Integrated Masters Sport Rehabilitation

Although initially, study is university based, there’s a minimum of 400 hours’ clinical practice required to complete the degree. This may be carried out in a variety of settings including sports injury clinics, sports clubs, pitchside or in the gym. Students are able to develop their knowledge and skills in a safe and supported work environment with athletes, supervised by appropriately qualified and experienced professionals, such as GSRs, physiotherapists and doctors. We have our own clinic at LSBU where you can be supervised by the programme teaching staff: all experienced clinicians who work with national and international athletes.

This course can also be studied as a 4 year Integrated Masters. There’s an option to transfer between these courses at the end of the second year depending on the grades achieved. Modules are assessed by a range of relevant modes including written exams, projects, coursework and practical examinations.

Some compulsory skills sessions may take place in the evening.

Year 1

The first year modules are designed to provide a sound foundation in the basic sciences of anatomy, physiology, injury pathology, assessment and clinical skills, and exercise prescription. Teaching will comprise of the key underpinning theory, as well as large, applied, practical components.

• Concepts of Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice (IPL)
  This module introduces students to the place and value of interprofessional and collaborative working in health and social care delivery. The module aims to support the development of the necessary communication, personal, partnership working and reflective practice skills required to meet the needs of clients and diverse populations. Students will work collaboratively with other Health and Social Care students, with face-to-face and online teaching and action learning sets.
• Human Physiology and Pathophysiology
  This module provides students with an underpinning knowledge of the physiology and function of the human body systems. Students will also explore the pathophysiology of common disorders and diseases that they may encounter in sport rehabilitation practice.
• Functional Anatomy, Kinesiology
  This module allows students to gain an understanding of neuro-musculoskeletal anatomy and human movement. Anatomical knowledge will be applied in a practical setting through the use of palpation, observation and analysis of basic movement function and assessment. This fundamental knowledge will be further developed through the application to neuro-musculoskeletal injury and movement. 
• Therapy and Clinical Skills
  This module provides students with a range of hands on therapy and clinical skills that are required to work clinically as a Graduate Sports Rehabilitator (GSR). Students will be taught fundamental assessment methods and approaches and therapy skills in this largely practical module which will include sports massage, electrotherapy, cryo and thermo therapy, taping and strapping. Students will also explore their clinical decision making. Within this module students will also commence with their placement hours, with 50 hours of sports massage practice, as well as the fundamental massage skills that start their progression towards the Sports Massage Association (SMA) Level 2 or 3 qualification.
• Physical Activity and Exercise Prescription
  In this module students will develop an understanding of key knowledge underpinning physical activity and exercise-based interventions. Students will develop the practical skills to undertake health-related fitness assessment, including heart rate, blood pressure, body composition and submaximal exercise evaluation. Students will develop knowledge of responses and adaptions to aerobic exercise, as well as activities involving strength, speed, flexibility and power. This module is designed to align to the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) Level 2 Gym Instructor, to allow registration at a suitable point in the course. 

