Frequently Asked Questions

Our students undergo rigorous screening processes including DBS checking and Occupational Health screening to ensure suitability for the programme.

BSc Physiotherapy Students:

Placement	Student	Weeks	Days	Total Placement Hours
PP1	1st Year	2 weeks	33.5 hrs per week	67 hours
PP2	2nd Year	6 weeks	4.5 days per week	201 hours
PP3	2nd Year	6 weeks	4.5 days per week	201 hours
PP4	3rd Year	5 weeks	Full time	187.5 hours
PP5	3rd Year	5 weeks	4.5 days per week	167.5 hours
PP6	3rd Year	8 weeks	35 hrs per week	280 hours

 

•          Hours worked can be negotiated individually to suit service provision.

•          Hours worked does not include break times.

•          The location of the ½ day is flexible and should fit in with the needs of the service.

•          As such the student should negotiate its timing with the educator prior to the start of placement.

 

MSc (pre-reg) Physiotherapy Students:

Placement	Student	Weeks	Days	Total Placement Hours
CE1	1st Year	4 weeks	Full Time	150 hours
CE2	1st Year	6 weeks	Full Time	225 hours
CE3	2nd Year	5 weeks	Full Time	187.5 hours
CE4	2nd Year	6 weeks	Full Time	225 hours
CE5	2nd Year	4 weeks	Full Time	150 hours
CE6	2nd Year	4 weeks	Full Time	150 hours

 

• Hours worked can be negotiated individually to suit service provision.
• Hours worked does not include break times.

Note:  PP1/CE1 – the student also completes 30 hours service learning and 30 hours Nursing placement in addition to their physiotherapy placement shown above.

No! All year 1 students will have covered basic subjective and objective examination along with all anatomy before their 1st placement. Of course you will need to make a decision regarding the level of responsibility that you are willing to place with the student based on your perception of their ability. Although we recognize that all students are different, it is our experience that the majority of 1st year students take a full and active part in the placement experience.

Definitely! In fact we actively encourage this practice. Some placements have provided us with an induction pack which we make available to the students, others provide a (brief) reading list consisting of easy to interpret, key articles/texts that that might help the students prepare for the placement. If you wish to do this you will simply need to contact the Clinical Tutor for your area.

Take a look at the CSP website for more information on this subject.

Students should inform you at the earliest opportunity, and ideally before the start of the day.

They also need to notify the University, emailing physio-absence@contacts.bham.ac.uk on the first day of their sickness, and when they return to work. They also need to email their personal or visiting tutor with this information.

Students need to update you on each day of their absence.

If a student unexpectedly fails to attend placement, please email physio-absence@contacts.bham.ac.uk and the personal or visiting tutor, marking this as urgent. We will then make attempts to contact the student and confirm their safety.

All students need to follow the guidance set out by the trust in terms of sickness and infection control policies.

Usually students need to complete at least 75% of the placement to gain a final mark. 

If you feel that your students hours may lie close to this mark by the end of the placement please contact the clinical tutor for your area as soon as possible. 

If you are concerned that your student is displaying unsafe practice:

• Prompt feedback in private: Meet with them as soon as you are able to discuss and debrief.
• Student to complete reflection: Ask the student to reflect upon the incident/s and consider how they plan to address this going forwards.
• Contact the visiting tutor. Depending on the circumstances it may be appropriate for a meeting between the visiting tutor, educator and student, and a more formal action plan may be set.
• Review the situation.

If you have any concerns or doubts about a student’s ability to practice safely, please contact the visiting tutor or email: physiotherapyplacements@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

Yes and concerns should be discussed at the half-way meeting between the student, educator and Personal Academic Tutor. If concerns arise before half-way please contact the Placement Team.

See the Programme Overview page

It is best if you contact the clinical tutor for your area as soon as you start to have concerns, they will be able to advise you of the best course of action at the time.

Failed placements must be retaken. Where a student has failed a placement they will normally be allowed one resit in another setting. Resit placements are usually undertaken during the summer vacation and are normally of four weeks duration. Where the student is successful in resitting a Practice Placement Module, the minimum pass mark of 40% will contribute to the final mark.

Only one resit of a practice placement module is normally allowed in any one year of study. Failure in a second practice placement module within an academic year will normally result in the student being required to repeat the year. A student who fails a repeated module will normally be required to withdraw from the programme.

NB: If the student has submitted, and had accepted, extenuating circumstances for failure of a practice placement, the repeat placement will become a ‘sit’. This will then be allocated at the same number of weeks as the original placement, rather than limited to the 4 weeks of a resit placement. The mark in these circumstances will be recorded (i.e. be taken as a first attempt mark, not capped at 40% as for resits).

Students who have failed a placement must meet with a member of the practice placement team prior to resitting their placement. This is to discuss the failed placement, and to consider an action plan for preparing for and completing the resit placement.

Yes we do. We use the guidelines prepared by the CSP in 2019: Code of Members Professional Values and Behaviour (PDF) and the HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics. All students registered on healthcare professional programmes at the University of Birmingham are required to sign a Code of Professional Conduct and Fitness to Practise, annually, agreeing to abide by the Code.