• REHAB 705 Evaluating Sources of Evidence–you must take this course first (Fall semester) and then can choose courses in any order that are available*
• REHAB 706 Measurement in Rehabilitation – available in the Winter
• Either REHAB 774 Quantitative Research Methods –available in the Spring/Summer OR REHAB 772 Introduction to Qualitative Research – available in the Spring/Summer

*Exception: OMPT learners are encouraged to follow a specific course pathway.

• Students are required to take three (3) additional half-course electives.

• Option 1: The Scholarly Paper (REHAB 730)
• Option 2: Rehabilitation Research Project (REHAB 735)
• Option 3: Two Additional Half Courses*

For all Rehabilitation Science course offerings see the McMaster Graduate Calendar

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for practitioners in rehabilitation disciplines who wish to examine issues around theory, measurement, research, and application to rehabilitation regarding participation and community living. This course will provide students with an understanding of the concept of participation as delineated in the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Course content includes an overview and definition of participation within the ICF, theories and frameworks of participation, methods to measure participation, personal and environmental factors impacting participation and community living, and research evidence regarding rehabilitation interventions to optimize participation.

This course is intended to prepare learners to: (a) understand the current and historical definitions, theories, and frameworks of participation, (b) engage in critical evaluation of research, especially with respect to issues regarding design and psychometric properties of participation measures and interventions (c) recognize personal and environmental factors that impact participation.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This selected topics course is designed to allow the development of courses that cover the leading edge of thinking about specific topics/issues in Rehabilitation Science. The specific topics will be developed in response to needs identified by faculty or students. (Note: an example of a special topic might be to provide an increased understanding of evidence-based practice in orthopaedic rehabilitation with focus on two areas: methodological content and orthopaedic content. Methodological content to include: measurement (reliability, validity, responsiveness); diagnostic accuracy; and therapeutic effectiveness).

Students’ knowledge will be advanced in select clinical topics of basic, behavioural and medical sciences relevant to neuro-musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders and apply knowledge to case management. Students will select from a menu of content modules. This can include: Pain Sciences, Psychology Screening for MSK Rehabilitation, Medical Screening/Conditions for MSK Rehabilitation, Essentials in MSK Imaging, and others in development such as essentials in Pharmacology for MSK Rehabilitation and Spinal Conditions in MSK Rehabilitation. For Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal-Manipulative Physical Therapy (OMPT) students requiring a clinical residency, the module entitled clinical residency must also be selected.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to allow students to tailor their learning by selecting topics in Rehabilitation Science relevant to their area of study interest and do advance work in this area. Students will identify a topic, and in consultation with a faculty member with expertise in the area, a course outline will be developed that is tailor-made to meet the student’s particular requirement. The student will then study under the guidance of a faculty member and examine the pertinent literature critically. The course may be taken only once during the student’s graduate studies. A complete course outline must be submitted to the Program Coordinator at least four (4) weeks before the beginning of the academic term in which the course will be taken. It must be reviewed by the Assistant Dean RS, before the course begins.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