Year 2

• Appraising Evidence Based Practice
  This module extends students’ understanding of the concept of evidence based practice and research in practice. The module equips students with the core skills and understanding to appraise evidence and assess its appropriateness to be implemented into practice. Conducting research, research methods, approaches to data analysis and presentation are explored, as well as the knowledge and skills that are pre-requisite for critical appraisal and evidence synthesis. 
• Pitchside Assessment, Trauma Management and Advanced Clinical Skills
  Students will develop the knowledge and skills to work in sporting pitchside environments with assessment, critical decision making and management of injury, minor and major trauma, including concussion identification and management protocols. This course will prepare students for the RFU Immediate Care in Sport (ICIS) Level 2 certification. This module will also build on the theoretical and practical therapy and clinical skills from year one, with further soft tissue techniques such as soft tissue release, frictions, neuromuscular technique, muscle energy technique, joint mobilisations and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) techniques. These skills, along with further placement practice and experience, will prepare students to attain Sports Massage Association (SMA) Level 4 certification. 
• Lower Limb Rehabilitation
  This module will develop the students’ knowledge of the underpinning theories and concepts of neuro-musculoskeletal and common sporting injuries, focusing on the lower limb regions of the ankle and lower leg, knee and thigh, pelvis and hip. Students will gain knowledge and skills in the application of assessment, early, mid and late stage treatment and return to activity and sport.
• Upper Limb and Spinal Rehabilitation
  This module will develop the students’ knowledge of the underpinning theories and concepts of neuro-musculoskeletal and common sporting injuries, focusing on the upper limb and spinal regions including the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, trunk and abdomen, spine and neck. Students will gain knowledge and skills in the application of assessment, early, mid and late stage treatment and return to activity and sport. Within this module students will also learn the theory and practice of hydrotherapy rehabilitation in water.
• Applied Biomechanics
  The aim of this module is to develop the practical skills required for assessment of human motion and in particular those relating to gait and functional lower limb motion. Areas covered include motion analysis using subjective and objective methods, such as 2/3D analysis, electromyography and isokinetic analysis. A deeper understanding of the gait cycle is included, with particular reference to the role of the foot and ankle, as well as the major lower limb joints.
• Placement 1
  Placement provides the opportunity for students to gain essential practice-based experience in a range of different settings. Students will develop their skills in assessment and management of injuries and conditions across a range of settings and environments, such as our own teaching clinic, sports and injury clinics, sports teams and pitch side at games and events. Student progress and competencies will be monitored and recorded through the placement portfolio, which will see them through the minimum 150 hours for their second year of study, working towards the total of a minimum of 400 hours by the end of the course.

Year 3

• Psychological Principles for Rehabilitation and Human Performance
  This module provides an opportunity for students to develop the biopsychosocial approaches in relation to injury, rehabilitation and human performance. Focus on the development of understanding of psychological determinants of health and well-being across a range of populations including elite athletes, sports active populations, healthy and unhealthy populations, and how this impacts a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator’s (GSRs) practice.
• Screening and Conditioning for Performance
  Students will develop their knowledge and practical skills in optimising training and rehabilitation programmes, as well as methods for performance enhancement through programming and training. Methods for screening athletes and individuals for movement impairment, muscle imbalance and key performance indicators are covered, with methods for correction, improvement and optimisation. 
• Clinical Rehabilitation and Health Promotion
  This module examines the management and rehabilitation within a range of special populations, and how a range of clinical conditions affect human performance and recovery. Health promotion and lifestyle management are considered in relation to the wider populations necessitating the development of more advanced clinical decision making within this module.
• Research in Health and Social Care
  This module aims to consolidate and extend the students’ knowledge of research approaches and methods and enhance their ability to be critical users of research evidence. The module examines philosophical and theoretical perspectives underpinning sport rehabilitation related research, including exploration of research design and key aspects of data gathering and interpretation of both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The module will develop practical skills for identifying, critical reviewing and synthesising research evidence relevant to professional practice.
• Placement 2
  This module is a continuation of the Year 2 placement where students will continue to gain further practice based experience during a range of placements. Students will continue to complete their placement portfolio whilst implementing their increase in knowledge and skills in to clinical and sports environments, and complete the minimum requirement of 400 hours. Implementation of advanced skills in assessment, treatment and clinical decision making will be encouraged, with a view to building the student’s confidence as a practitioner.

Year 4

• Dissertation (Core Module – 60 Credits)
  This module enables the student to plan and conduct an in-depth investigation of a topic that contributes to professional practice. It provides the opportunity to apply an understanding of research methods to the investigation and allows demonstration of their ability to work with relative autonomy in undertaking a sustained, in-depth piece of independent learning.

Optional modules

• Strength and Conditioning
  This module is designed to advances student’s understanding of strength and conditioning from the late stage and performance content in earlier modules. This module includes selection, administration and interpretation of exercise tests, as well as development of scientifically supported periodised programmes to optimise performance for different athletes and sports.
• Independent Professional Study
  This module enables students to study areas of personal interest within their own developing professional context. The topic will form and be if benefit to development of their practice. For example, there are opportunities to follow further registration with the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs)to support exercise referral schemes in health or focus on more specialist populations (cardiac rehabilitation, falls prevention. An individually tailored outcomes-based programme of study will be developed with guidance from an academic tutor and relevant registrant body.
• Advanced Practice and Clinical Decision Making
  This module focuses on the development of more advanced skills in assessment to support clinical reasoning in first contact practitioner and specialist environments. The emphasis is on the synthesis of a range of clinical information and data, including diagnostic and clinical tests used in the sports medicine fields, to support comprehensive clinical decision making.
• Advanced Skills 1
  This module provides focused clinical practice at a negotiated placement of 100 hours, where students will develop a deeper and broader knowledge base within a chosen area of their practice. Students will increase their use of critical reading and appraisal skills to support a deeper appreciation of the underpinning theory, knowledge and skill base.
• Advanced Skills 2
  This clinical placement/academic module has a clinical practice placement associated with it and there is an expectation of 100 hours of logged clinical hours will be achieved through negotiated practice placements that are different to those undertaken in Advanced Skills 1 if it has been taken as an optional module. This module is positioned within the schedule to allow for placements nationally and internationally should they be appropriate.

