Practice Education for Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists

1st Year (BSc)

Academic Year 2023-24

1^st Year BSc OT Placement 1 (full-time)

 15^th January to 23^rd February 2024

• 6 weeks
• 34 hours per week/204 hours total

1st Year BSc Physiotherapy Placement 1 (full-time)

20th May to 28th June 2024

• 6 weeks
• 34 hours per week/204 hours total

2nd Year (BSc) 

Academic Year 2023 -24

2nd Year BSc (OT/PT) Placement 2 (full-time)

2^nd October to 6^th December 2023

• 10 weeks

• 19 hours per week/190 hours total

2nd Year BSc (OT/PT) Placement 3 (full-time)

15^th January to 20th March 2024

• 10 weeks
• 19 hours per week/190 hours total

3rd Year (BSc)

Academic Year 2023-24

3^rd Year BSc Placement 4 (full-time)

18^th September to 10^th November 2023

•  8 weeks
• 34 hours per week/272 hours total

3^rd Year BSc Placement 5 (full-time)

15^th January to 8^th March 2024

• 8 weeks
• 34 hours per week/272 hours total

1st Year (MSc)

Academic Year 2023-24

1^st Year MSc (OT/PT) Placement 1 (full-time)

22^nd April to 14^th June 2024

• 8 weeks
• 34 hours per week/272 hours total

1^st Year MSc (OT/PT) Placement 2 (full-time)

24^th June to 16^th August 2024

• 8 weeks
• 34 hours per week/272 hours total

2nd Year (MSc)

Academic Year 2023-24

2^nd Year MSc (OT/PT) Placement 3 (full-time)

13^th November to 22^nd December 2023

• 6 weeks
• 34 hours per week/204 hours total

2^nd Year MSc (OT/PT) Placement 4 (full-time)

24^th June to 16^th August 2024

• 8 weeks  
• 34 hours per week/272 hours total

First time practice educators training

We are delighted to invite you to the University of Worcester to develop your skills as a Practice Educator amongst colleagues from different Trusts and Organisations.

In line with teaching methods employed with our students, we do require you to undertake a small amount of pre-reading before you attend the course. This enables our sessions to be more interactive and limits time spent in didactic teaching. The pre-reading & course preparation should not take you more than 30 minutes to complete but we do ask that you ensure that you have done this before attending.

We do not routinely provided printed course materials, however you are welcome to print your own *available shortly to use during your training session if you prefer.

Our 1-day training introduces any Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist, who has never had a student before or not had a student for some time, to becoming a Practice Educator. There is no minimum length of time since registration required to undertake this training.

Sessions include an overview of the Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy courses at University of Worcester and the placement process.

Learning Outcomes include:

• Describe the role and critically evaluate the attributes of an effective practice educator.
• Critically apply learning theories that are appropriate for adult and professional learners.
• Plan effective strategies to implement and facilitate learning in the practice placement setting.
• Apply sound principles and judgement in the assessment of performance in the practice placement setting.
• Critically reflect on and evaluate the quality of practice education learning. 
• Critically reflect on experience and formulate action plans to improve future practice.

Dates

• Wednesday 8th January, 9:30-12:30 (online)
• Tuesday 6th March, 9:30-16:00 (in-person)
• Monday 17th March, 9:30-16:30 (online)
• Tuesday 16th June, 9:30-16:30 (online)

Booking information

Please note that whilst we do not charge for training, we do expect delegates to take a student as soon as practicable after their training. Please consider this before booking and ensure that you have this conversation with your manager before attending.  If you anticipate particular difficulty with this, please contact the team on therapyplacements@worc.ac.uk for an informal discussion.

All training takes place between 9.30 - 16.30. Please book your place online and download pre-reading here.

Practice educator update training

In line with the Royal College of Occupational Therapists and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy legislation, Practice Educators are required to attend update training regularly. The University of Worcester recommends that training is attended every two years and may not be able to place students with Practice Educators who have not completed this training.

Whilst you only need to update every other year, you are welcome to book on one of these per year to maintain and develop your skills.

Our update sessions are available online and in-person, and we have various dates throughout the year.

Sessions are interactive, with a focus on participant-led format, to enable educators to discuss and problem-solve based on their practice placement experiences.

All updates will include:

• Overview/update of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Courses at University of Worcester
• Placement process
• Placement assessment and documentation
• Managing challenges in practice
• Supporting Inclusive Learning
• Supporting alternative placement models

Dates

• Tuesday 7th January, 9:30-12:30, (online)
• Wednesday 22nd January, 9:30-12:30, (online)
• Thursday 27th February, 9:30-12:30, (online)
• Monday 31st March, 9:30-12:30, (online)
• Friday 20th June, 9:30-12:30, (online)

All training takes place between 9.30 - 12.30. To see the available dates, please book your place online and download pre-reading here.

Individual Training Requirements

We are happy to provide update training, which can be arranged within your workplace for 10 or more colleagues. If this is not possible within your workplace, we are delighted to invite you to the University of Worcester.

(Please note, any first-time educators would need to complete the “First Time Practice Educator Training” before first supporting students).

