This module will prepare students for physiotherapy practice in acute care and rehabilitation settings as part of a multidisciplinary team. This is a major area of physiotherapy practice and undergraduate physiotherapy students are typically allocated at least one practice-based placement in these settings during the programme. Students will build upon foundational knowledge developed in Year 1 of the programme (e.g. anatomy and physiology) by applying this knowledge to address typical problems experienced by people with health conditions resulting in hospital admission (e.
g. pneumonia, stroke, trauma, surgery), developing common principles and core skills that may then be applied across the care setting. Students will use the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework for assessment and intervention when working with people in an acute setting, building on knowledge and understanding gained from the module Long term conditions and rehabilitation (community).
Development of knowledge and skills relevant to varied acute settings will be facilitated by a case-based learning approach built around scenarios which reflect the complexity of current clinical practice. The module has an emphasis on fostering the student’s problem-solving and self-directed learning skills through engaging active-learning approaches and a substantial practical component including clinical simulation.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of common problems experienced by people admitted to hospital with a range of health conditions and the typical recovery/progression trajectories.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the role of the physiotherapist in the interprofessional management of people who are acutely unwell.
Demonstrate practical knowledge and application of key skills appropriate to the physiotherapy assessment and management of people who are acutely unwell.
Demonstrate evidence-informed, person-centred clinical reasoning to provide safe and effective physiotherapy practice in acute settings.
Show an ability to adapt practice to varying personal and environmental contexts that may be encountered in acute settings.