As a Graduate Sport Rehabilitator (GSR), you’ll be a graduate level autonomous healthcare practitioner specialising in musculoskeletal management, exercise based rehabilitation and fitness. Graduates of this degree will have demonstrated and achieved the skills and knowledge to fulfil these roles, as well as completed a minimum of 400 hours of clinical and sporting environment placements which prepares our students for a competent and high level of performance upon graduation.

As well as this, because the degree is within the School of Health and Social Care at LSBU, students benefit from working within a multidisciplinary team of academics and courses – all of which are taught to the highest standard of professionalism required across these professions. As a GSR, you’ll be able to look for roles in a range of environments including: Sports injury clinics; amateur, academy and professional sports clubs; health, fitness clubs and gyms, rehabilitation units, the military, NHS and private practice, sports massage or one-to-one and group personal training.

Employability Service

We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.

At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:

• An online board where you can see a wide range of placements: part-time, full-time or voluntary. You can also drop in to see our Job Shop advisers, who are always available to help you take the next step in your search.
• Our Careers Gym offering group workshops on CVs, interview techniques and finding work experience, as well as regular presentations from employers across a range of sectors.

Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.

Our teaching methods vary across academic and practice-based settings. They’ll include classroom teaching, practical simulation in clinical laboratories, human performance laboratory testing, and practice in gym and rehabilitation facilities. There will be extensive online resources to develop your digital skills and support your learning. And you’ll also have a dedicated personal tutor and access to the University’s wide range of student support services.

Year 1 time table - indicative Semester 1

Year 1 time table - indicative Semester 2

• A Level BBB or, including at least one of; maths, biology, physics, chemistry, human biology, sports science/studies, PE, dance, psychology, or;
• BTEC National Diploma DDD, in sports science or science, or:
• Access to HE Diploma in Science with 30 Distinctions and 15 Merits or:
• Equivalent Level 3 qualifications worth 144 UCAS points
• Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths, Science and English, or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).

Additional requirements

The following additional requirements apply to this course:

• Evidence of commitment to the profession
• Completion of at least one week of work experience in a sport or exercise rehabilitation setting
• Passing of occupational health and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks
• Ability to meet travel requirements to attend placements
• Students from outside the UK will be required to provide a police check from their home country
• English Language: Those whom English is not their first language must achieve a minimum score of 6.5 overall (including 7.0 in the written element and a minimum score of 6.5 in speaking, reading and listening elements) for the International English Language Test Score (IELTS)

Fees are shown for new entrants to courses, for each individual year of a course, together with the total fee for all the years of a course. Continuing LSBU students should refer to the Finance section of our student portal, MyLSBU. Queries regarding fees should be directed to the Fees and Bursary Team on: +44 (0)20 7815 6181.

Possible fee changes

Current regulatory proposals suggest that institutions will be permitted to increase fee levels in line with inflation up to a specified fee cap. Specifically, LSBU may be permitted to increase its fees for new and existing Home and EU undergraduate students from 2017/18 onwards. The University reserves
the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any governmental guidance or decisions.

Scholarships

We offer students considerable financial help through scholarships, bursaries, charitable funds, loans and other financial support. Many of our scholarships are given as direct tuition fee discounts and we encourage all eligible students to apply for our Access Bursary. New home full-time undergraduate
students meeting eligibility criteria could receive a £1,000 cash bursary by joining us in the 2017/18 academic year. Find out more about all our scholarships and fee discounts for undergraduate students.