While current practice in health care is expected to reflect the best available evidence, many practitioners recognize that new knowledge and skills are needed to meet this expectation. Evidence is rapidly increasing, and patients/consumers have access to a vast amount of health information that may be inaccurate. Understanding and appraising evidence applicable to the health care context is a core attribute and necessary skill for clinicians. Based on the Sicily model of evidence-based practice, acquiring skills related to evidence-based practice uses 5 steps and these include: 1) Asking the right clinical questions; 2) Acquiring the best sources of evidence; 3) Appraise and interpret the quality of the evidence; 4) Applying the evidence in your clinical practice or context; and 5) Auditing the impact of this change in your daily practice. This course incorporates the latest evidence in the content of the curriculum and methods that will effectively build your knowledge and skills in this area. The learning activities and assignments in this course are designed to help you to access, develop and implement evidence in your practice. It is designed around the 5 steps and allows for students to select topics specific to their clinical interests. We strive to capitalize on the different experiences of evidence-based practice that students bring to the course, and we implement group learning activities that will strengthen your communication skills as well as broaden your understanding of issues in different clinical areas. Assignments include both individual and group work as well as written submissions and a presentation.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for students who want to acquire an understanding of clinical measurement theory and health status measurement to complement and enhance clinical practice. This course introduces essential clinical measurement concepts and demonstrates how these concepts can be applied to enhance clinical decision-making in rehabilitation practice. Three main themes of the course would are: (1) Introducing levels of measurement and theories of measurement including classical test theory, generalizability theory, and item response theory, which will form the basis for the various clinical measurement properties that would be discussed throughout the course; (2) Defining clinical measures, the different types, and their conceptual basis; and (3) Integration of knowledge gained on clinical measurement and outcome measures into routine clinical practice to enhance decision making. Specific topics include the reasons for applying measurement in rehabilitation practice, an overview of measurement theory as it relates to clinical practice, types of clinical measurement properties, types of clinical measures, the interpretation of a measured value for a specific client, critical appraisal skills to evaluate measures and selecting the best measure from several competing measures, and considerations when implementing a new measure in clinical practice. This course also introduces the students to some latest advancements in the field of clinical measurement namely Rasch analysis and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Students will be required to complete written assignments, a short answer test and a presentation.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The demand for accountable health practice that is evidence-based requires therapists to be more aware of approaches to reasoning and decision-making, to use conceptual frameworks to guide and justify their practice decisions, and to have the knowledge and skills for reflective practice. Reasoning is the process by which rehabilitation practitioners consider alternatives and make decisions on a day to day basis. Guided by relevant conceptual frameworks, learners in this course use strategies and approaches, such as critical reflection, narratives, and assessment of the literature and other evidence to improve their reasoning and decision-making skills, and other practitioners in their rehabilitation context.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is intended for occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and practitioners in other health and rehabilitation disciplines who wish to acquire knowledge of theory and research that informs educational practices commonly used in rehabilitation practice. The course emphasizes the development of knowledge related to: perspectives on teaching and learning including the social context of learning, context-based theories of learning, and other learning theories and learning principles; understanding the nature of the learner including assessment of learning needs, learning styles, and motivation and health behaviours and; educational techniques and strategies including behavioural objectives, instructional materials and methods, and evaluation. Radical changes in health care delivery, the gradual shift to client-centred care and an evidence-based approach to practice, as well as the greater accessibility to health care information have changed the nature of the client–practitioner relationship. As a result, professional organizations governing rehabilitation disciplines have made it clear that practitioners have a responsibility to engage in life-long learning and play a greater role in facilitating effective learning for clients, family members, other professionals and students.

