Physiotherapy practice placements help the student to consolidate what they know about physiotherapy by applying it to real people and their conditions.
While on placement, the student will be supported by clinical educators who have valuable experience in the industry. This is a great opportunity for them to gain insight from a working physiotherapist to apply to their studies.
The placement support team will also be on hand to help as well as a tutor from the university who will act as a bridge between the placement environment and the students' course.
Our placement locations
Supporting Students on Placement
Placement processes and expectations are summarised in our Placement Guide for Clinical Educators
Whilst students are on placement, they will be supported by a member of academic staff. They are also available to support you with any questions or concerns you may have regarding student performance and progression.
The academic staff will contact you at the start of the placement to arrange a meeting to review student progress. There will usually be one meeting per placement, but more can be arranged as needed.
Students will be assessed on placement using the CSP Common Placement Assessment Form (CPAF). CPAF is a standardised assessment form that can be used for all physiotherapy students in a range of placement settings.
Information and resources on CPAF can be found on CSP website: https://www.csp.org.uk/professional-clinical/practice-based-learning/cpaf
CPAF and placement progress is recorded on PebblePad. Students will share their PebblePad workbook with you when they start placement.
If you have never used PebblePad for student assessment, you will need to complete the form to set up an account: PebblePad External Account
For further help and support with access to PebblePad please email: hs-elearning-help@nottingham.ac.uk
There are also useful links to other resources such as those provided by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Clinical Educator Courses
If you have any questions about these courses, please email us.
Courses for new educators
These courses are suited to physiotherapists who have little or no experience in supervising students on placement. Each course consists of a pre-course workbook, then an online (Microsoft Teams) session followed by a second session around 6 months later.
Experienced educator updates
These workshops are suitable for people that have been supervising students in practice settings for a while but need to complete an update session. We recommend taking this workshop every 3 years to ensure you’re up to date with best practice.