Changing the landscape of physiotherapy practice education: students' experiences of a rotational placement pilot initiative in England

Smith, Sarah, Miller, Paul K. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5611-1354 , Mills, S. and Law, E. (2024) Changing the landscape of physiotherapy practice education: students' experiences of a rotational placement pilot initiative in England. Physiotherapy, 123 (S1). e43-e44. Item availability may be restricted.

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Abstract

Purpose: Not least as a consequence of the NHS staffing shortages exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, UK higher education institutions (HEIs) have been charged with increasing the numbers of allied healthcare professionals trained across-the-board. In physiotherapy, enlarging core student numbers within universities themselves has proven considerably less challenging than finding sufficient practice placements for these students during their degrees. Finding creative solutions to this problem - and evidencing their efficacy in terms consistency, quality and student experience - has, thus, become a key priority in contemporary physiotherapy education. This paper addresses one prospective solution: the use of ‘placement rotation’. Therein, students complete several rotations in different clinical areas within a single trust as one ostensibly ongoing placement, with a single induction and a consistent group of peers and educators. Rotational placements have been a routine feature of nurse training for some time, with robust research underscoring their value, but remain largely untested in physiotherapy. Focusing on a three-rotation pilot initiative run by the authors’ HEI and a single NHS trust in northwest England, findings qualitatively address the nuances of student experiences.

Item Type:	Article
Journal / Publication Title:	Physiotherapy
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0031-9406
Departments:	Institute of Health > Psychology and Psychological Therapies Centre for Research in Health and Society (CRIHS)
Additional Information:	CSP2023: abstract 277.
Depositing User:	Insight Administrator
SWORD Depositor:	Insight Administrator
Date Deposited:	26 Jun 2024 16:03
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2024 09:00
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/7752