Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Work Placement
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, English
Teaching staff
Introduction
The Practicum aims to give the student the opportunity to enter the professional field and to put into practice the learning acquired in the various subjects studied for the Bachelor’s Degree. The main aim is to acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes of a psychologist, to practice the profession independently while learning from models (psychologists and other health professionals), guided by the Academic Tutor, who is responsible for supporting and facilitating the learning process.
The work settings are as varied as the profession itself and include hospitals, private practice, companies and schools.
In addition to the Academic Tutor, each student is assigned a tutor in the work placement centre who will encourage self-evaluation and put forward actions to improve learning, further independence and an interest in continuous training. The students will be allocated to a number of well-reputed centres and will work with accredited professionals who will help to enrich and broaden their knowledge.
A proportion of the hours and the mark for the Practicum will be for the Social Rotation.
Pre-course requirements
1. A Covid-19 vaccination is recommended.*
2. A UIC Barcelona gown (clinical rotation only).
3. To have taken and passed the subjects of Skills Laboratory I, II, III and have 90% of the approved credits for the first, second and third year of the Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.
* Mandatory requirement in some centres.
Objectives
1. To acquire theoretical and practical knowledge.
2. To acquire the necessary skills and attitudes to assist practitioners in different situations.
3. To deepen knowledge, skills and attitudes in specific areas of professional practice.
4. To develop therapeutic, relationship and communication skills when working with the patient/client/worker and other people involved.
5. To observe, identify and master the skills of an expert in the different psychological treatments and interventions.
6. To observe, become familiar with and exercise, under guidance, the different roles of the psychologist and the role of the different professionals within multidisciplinary teams.
7. To participate, under guidance and according to the demands of the work placement centre, in the required work.
8. To be familiar with the various resources and manage them responsibly.
9. To acquire specific therapeutic and technical skills depending on the unit or work placement centre assigned.
10. To know and apply the ethical principles and deontology of the profession.
11. To know and understand the importance of networking with the professionals involved in each case.
12. To know and respect the importance of the protection of the data of patients, customers, users or employees and the need to preserve their privacy.
Learning outcomes of the subject
1. To become familiar with the professional reality of the psychologist in a specific applied field.
2. To apply the knowledge of psychology in a work environment, using programmes, activities and services in that field.
3. To collaborate with other professionals (from psychology and other areas), as well as make decisions and resolve conflicts.
4. To become integrated and work together in the team.
5. To establish a diagnosis where required.
6. To know the fundamentals of ethics and how to apply them to the professional context of the psychologist, understanding that psychology is a discipline in which all professional work must be carried out in such a way that it does not harm the dignity, freedom or life of others or oneself.
Syllabus
1. Processes of observation and contextualisation, both in relation to situations in the institution /work placement centre and the Psychological intervention.
2. Knowledge and analysis of observed data and basic documentation.
3. Acquisition of experience, integration of previously acquired knowledge and skills and their application in a real clinical, educational and business environment.
4. Experience in aspects of communication, especially in the psychologist-patient relationship and also in inter-professional relations and between levels of care.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Learning activities:
CP- Clinical practice.
AN- Autonomous work. Portfolio preparation.
SR- Social Rotation.
RJSR- Reflective Journal Social Rotation.
Teaching methodology:
● External work placements (EI)
● Personal Academic Tutoring (PAT)
● Autonomous Learning (AL)
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
● REv- Evaluation rubrics of the work placement centre, 40%
● PEf- Portfolio, (Work placement report), 40%
● ST- Tutorial monitoring, 10%
● DR- Rubric of the centre and Social Rotation reflective practice, 10%
● All parts must be passed in order to calculate the percentages to obtain the final mark.
Practicum attendance is mandatory. Justified causes for non-attendance may be taken into consideration (illness, accident, family death), which must be justified and made up for. Absence for unjustified reasons may not be made up for, and will be reflected in the student's mark as follows:
● 1 day: Reduction of 1 point in the overall mark.
● 2 days: Reduction of 2 points in the overall mark.
● >2 days: Practicum failed and retaken in the second examination period.
Critical thinking, the student’s self-evaluation of their work placement process and their independent learning will be taken into account.