This course is designed to examine the professional’s role as educator and to stimulate a critical analysis of taken-for-granted assumptions about this integral aspect of practice. Learning throughout the course will be situated in the health rehabilitation environment and focus on the provision of rehabilitation service through education of clients and families, and instruction of colleagues and students. Participants will apply current learning theories and effective teaching strategies to the design, implementation and evaluation of creative, innovative and positive learning experiences for these targeted learners. The course is based on the assumptions that instruction is learner-centered and that effective learning is the outcome of a collaborative process between learner and facilitator. The goal of the course is that participants will be able to plan, implement and evaluate effective learning experiences for clients, families, colleagues or students. In achieving this goal, course participants will incorporate principles of adult learning and the findings of the assessments of learning needs and preferences of the targeted learners, and use effective instructional strategies and evaluation methods.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for graduate physiotherapists who want to obtain advanced clinical skills in Orthopedic Manipulative Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy (OMPT) and is designed to comply with requirement of both the Canadian Physiotherapy Association’s Clinical Specialty Program and international standards for accreditation. Students apply basic science and clinical evidence to advanced evidence-based clinical reasoning. Students will acquire advanced clinical skills in manipulative physiotherapy, therapeutic exercise and patient education using self-management techniques to provide comprehensive rehabilitation. This course will integrate advanced orthopaedic assessment, vestibular screening, pain assessment, psycho-behavioural screening, neuromodular screening, diagnostics/prognosis, risk/causation assessment, and neuro-musculoskeletal treatment. It has a 150 hour clinical mentorship requirement including engagement in teaching and mentored clinical practice.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This full course is designed as an opportunity for course-based MSc (RS) students to demonstrate, in writing, their ability to integrate ideas that reflect current knowledge in areas of rehabilitation practice, education, research, and/or policy. The scholarly paper is to demonstrate integrative thinking at a general and abstract level. A student will identify a topic, and in consultation with a faculty member with expertise in the area, develop a proposal that is individualized to the student’s area of interest. The student will then develop the paper under the guidance of an advisor. The paper must be 25 to 30 pages in length, excluding references and appendices. The paper does not involve the collection or analysis of primary data or the conduct of research with participants. It is a scholarly essay, not a thesis.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Each student has the option to complete a Rehabilitation Research Project, which demonstrates integrative thinking at a general and abstract level and is designed as an opportunity for course-based MSc (RS) students to develop skills in knowledge generation to advance rehabilitation science. The full credit course is specifically designed to allow the student to conduct a small supervised research project in their area of interest. A student will identify a topic and, in consultation with a faculty mentor with expertise in the area, develop a research project proposal that is individualized to the student’s area of interest. External mentors must have a supervisory graduate appointment in the School of Rehabilitation Science (SRS) or work with a co-mentor that meets the criterion. The project involves the collection or analysis of primary data or the conduct of research with subjects or the secondary analysis of a previously collected database. That is, the student may participate in some or all of the following: formulating a research question, describing the research objectives and methods, obtaining ethics approval, collecting data, analyzing data, and communicating the new knowledge generated. The exact roles are described, refined, and agreed upon by the student and the supervising faculty member. Required deliverables include (1) a project proposal, (2) evidence of progress in research skill development and task completion (evaluated by the supervising faculty member), (3) scientific poster presentation, (4) a research paper prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal, and (5) a lay summary.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for practitioners in rehabilitation disciplines who wish to acquire the knowledge and skills to develop as leaders in their current and future practice. The course emphasizes the development of knowledge related to: (1) the foundations of leadership and a review of historical and current leadership theories; (2) leadership in rehabilitation and leadership initiatives at the local, national, and international level; (3) leadership in teams and the skills and strategies related to motivation, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict management, and followership; (4) leadership in systems and the challenges of multi-level leadership issues and creating a culture of leadership in professional organizations. This course is intended to prepare learners to: (1) understand the foundations of leadership (2) engage in critical evaluation of leadership issues, (3) recognize leadership opportunities in clinical practice, and (4) participate in leadership initiatives as knowledgeable and strong collaborators.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This online course addresses the political, economic, health system and workplace factors that contribute to workplace environments and the health of workers. Integration of knowledge across a broad spectrum of disciplines will inform conceptual frameworks for how the health of the working population is affected by these broad contexts. Sessions will start as broad-based problems that will develop content knowledge in specific areas/disciplines and then move on to problems that target specific types of health issues requiring students to integrate knowledge across those different areas/disciplines. Students will study problems on the determinants of health of workers in a variety of contexts using a transdisciplinary approach.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and practitioners in other rehabilitation disciplines who have had little or no exposure to qualitative research, wish to acquire an introductory knowledge of qualitative research philosophy and methods, and want to gain an understanding of how qualitative research is conducted. The course emphasizes the development of knowledge related to: the philosophical and theoretical foundations of qualitative research; the formulation of qualitative research questions; the major qualitative research approaches; primary techniques for gathering data including individual interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and documents; and data management, analysis, and interpretation.

This course is intended to prepare learners to understand the foundations of qualitative research; engage in critical evaluation of research, especially with respect to issues regarding research design and methods; recognize research opportunities in clinical practice; participate in the research process as knowledgeable and strong collaborators; and integrate learning through completion of a qualitative research assignment. Students will complete written assignments related to a journal review, designing qualitative research and a qualitative methods paper.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed for occupational therapists, physiotherapists and rehabilitation practitioners in other disciplines who want to acquire an understanding of knowledge translation (KT) and be able to apply knowledge translation principles to practice. The course emphasizes understanding what knowledge translation is, the relationship between knowledge translation and evidence-based practice, the dominant theories, models and frameworks that are used in knowledge translation, how knowledge synthesis is achieved, and various tools and resources useful for knowledge translation. The course will encourage development of these skills at the level of individual practitioners as well as the programs in which they work, and the organizational systems in which they operate. Focus will be placed on the identification of an evidence-to-practice gap specific to the student’s own clinical context, and assessing barriers and facilitators relevant to closing the gap. Specific topics include what is known about best approaches to  knowledge translation in health care including rehabilitation, the Knowledge to Action cycle and its application, the diversity of theories and models that support this field, tools and resources for KT, integrated KT as an approach to advancing the field, and KT within organizational systems.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides learners with an introduction to quantitative research methods commonly used in rehabilitation practice. It is intended to prepare learners to understand the foundations of clinical research, engage in critical evaluation of research, explore opportunities for research in their clinical practice, and enhance their skills as research collaborators. The course emphasizes the development of knowledge related to the formulation of research questions; design types, variable types and scales; reporting guidelines; specific observational designs (e.g. cohort, case series, case control and cross-sectional) as well as randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, along with their corresponding methods and major research design issues (sampling, measurement, hypothesis testing and making inferences).

