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What information should I give to students when they phone pre placement?
The student needs to know when and where to meet you on their first day, uniform requirements and what preparatory reading they can do. Many Clinical Educators provide further information regarding their department in a document that can be emailed to the student. This can easily be updated when required. Please see the document ‘Information to provide to students before placement’ on this website for further guidance.
 Where can I get information about what the students have been taught?
An overview of syllabus content is provided on this website.
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When should I contact the Visiting Lecturer?
The visiting lecturer will contact you in the first week of placement. However, please contact the
Visiting Lecturer if:
- you would like planning advice prior to placement
- you have concerns regarding the student
- the Visiting Lecturer has not been in touch to organise a visit or check on progress in week 1 of the placement.
If you are unsure of the number to call please contact Denise Curtis on 0117 3288416 or denise.curtis@uwe.ac.uk
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What usually happens when the Lecturer visits?
The Visiting Lecturer will usually want to talk to the Clinical Educator responsible for the student first.
This is to find out how the student is progressing/developing and/or if any problems have been encountered. This is an opportunity for you to get clarification about any issues you may have relating to the student or the course. The Visiting Lecturer will then talk to the student independently and will need to go through their goals for the placement and other documentation in their Portfolio.
Depending on the year/level of the student a brief observation of the student in practice may be required and feedback given. The first placement in the 3 rd year includes the Professional Practice
Oral Assessment carried out by the Visiting Lecturer and the Clinical Educator. The process will be explained to the student and the Clinical Educator on the first visit to this placement and any queries addressed.
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Do students get mornings or afternoons off?
The University and Professional body recommends that students complete a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical experience. Our clinical placements are based on students completing a 36 hour week to gain this clinical experience. However this is only a guide and it may be necessary for students to work shorter or longer hours depending on the needs of the service. Work that is relevant to student development can be set e.g. presentation preparation; MDT visits etc if staff are unavailable for certain periods of time.
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What happens if a student is off sick - who should I inform and how do I record this?
It is the student's responsibility to notify their Clinical Educator and UWE via Denise Curtis (AHP
Office) if they are unable to attend placement. The Clinical Educator should record absence hours on the CPA form. Hours on placement are collated by the University to ensure that students achieve
1000 hours of required clinical experience during the programme.

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Is the Continuous Practice Assessment (CPA) form available on line to complete?
The CPA forms for each module are in the students Professional Practice Portfolio. They are also available under a separate heading on the Practice Support Net and can be completed electronically if preferred. However, the completed form must then be printed and signed by the Clinical
Educator, given to the student to check, sign and submit as usual.
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Why is it essential for the student and the Clinical Educator to sign the midway appraisal as well as the final appraisal on the Continuous Practice Assessment (CPA) form?
The University requires due process to occur to provide the student with formative assessment on their performance throughout the placement and summative assessment at the conclusion of the placement. The midway appraisal is the formal point at which the student is required to know if progress is satisfactory or if there are issues to address in order to pass the placement. If the student is not made aware of this at this point they can appeal against the mark given. The signatures at the midway appraisal indicate the students’ acknowledgement of the information provided to them and that it is the Clinical Educator who has provided it.
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Does the final percentage mark given matter?
All placements are pass/fail so the marks given are purely for formative feedback along with the written comments. However, students will receive a notification of credit certificate which will indicate whether they have achieved a pass, merit or distinction so the mark given does bear some importance. Any student at any level can achieve any score between 0-100%.
Each placement should be assessed against the learning outcomes. If a student has not met a learning outcome(s) then it should be clear in which category of the CPA form they have failed.
Please contact the visiting lecturer / member of the clinical team for guidance if required.
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Do assignment submission dates occur during placement
Assignment submission dates are set at the beginning of each academic year.
The programme continues to endeavour to avoid submission dates during placement but on occasions this is unavoidable.
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Are there any guidelines for students working in the community?
The CSP provide a document entitled ‘Guidance on developing student placements in community and other nontraditional settings’.
This paper looks at the evidence to support the case for physiotherapy students undertaking community placements, including guidance and suggestions for criteria to be met prior to allowing supervision at a distance for suitable students.
Please access the Clinical Educator Handbook on this site for further information