Please contact the Therapy Placement Team to discuss this further, and we would be happy to make plans with you. Email therapyplacements@worc.ac.uk.

BSc (Hons)

We believe that the method in which teaching and learning is delivered is an important part of the student experience. Therefore, we think it is important to create the right learning environments that provide our students with the opportunities to explore, question and develop within a supportive environment. Throughout the Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy courses, students are gently guided with a constructivist approach to learning, teaching and assessment (Biggs 2002; Murphy 1997). This approach moves away from the understanding that ‘experts’ pass on knowledge. Instead we aim to create rich learning experiences where students are able to utilise active thinking and problem-solving skills to construct their own understanding about each profession. 

Students will be taught in a wide range of teaching environments. They are encouraged to interact with peers, staff, clinicians and service users and carers, and are provided with a range of opportunities outside of the university to prepare them for practice. The learning experiences provided, utilise rich authentic problem-solving situations inside and outside the academic environment; with opportunities for student-centred learning and choice; and provide students with ongoing feedback to promote learning from experience (Wilson and Cole 1991). The teaching focuses on co-construction, facilitating learning by listening to students, providing guidance, resource provision, and coaching (Murphy 1997). 

The constructivist approach we use for occupational therapy and physiotherapy education actively encourages our students to explore worldviews, assumptions and beliefs. This enables our students to develop the reflexivity and self-insight they need as healthcare practitioners. By working with students to explore their role as a healthcare practitioner, new understandings are brought about, misunderstandings clarified, and practice transformed (Hooper 2007). Transformative learning (Cranton 2006; Mezirow 2000) is a key aspect to this process, learning from individual experience, critical reflection, on-going dialogue, awareness of context and development of authentic relationships. Regular interaction with academic staff, clinicians, service users and carers provides students with the opportunity to experience transformative learning and critical thinking as they progress throughout your education. 

MSc (Pre-reg)

The MSc Occupational Therapy (Pre-registration) and MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-registration) courses aim to provide an accelerated route of entry to the professions for learners who have successfully achieved an undergraduate degree. The courses have been designed to meet local and national workforce demands for effective allied health professionals, with the capacity and vision to contribute to integrated care systems and the aspiration to become leaders and managers of the future. 

The courses have been developed and run in parallel with one another, valuing and integrating collaborative working, and evidence-based person-centred practice. Inter-disciplinary learning will ensure that graduates are effective team workers, with leadership and organisational management skills to deliver and design services, relevant to the health and social care practice. As well as learning with students from other disciplines, service user and carer colleagues from the university’s Impact group contribute to learning. Members of this group are involved in all aspects of University life including recruitment, teaching, learning, assessment and research. 

The courses combine theoretical and practice learning across two years of study, ensuring that students achieve the HCPC (2013) Standards of Proficiency for their chosen profession and eligibility to apply for full membership of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) or Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP). A distinctive feature of the programme is the opportunity to become forward thinking, reflective practitioners, through applied theoretical and practice-based learning. The teaching philosophy ensures that students develop professional knowledge, skills and confidence as they progress on the course. The curriculum aims to foster students’ individual strengths and attributes relating them to their own developing professional competence and leadership, encouraging a reasoned, evaluative and evidence-based person-centred approach, encompassing reflection and independence in learning, and the ability to work effectively with others. The courses aim to build on learners’ under-graduate experience and attributes, through Level 7 study, to develop a critical and analytical awareness of their chosen profession, and to ensure that our graduates can practice, develop and lead in the changing and contemporary contexts within which future professionals must be able to work. 

Year 1 - Learning to be a professional (observing and thinking)

• Introducing a critical approach

• Underpinning knowledge and clinical skills 

• Introduction to clinical/professional reasoning

• Becoming self-aware and having awareness of others  

• Developing self-leadership skills

• Understanding how and why to reflect

• Understanding sustainable health and social care

Year 2 - The developing process (practising and modifying)

• Developing criticality

• Application of knowledge and clinical skills

• Developing professional/clinical reasoning

• Collaborating with others

• Applying and developing skills of reflective practice

• Using sustainable approaches in health and social care

• Using leadership to enhance practice

Year 3 - Becoming an autonomous practitioner (innovating and thinking differently)

• Applying and using critical skills

• Engaging with complexity and diversity in clinical practice

• Refining professional/clinical reasoning skills to become an effective professional

• Developing and applying leadership skills

• Becoming a reflective practitioner

• Integrating sustainability into everyday health and social care practice

1st Year – developing knowledge, skills and professional reasoning

• Underpinning principles, knowledge, skills, behaviour and values of a professional
• Developing a critical and evidence-based approach to person-centred care
• Focus on self-management and awareness

2nd Year – progressing knowledge, skills and professional reasoning

• Critically evaluating and synthesising evidence
• Using complex professional reasoning skills to make decisions
• Promote leadership, service evaluation and development with an introduction to commissioning and the business context of contemporary health and care services

Resources and Links

This folder Contains useful resources and links. More resources will be added frequently. 

Universities UK guide to supporting placements students