Iðjuþjálfinn - 01.06.2000, Page 34

By Ulla Runge,
Hélene Fitting-
HOFF, STAFFAN Jos-
EPHSSON, ASTRID
Kinébainen,
Gaynor Sadlo and
Karen Winding
European Master of Science
in Occupational Therapy (OT)
-AFTER 5 YEARS OF PLANNING A DREAM CAME TRUE
This news item is a summary of ex-
periences that we in the working
group have had in the last 5 years
up to the start of the European
Master of Science in Occupational
Therapy in August 99 with 17 stu-
dents from 5 countries.
The first students will graduate
September 01.
Hanneke van Bruggen, International
Co-ordinator at Hogeshool van
Amsterdam and Ulla Runge, School
of Occupational Therapy and
Physiotherapy, Naestved, Denmark,
formulated the first ideas in 94. The
plan was discussed in spring 94
with two other Erasmus partners,
Karolinska Institutet Stockholm and
Brunel University London. The four
planning institutions created in 95 a
working group of Staffan Josephsson
and Héléne Fitinghoff Stockholm,
Astrid Kinébainen Amsterdam, Marta
Freundlich and Gaynor Sadlo London,
and Ulla Runge Naestved. >From 98
Karen Winding Naestved, joined the
working group.
Once upon a time
This truly international European Master of
Science Degree in OT is the first of its kind.
Students from many countries may attend, the
staff are from different countries, the course is
conducted in various European countries and
the content is pan-European. It represents an
alliance between European institutions of Hig-
her Education producing a study programme.
This degree addresses the shortfall in specific
post-graduate opportunities for OT's in
Europe. We know that this shortfall is not
only in the OT area but is shared with other
professions in the area of social and health
care.
This programme arose from discussions
within the Socrates network and has now
become a collaborative venture between three
OT schools: Hogeschool van Amster-
dam/Hogeschool Nijmegen, Holland; Karon-
linska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden and
School of Occupational Therapy and
Physiotherapy in Naestved, Denmark. Orig-
inally four institutions were involved in this
co-operation. Unfortunately the accreditation
system at Brunel University could not accept
the construction of a joint venture project.
However the input of the OT department in
the beginning of this project has been of great
value. One issue which arose during the
development of the master programme was
the very different systems each country has
for approving courses.
In spring 97 we established the 'Academy
for European Masters Degree Study in OT'
and in 98 we asked the Dutch Validation
Council (DVC) for validation. This was decid-
ed because the DVC is an independent
foundation. DVC promotes national and
international recognition of post-graduate
programmes for Higher Education, by assess-
ing the quality and level of high-grade
Masters' Courses.
The validation procedure began in the fall
98 and the positive response came from DVC
in June 99. It was the first international ex-
ante validation at DVC. Validation is given
for two cohorts. It means that we shall repeat
the validation before it becomes a permanent
validation.
On overview of the course
A major part of the course is problem-solving
tutorials, regular communications on the
Intemet, and preparatory work carried out by
distance learning. Follow-up work and the
34 IÐJUÞJÁLFINN 1/2000
IÐJUÞJÁLFINN 1/99
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