Physiotherapy - (Pre-registration) - MSc drafted
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2023-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Our Physiotherapy (pre-registration) Master's degree will develop your clinical leadership knowledge and skills over 3 different practice areas; including musculoskeletal, cardio respiratory and neurology. You will learn in specially built clinical skills rooms, with specialist space so you can get the best training possible.
The MSc Physiotherapy (pre-registration) is a qualifying programme for graduates with a suitable and relevant first degree and gives you an accelerated route into the profession. It is not for those who have already completed a qualification in Physiotherapy.
This course is
not open
to International students.What's covered in this course?
Development of key skills, including communication, research and professionalism will enable you to become a compassionate and competent practitioner who can deliver effective, evidence-based and quality-driven care.
Accredited By
This course is accredited by:
Why Choose Us?
Funding
- Allied health profession students will receive at least £5,000 a year in additional funding for maintenance and associated study costs.
Download the funding FAQs
You will be taught in a small cohort by specialist lecturers
who are practising physiotherapists and can provide a relevant, up-to-date research informed curriculum with real life case studies.We work in partnership with service users and carers to inform the design of the programme as well as involving them in aspects of delivery, enabling you to directly interact with, and learn from, service users and carers
Studying with us during the Covid-19 pandemic
The University has put in place
measures in response to Covid-19
to allow us to safely deliver our courses. Should the impact of the pandemic continue in future years, any additional or alternative arrangements put in place by the University will be in accordance with the latest government public health advice, health and safety legislation, and the terms and conditions of thestudent contract
.Program Outline
Level 7
Practice Placements
Level 7
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):
Evidence Based Professional Practice 20 credits
This is one of the two inter-professional modules in the programme, delivered by HCPC registered healthcare professional tutors and other specialists from Birmingham City University. This module will emphasise the underpinning philosophies of inter professional collaboration and communication within health and social care, enabling shared learning across professional boundaries and facilitating the contextualisation of the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to deliver optimal care within a dynamic healthcare environment.
Foundations of Physiotherapy 20 credits
This module is designed to enhance your prior knowledge of the structure and function of the human body, in order to build a foundation for physiotherapy practice with the emphasis on a client centred approach. Taught in parallel with neuromusculoskeletal integrated practice, the content of the module is focused around four main themes; structure and function, pathophysiology, movement analysis and exercise in health and rehabilitation.
Neuromusculo-skeletal Integrated Practice 20 credits
This module is designed to prepare you for practice within the field of neuromusculoskeletal physiotherapy. Taught in parallel with the Foundations of Physiotherapy practice module which incorporates the study of musculoskeletal anatomy and physiology, this module will encourage you to integrate this knowledge to the assessment, treatment and management of common problems affecting the musculoskeletal system. The role of evidence based education and advice to clients and their carers as part of a management plan will be explored.
Cardio Respiratory Evidence Based Practice 20 credits
This module is designed to prepare you for practice within the field of cardio respiratory physiotherapy. A range of learning and teaching opportunities will enable you to develop a systematic understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the cardio respiratory system in both the non-diseased and disease states and understand the physical, psychological and social impact of acute and chronic cardiorespiratory pathology and dysfunction on the client and their relatives/carers.
Neurological Physiotherapy 20 credits
This module is designed to prepare you for practice within the field of neurological physiotherapy by facilitating you to develop a reflective, problem- solving approach to the management of children and adults with neurological conditions. A range of learning and teaching opportunities will enable you to develop, integrate and synthesise your knowledge and understanding of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropathology and human movement to assess, plan, execute and evaluate rehabilitation programmes for individuals with a broad range of neurological dysfunction. The importance of clinical reasoning will again be emphasised (building upon skills introduced in previous modules) enabling you to select and apply appropriate therapeutic interventions underpinned by the principles of evidence based practice. Emphasis will be placed on evaluating practice through seeking evidence of personal and treatment effectiveness.
Consolidating Professional Practice (Physiotherapy) 20 credits
This second inter professional module will consolidate the links between your personal and professional development, whilst encouraging and enhancing a lifelong commitment to the concept of continuous quality improvement in a dynamic and ever-changing health and social care environment.
Through a flexible provision, you are encouraged to reflect critically upon your personal experiences as well and health and social care practice, and to appraise and apply concepts from the literature on best practice to issues of relevance for your profession and the needs of the service user.
Advancing Practice through the Lifecycle 20 credits
This module builds upon your prior learning related to neuromusculoskeletal, respiratory and neurological physiotherapy and evidenced based practice gained from your year one modules and practice placements to further develop and integrate your knowledge, skills, behaviours and values with a focus on more specialist and complex, multi-pathological presentations. Attention is given to the further development and application of your clinical reasoning skills, the use of measurement and outcomes and understanding your role in Interprofessional collaboration throughout the client journey across a range of health and social care settings.
MSc Healthcare Professional Project 40 credits
This double module forms the final component of your Healthcare Professional MSc. It provides you with the opportunity to complete a piece of work around a topic of interest in order to demonstrate competence in the planning, execution, analysis and evaluation of a Research Project, a Systematic Review, or an Audit or Service Evaluation linked to practice.
The focus of this module is on facilitating independent, critical study in your professional practice discipline. It will also serve those of you who wish to embark on Doctoral studies in the future. This module involves 400 hours of study.
Practice Placements
You will complete a minimum of 1000 practice placement hours across the programme to meet the requirements of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), the professional body. This will be divided into weeks of practice placement time, with 12 being coordinated across the first year (2 X 6 week blocks) and 18 weeks (3x6 weeks) in the second year.
