module specification

Practice Education 4: Consolidating Clinical Practice 1 is the fourth practice education module and the first of three, level 6 placements in the final year. 

The module will support students’ transition to level 6 placements, consolidate their clinical experience by developing capacity for autonomous practice, and develop their ability to manage caseloads within limits of their own safe and effective clinical practice. Students will have opportunities to do this within another contemporary healthcare setting and increase their mandatory clinical practice hours for graduation. Students will also explore opportunities within this placement to develop appropriate leadership behaviours within their scope of practice and competence.

Students will complete a clinical simulation preparatory period in the University including case-based practice sessions and mandatory training before going out on a 5-week clinical placement.

Knowledge 

Practice education settings 

Physiotherapy skills framework 

Clinical placement assessment form 

SWOC analysis 

Personal development plan 

Professional practice, standards, policies, and procedures 

Models of clinical reasoning

Actions to maintain health and fitness to practice including seeking help.

Information governance

Supporting the learning of other in practice

Health and safety policies related to placement site

Mandatory training including movement and handling policy, basic life support, information governance, safeguarding adults and children.

Skills 

Professionalism: Application of safe practice including mandatory training and protocols.  

Care, compassion respect and empathy.  

Team working, time management, administrative duties, organisation. 

Clinical skills: Assessment, treatment, and management of service users. Clinical reasoning, problem solving, enablement and goal setting.  

Use of relevant professional documentation.  

Shared decision making.  

Transferring knowledge and skills from academic modules and the available evidence base to support practice. 

Sustainability and inclusivity.  

Communication with service users, educators, tutors, interdisciplinary team 

members, support staff and other relevant parties.  

Personal development: Reflection, personal and professional development and learning opportunities, and contracts.

Adopting strategies to support own physical health and mental self-care. 

Clinical Outcome measurements

Attitude 

Behave ethically and with integrity. 

Respect for all patients, safeguarding, promoting diversity, acknowledging patients’ rights include refusal of treatment. 

Appreciation and enthusiasm for life-long learning 

Independent and critical approach to learning 

Understand own limitations. 

Maximise benefits derived from various learning opportunities

This module utilises experiential learning approaches of clinical simulation and five-day a week clinical placement in practice education settings for 6 weeks (block placement). Students will complete clinical simulation sessions during which patient assessment and management skills are developed in our skills laboratory in preparation for clinical practice.  In addition, students will complete self-directed mandatory training to give them awareness of core knowledge required to work in a clinical setting. 

During placements, students will learn through clinical observation, clinical practice, reflective practice, under the supervision of practice educators, and participate in clinical de-briefs with academic tutors in the University. 

At the end of the module, students should: 

Consistently practice as a physiotherapist within own scope of practice to gather, record appropriately and interpret relevant and detailed information from clinical assessments to understand problems presented by different groups of service users in a clinical setting.

Consistently demonstrate safe and effective evidence-based practice within own scope of practice, inter-professional working, maintenance of own fitness to practice, professionalism, confidentiality, interpersonal skills, clinical reasoning, assessment, treatment/management, monitoring, evaluation with appropriate outcome measures, record keeping and information governance and quality assurance. 

Communicate effectively and consistently using advanced communication skills with different groups of service users, carers, clinical educators, and appropriate members of the interdisciplinary team to provide information and achieve optimal outcomes, including for family support and other care givers’ needs. 

Critically evaluate and apply key theoretical perspectives under-pinning effective physiotherapy assessment, advanced clinical reasoning, and management of complexity in patients and clinical settings.

Demonstrate increasing confidence to effectively organise, prioritise and manage own workload and demonstrate appropriate leadership within their own scope of practice such as supporting others. 

Consistently reflect on own practice and respond appropriately to feedback during practice placements and take responsibility for own learning needs and identify areas for continuing professional development. 

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/5EBCC4E3-C195-44E7-64FF-112C14B7C842.html?lang=en-GB&

Textbooks 

Clinical Reasoning in the Health Professions E-Book, edited by Joy Higgs, et al., Elsevier Health Sciences, 2008.  

White, Sue, et al. Critical Reflection in Health and Social Care, McGraw-Hill Education, 2006. 

Kenyon, K. and Kenyon, J. (2018). The physiotherapist’s pocketbook: essential facts at your fingertips. 3rd edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier. 

Cross, J., Broad, M. A., Quint, M. J., Ritson, P. and Thomas, S. (eds) (2020) Respiratory physiotherapy pocketbook: an on-call survival guide. Third edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier.  

Lennon, S., Ramdharry, G., Verheyden, G. (2018). Neurological Physiotherapy Pocketbook. 2nd edition. Edinburgh: Elsevier. 

Journal Articles 

Atkinson HL, Nixon-Cave K. (2011). A tool for clinical reasoning and reflection using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework and patient management model. Phys Ther. 91:416 – 430  

Donaghy, M. and Morss, K. (2000). Guided reflection: A framework to facilitate and assess reflective practice within the discipline of physiotherapy. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice. 16, (1), 3-14.  

A good article for understanding what reflection and reflective practice is in physiotherapy education and the healthcare setting. 

Publications 

CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY, 2013. Quality Assurance standards for physiotherapy service delivery. London: CSP 

HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL, 2016. Standards of conduct, performance, and ethics. London: HCPC. 

CHARTERED SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY CSP (2011). Physiotherapy Framework: putting physiotherapy behaviours, values, knowledge & skills into practice [updated May 2020] 

HEALTH & CARE PROFESSIONS COUNCIL, (2023). Standards of Proficiency (Physiotherapy) London: HCPC.