module specification

The Professional practice 1: Foundation of Professional Practice (PT4051) is first module of the leadership and management pillar in the BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy curriculum. The module explores the scope and practice of professionalism required for safe, effective, and ethical physiotherapy practice within the legal and professional framework in the UK. It is aimed at developing core knowledge, skills and attitudes required by both regulatory and professional bodies for Physiotherapy.

The contents and delivery will involve in-depth discussions of new HCPC standards of proficiency (SOP), standard of conduct, performance, and ethics (SCPE) and Chartered Society (CSP)’s knowledge, behaviour and values that underpins professionalism in contemporary Physiotherapy practice. 

Furthermore, it will introduce and develop core communication skills required to support patients and their families, considering the needs of different groups of people including protected characteristics, intersectional and cultural differences. Concepts such as equality, diversity and inclusion, influence of cultural differences will also be explored to ensure that students can apply these when they are in practice. Students will be introduced to continuing professional development and reflective practice.

Specifically in this module, you will:
1. Acquire the knowledge of the HCPC and CSP and their role in the regulation of the physiotherapy profession.
2. Develop understanding of the standards of professionalism and their implementation in physiotherapy practice
3. The skills to communicate effectively with patients with different communication abilities and in different settings.
4. Develop reflective practice and continuous professional development skills.

None
Available for Study Abroad? NO

Knowledge
• Overview of the new standards of proficiencies set out by the HCPC – the legal obligations of the profession (L01)
• Overview of the new standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, including social media required by the HCPC and the CSP in modern physiotherapy practice (LO1)
• Introduction to the CSP’s knowledge, behaviour, skills and values framework
• Introduction to reflective practice and assessment of their own learning needs, feeding into personal development planning (LO2, LO3)
• Introduction to communication skills with a focus on patient interaction, gaining valid informed consents, and skills to collaborate and learn alongside other members of the MDT (LO4)
• Overview of ethics, diversity, and inclusion in patient care, barriers to inclusion, informed consent (LO1, LO4)
• Unconscious bias
• Impact of beliefs and values on practice.
• Confidentiality in practice
• Standards of continuing professional development.
• Health and Safety including legislation, practice related issues, and consideration of own fitness to practice issues.

Skills
• Professionalism (LO1)
• Reflective practice (LO2, LO3)
• Verbal And non-verbal communication (LO4)
• Inter-professional collaboration (LO4)
• Valid and appropriate consents (LO4)
• Writing SOAP notes (LO4)
• Clinical documentation (LO4)
• Digital professionalism (LO4)

Attitudes
• Empathy (LO4)
• Awareness of reasonable adjustments (LO1)

Teaching approaches used in this module will include direct face to face teaching, blended learning with online resources and group work. 
Students will work in seminar groups to discuss and reflect upon the standards of proficiencies and how to demonstrate the skills in practice. They will work through examples of concern cases investigated at HCPC hearings as triggers for learning of expected conduct, performance, and ethics. Case studies will also be used to explore ethical, diversity and inclusivity in healthcare settings.  Students will also work on case study presentations with other health science students to promote inter professional learning and collaboration.

At the end of this module students should:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of contemporary physiotherapy practice and its legal and professional expectations such as from the HCPC (standards of proficiency and standards of conduct, performance, and ethics) and CSP (knowledge, skills, behaviours, and values), including requirements for equality, diversity and inclusion, and fitness to practice etc.
2. Appraise their own learning needs and develop a personal development plan to support these needs for evidence-based physiotherapy practice.
3. Demonstrate ability to reflect on personal practice to identify own limits of competence, and the importance of developing and following a continuing professional development plan.
4. Demonstrate ability to use appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication skills when working with different service users, considering equality, diversity and inclusion, need for informed and valid consents, intersectional, cultural differences and confidentiality.

Core reading

Module reading list 

Websites:
• HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL (2023). Standards of Proficiency (Physiotherapy) London: HCPC. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/globalassets/resources/standards/standards-of-proficiency---physiotherapists.pdf
• HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL (2023). Standards of conduct, performance, and ethics. London: HCPC. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/globalassets/standards/standard-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics/revised-standards-2023/revised-standards-of-conduct-performance-and-ethics.pdf
• Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (2019). Code of Members’ Professional Values & Behaviour.https://www.csp.org.uk/system/files/publication_files/000529_Code%20of%20Members%20Professional%20Values%20and%20Behaviours%202019.pdf
• Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (2020). CSP Physiotherapy Framework. https://www.csp.org.uk/system/files/documents/2020-05/CSP%20Physiotherapy%20Framework%20May%202020.pdf
• HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL (2020) Standards of Continuing Professional Development: HCPC. https://www.hcpc-uk.org/standards/standards-of-continuing-professional-development/