Practice Placements
The purpose of the practice placement component of the programme is to enable and support students to develop the knowledge, skills and professional behaviour to manage a broad range of conditions relating to human movement through the practical application of academic learning. It should also enable the student to develop their understanding of the wide range of individuals who may benefit from physiotherapy and the diverse settings in which physiotherapy may be provided. Dedicated to providing students with a broad range of practice placement experience, the programme recognises and celebrates the differences in service configuration and the ways in which that the physiotherapy workforce is engaged. Therefore, the emphasis is on the overall profile of practice placement experience that each student undertakes.
For each placement, each student is assigned a named Practice Educator/s who is an HCPC registered Physiotherapist. The CSP supports a range of models of supervision, therefore the Practice Educator may be responsible for more than one student at any time. The Practice Educator will plan the placement and supervise the student(s) although other members of their team may contribute for maximum experience and learning.
The practice placement learning component of the programme has been developed with valuable input form stakeholders and in line with the Learning and Development Principles for CSP Accreditation of Qualifying Programmes in Physiotherapy (2015), HCPC Standards of Proficiency for Physiotherapists (2013) and the HCPC Standards of Education and Training (2014).
Placement Allocation
Practice placements will usually be based Practice Placement Providers in the greater West Midlands region, however, you may occasionally be allocated to other locations throughout the UK, depending on Practice Placement demand and availability. All placements that are external to the University will involve travel away from the main site. Depending on location, some placements may require you to seek more local accommodation, which may incur a cost. BCU cannot guarantee that you will be allocated as soon as you are eligible to progress to a Practice Placement, however, every effort is made to ensure that you are placed as soon as possible.
Placements are compulsory and if you do not successfully meet the professional capabilities for all four placements, you will not meet the requirements for successful completion of the programme.
You will be required to fund all costs relating to placements, for example travel to and from the placement site, car parking charges and accommodation costs (if you choose to seek more local accommodation).
Download course specification
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This postgraduate physiotherapy degree course will be delivered full-time over two years, with each year comprising 45 weeks of learning – this is required to incorporate your practice based placements.
There will be a minimum of 1,000 hours in practice placements, ensuring that you have sufficient opportunity to achieve the required practice competencies, such that successful completion will ensure you can practice as an autonomous newly qualified practitioner.
We'll embed professional development throughout the course, ensuring that you are committed to the ethos of lifelong learning, and are prepared to meet the continued professional development requirements for the profession
1,000 ...hours in practice placements
Student Consent to act as a model during the programme
The development of practical and clinical skills is integral to your development as a physiotherapist. Participation in interactive practical classes (which involves the teaching, learning and practice of such skills) is therefore essential to your education as a physiotherapist. Students are asked to act as ‘models’ or ’service users’ for these teaching and learning processes, both in the university and during practice placements. Acting as a model may, by necessity, involve the removal of clothing that enables adequate observation and/or examination of the body. Therefore, before commencing practical classes, all students are given detailed information regarding this issue and are required to sign the relevant section of a consent form.
There are some circumstances in which it is possible for us to arrange for some students to work only with students of the same gender, in classes, but it is not possible to provide separate classes for the genders or to screen off sections of rooms to separate the genders. Please be assured that the programme team is willing to make any reasonable adjustments in order to overcome or minimise any concerns over such issues.
The issue of consent will be explained in more detail during the induction week and revisited throughout the programme. If you feel that there is an issue which may have an impact on your ability or willingness to act as a model, please contact the programme leader to discuss this. We will make every effort to put mechanisms in place to address your concerns.
Uniform and Equipment
You may be required to wear a uniform for practice placements. You will be fitted for the required uniform on commencement of your course. Given that your programme involves placement opportunities with the National Health Service (NHS), we wish to bring standard NHS advice to your attention with respect to dress code. For purposes of minimising the spread of infection and of cross contamination, this (dress) code includes the requirement that a short sleeved uniform is worn in many hospital and clinic contexts. Should you wish to discuss any concerns in connection to this prior to starting the course, please contact the programme lead in the first instance.
Additional costs that students may incur related to their studies are outlined below;
Student Membership of The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
BCU encourages all students on the programme to become student members of the CSP. Students are responsible for paying the student membership fee. The fee for student membership of the CSP is currently £39 per year. For further information regarding student membership including benefits and fees, visit the
CSP website
.Information regarding membership of the CSP will be provided during the induction week and so please do not join prior to attending the induction week.
DBS clearance
Costs associated with obtaining DBS clearance are payable by you. If you have lived outside the UK for six months or more in the past five years, you will also need to obtain a criminal record check from the country you were living in. For applicants living in the Republic of Ireland, we will need to see an Irish Garda clearance. You are required to pay for the cost of obtaining this clearance. The cost varies by country.
Books
Students are instructed to wait until they have started the course before purchasing any books, as individual module co-ordinators may make particular recommendations and students may also be able to borrow books as required the University library.
Printing and photocopying costs
In addition to any book purchases, the MSc Physiotherapy programme utilises a range of bespoke teaching including worksheets, support notes and quizzes. All of this material will be available in electronic format, through Moodle sites. You will also be expected to access additional literature sources (i.e. scientific journals, government publications), as part of your directed and self-directed learning. You may wish to print some of this teaching material and literature and take account of the additional cost of doing so.
Costs associated with Practice Placement
You will be required to fund all costs relating to placements, for example travel to and from the placement site, car parking charges and accommodation costs (if you choose to seek more local accommodation).
Health and Care Professions Council
This course is approved by the
Health and Care Professions Council
, and will give you eligibility to apply for registration if you successfully complete the course.