K. Jackson1, C. John-Chiu1, L. Kirenga1
1Physiopedia, London, United Kingdom
Background: The gap between supply and demand of physiotherapists has been widening in many countries around the world for several years with the United Kingdom (UK) being no exception (Beech et al. 2019). The recent COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to clinical placements, increasing the gap, which is now the widest it has ever been.
In the UK, practice-based learning via clinical placement is a core part of a physiotherapy degree, in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) guidelines, students are required to complete 1000 placement hours, which allows students to graduate with Health and Care Professions Council accreditation (Twogood et al. 2020). This has required students, universities, and organisations to look beyond the conventional placement model towards innovative ways to ensure that student’s needs are met.
The Physiopedia placement centred around the four pillars of advanced clinical practice: clinical, leadership and management, education, and research, and was created around the learning objectives set out in the CSP Common Placement Assessment Form (CSP):
• Professional Development;
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills;
• Decision Making and Implementation.
In the UK, practice-based learning via clinical placement is a core part of a physiotherapy degree, in line with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) guidelines, students are required to complete 1000 placement hours, which allows students to graduate with Health and Care Professions Council accreditation (Twogood et al. 2020). This has required students, universities, and organisations to look beyond the conventional placement model towards innovative ways to ensure that student’s needs are met.
The Physiopedia placement centred around the four pillars of advanced clinical practice: clinical, leadership and management, education, and research, and was created around the learning objectives set out in the CSP Common Placement Assessment Form (CSP):
• Professional Development;
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills;
• Decision Making and Implementation.
Purpose: To demonstrate a model for an innovative approach to the professional development of physiotherapy students through a virtual clinical placement focused on the advancement of leadership skills and clinical knowledge while contributing to the global rehabilitation profession through content creation, education and promotion.
Methods: Physiopedia provided an opportunity for 2 students from the University of Northampton to join the team for 6 weeks on clinical placement. The students were tasked to research and develop patient-facing content. Physiopedia, an online wiki-style platform, was in a unique position to offer students a virtual placement with a focus on the role digital technology plays in providing health information to the public and clinicians, as well as offering students the chance to learn new digital skills to prepare them for the future. The placement also enabled students to explore alternative career paths alongside clinical practice, which may improve the longevity of their career and maximise the impact of the profession across multiple industries.
Results: During their 6 weeks, the students performed a scoping review to guide the development of content and designed a template for future use when creating patient-facing content. Throughout their placement they were graded using the CSP Clinical Placement Assessment Form.
Conclusions: The students expanded their clinical knowledge, explored new aspects of patient care, and improved their digital skills. Furthermore, they were able to develop skills vital for leadership such as self-evaluation and personal development.
Implications: The implementation of virtual non-clinical physiotherapy placements are well placed to teach skills beyond what can be found in traditional placements whilst having a positive impact on reducing the gap in supply and demand.
Funding acknowledgements: None
Keywords:
Student Placement
Virtual learning
Innovative education
Student Placement
Virtual learning
Innovative education
Topics:
Education: methods of teaching & learning
Education: clinical
Professional practice: other
Education: methods of teaching & learning
Education: clinical
Professional practice: other
Did this work require ethics approval? No
Reason:
Ethics approval was not required for this project. This is a study which describes innovative ways and alternative options of delivering undergraduate clinical placements. This is necessary in the current climate where student numbers outweigh the available placements available.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
