn).

** Organised from 2/9/2024 until 8/9/2024. Participation fee approx. €250. Official teaching language is Dutch, but translation will be provided. 

*** Organised from 2/9/2024 until 8/9/2024 + evening seminars throughout the 1st semester

Course content 

For official course catalogue information check the course catalogue: Course Catalogue 2024-2025 (available from june 2024).

Below you can find a description of the course contents.

The Internationalist

This course welcomes incoming students as well as students preparing for their workplacement or study abroad. Over a period of 7 weeks we meet once a week in order to enhance our intercultural awareness, our intercultural skills and our general critical thinking. Different methods are used to create a strong learning environment. Transfer of knowledge is but one of the many aims we try to achieve. Using a variety of different interactive teaching styles we take advantage of all the (intercultural) competences students already have and build upon that. This course is primarily based on the theoretical concepts and methods developed by Edward T. Hall, Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner, Geert Hofstede, Milton and Jane Bennet, Greenwald and Banji, …

Students will be encouraged to

• be aware of the different levels and aspects of diversity at their workplace at home as well as abroad
• be aware of their personal behavior and the workings of implicit bias
• question their own valuesystems
• develop and apply skills to communicate with people of a different background
• initiate a life-long learning/critical thinking process

Students will work on several individual and/or group assignments. They will

• write a paper
• create a filmlet
• keep a diary
• give a final presentation

Summer Course Wilderness & Adventure Therapy

This international summer school is an intensive programme that aims to develop three different competences:

• coaching and guiding techniques build on experiences (wilderness & adventure), communication, therapeutic and coaching models and therapeutic relationship.
• organisation skills to create specific therapeutic and coaching programs.
• therapeutic transfer skills to help in transferring skills learned by clients to their real life environment.

Students will learn how to work with clients wanting to focus on a change in their behaviour, improving their self control, their resiliance and their social and emotional skills. The clients can be children and adults, with mental health problems, learning disabilities,...

Students will develop skills by learning techniques from experiential therapy, wilderness & adventure therapy, reflective communication, ...

There will be assignments before and after the summer school.

Find out more!

Sexual Health

This course adresses the broad concept of sexual health and the impact on health in general. Beside of the general concept, there will be special focus on sexual problems connected to: Physical and mental disability, Physical  / Chronic / psychiatric illness and Big Life Events (pregnancy and postpartum, divorce, loss of partner, etc).

The lessons are a combination of theoretical lectures and practice (clinical reasoning and communication). The lessons are organized as an intensive program of 1 week in september (Summer school) + evening seminars throughout the 1st semester regarding the broad concept of sexual health and the impact on health in general.

Integration OT Competences: outplacement 1

In this educational part the student learns to develop cliënt-orientated activities: planning, organizing, executing and evaluating the professional-oriented occupational therapy acting.

The professional- and the derived educational profile are the steering factors. Underlying support and depth is the ICF concept.

The aim is that the student will be able to act professionally independent at the end of the period, within a specific professional context. At the end of his clinical placement the student is able to situate himself and create a profile for himself as an occupational therapist within the health care and public welfare of the country in which he’s staying.

The student is brought into contact with a real therapeutic situation.

During this clinical process the student is coached by a practical training supervisor and a supervisor from PXL

A lot of attention is paid to integration of the practice and the theory. This happens by means of the systematic draw up of a training report.

The link between own training experiences and the given theory is deepened at meetings, together with fellow students, in small education groups accompanied by a tutor (supervisor from PXL) . In this meetings attention is given mainly to ethical and deontological problems which can occur. The student learns to analyse and formulate these problems thoroughly. Out of a critical analysis he also learns to formulate solutions. 

Project Work: Placement

During this outplacement, the student has to proof that he is able to work on a project in a professional and independent way.

The placement hours are related to the 20 ECTS

The student learns to develop cliënt-orientated activities: planning, organizing, executing and evaluating the professional-oriented occupational therapy acting.

The aim is that the student will be able to act professionally independent at the end of the period, within a specific professional context and towards a specific project.

During this clinical process the student is coached by a practical training supervisor and a supervisor from PXL.

A lot of attention is paid to integration of the practice and the theory. This happens by means of the systematic draw up of a project report.

The link between own training experiences and the given theory is deepened at meetings, together with fellow students, in small education groups accompanied by a tutor (supervisor from PXL). In this meetings attention is given mainly to the followup of the project. Out of a critical analysis he also learns to formulate solutions. 

Summer School English

An intensive English language course (held before the start of the other courses) for incoming and outgoing PXL students (45 hours divided over 7 days, not on Saturday and Sunday).

In order to determine your level you'll have to complete a written intake and an oral intake interview before the start of the Summer School on 4/9 on campus in Hasselt. The written intake can also be done online in advance.

Using authentic material, this course gives you the best possible chance of making the most of your educational opportunities and it provides help in developing essential skills for your career. You'll also make a field trip to get to know Hasselt and your fellow students.

With the focus on general English you will be given the opportunity to practice on:

• Writing reports, essays …
• Giving presentations, seminar discussions …
• Taking notes on the main points of a lectures …
• Understanding main ideas in paragraphs and longer texts …
• Brief recapitulation of the main grammar items…

Survival Dutch

You will learn the basics of the Dutch language so you will be able to take the bus/train, find your way in Hasselt or order a pint in a pub.There is a strong focus on communication, listening to conversations by native speakers and understanding the (basic) contents. 

Subjects:

• Meeting and greeting, on the road
• In town: shopping - eating – drinking – washing clothes
• The alphabet, pronunciation
• Numbers, time, dates
• Going out, making an appointment
• Health, going to the doctor and pharmacy.

The lectures will take place during 9 weeks (sept-dec), this with a frequency of 3 hours (evening) a week. 

English for eXchange

In this course, students learn how to communicate in an international (professional) context. Students work on their general language skills as well as improve their language competences so that they can function in an international working environment.

This course is designed to practice the four communicative skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking by e.g.:

• reading newspaper articles and short stories and understanding the (basic) contents;
• deriving the meaning of selected vocabulary items from a text;
• writing formal/neutral (professional) and informal emails or letters;
• listening to conversations by native speakers and understanding the (basic) contents;
• watching short movie fragments and understanding the (basic) contents;
• expressing one's opinion about topics of general or professional interest;
• having everyday (professional) conversations/performing role plays.

The exact contents of the course is subject to change and is open to suggestions by students. Students extend their vocabulary by reading real life texts, listening to conversations by native speakers and by having conversations and playing role plays.

They study grammar items by doing exercises and will have to put these grammatical items into practice in conversations and in writing.

The lectures will take place during 9 weeks (sept-dec), this with a frequency of 3 hours (evening) a week.