Students will learn through weekly reading, active learning tasks and online discussion with colleagues and instructor. The discussions are intended to enable learners to further their knowledge and understanding of quantitative research methods. Written assignments in this course include developing a testable research question and an observational study critique and redesign. The final project affords students an opportunity to apply new knowledge by developing a randomized controlled trial protocol relevant to their current practice.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course explores the emergent field of innovation and technology with a special emphasis on rehabilitation. Learners will be introduced to a broad range of topics and discuss how technology influences and can support various populations. This course will focus on technological innovation and design of products and services that will support the needs of unique populations. Students will also spend time discussing the rapidly emerging field of telerehabilitation (especially during the COVID pandemic), the use of online service delivery, virtual technology platforms, and their impact on rehabilitation and education. Students who have ideas or concepts to support a population that extend beyond their everyday clinical scope and practice, are most suited for this course.

3 Required Foundational Courses 

• REHAB 705 Evaluating Sources of Evidence–you must take this course first (Fall semester) and then can choose courses in any order that are available*
• REHAB 706 Measurement in Rehabilitation–available in the Winter
• REHAB 708 Clinical Reasoning and Decision-Making –available in the Spring/Summer

2 Clinical Specialization Courses

• REHAB 715 Advanced Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal/Manipulative Physiotherapy Specialization–available either in the Fall or Winter (2 semesters)
• REHAB 703 Selected Topics in Rehabilitation Science–available either in the Fall, Winter or Summer (1 semester)

1 Research Course

• REHAB 735 Rehabilitation Research Project–available Fall (3 semesters)

Complete, with at least a B- standing, the following courses:

• Theory Course (REHAB 700)
  • If a course on the theory of science relevant to rehabilitation has been previously completed at the Master’s level, students will be required to an additional course to meet minimum course requirements for the PhD Thesis-Based program
• An approved Content Course relevant to thesis
• An approved Research Methods Course, either qualitative or quantitative (e.g. REHAB 707, 772, NURS/HRM 745)
• An approved Data Analysis Course, either quantitative or qualitative (e.g. REHAB 714, 717, 758)
• REHAB 725, Knowledge Exchange and Translation
• Additional courses (optional):
  • The student’s Supervisory Committee may require students to take additional courses.
  • Students may choose additional courses, which may be taken once approved by the student’s Supervisory Committee.
• SGS101#- Academic Research Integrity and Ethics (students must complete in first year)
• SGS201#- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (students must complete in first year)

The School of Rehabilitation Science (SRS) has a series of research rounds, workshops, and skilled series given by rehabilitation scientists and graduate students. Attendance at these events is expected.

Students are required to complete and pass the PhD Comprehensive Examination. The Comprehensive Examination will include submission and oral defence of a portfolio designed to demonstrate breadth of knowledge and skills within their field, extending beyond the thesis topic.

• The student will use critical thinking and analysis to complete (2) tasks: a scholarly paper, and a completed funding proposal.
• The Comprehensive Examination will normally be completed within 18 months following registration for full-time students, and 28 months for part-time students.

The research proposal, research and thesis will be supervised by the thesis committee. The topic of research will depend on the interests of the student and the expertise of the supervisor. There are opportunities for research in a broad range of topics that apply to rehabilitation science. Students will prepare a research proposal on an approved rehabilitation science issue, conduct the research, prepare a written thesis, and defend the thesis at a final oral examination.

Supervisory committee meetings are required every six (6) months and all thesis students are required to complete an education plan with a research proposal.

Students are required to complete and pass the PhD Comprehensive Examination. The comprehensive examination will include submission and oral defence of a portfolio designed to demonstrate breadth of knowledge and skills within their field, extending beyond the thesis topic.

The student will use critical thinking and analysis to complete two (2) tasks: a scholarly paper, and a completed funding proposal.

The Comprehensive Examination will normally be completed within 18 months following registration for dual-degree option students, and must be completed before proceeding to the professional degree training of their program.

The research proposal, research and thesis will be supervised by the thesis committee. The topic of research will depend on the interests of the student and the expertise of the supervisor. There are opportunities for research in a broad range of topics that apply to rehabilitation science. Students will prepare a research proposal on an approved rehabilitation science issue, conduct the research, prepare a written thesis, and defend the thesis at a final oral examination.

Supervisory committee meetings are required every six (6) months and all thesis students are required to complete an education plan with a research proposal.