University of Bradford

BSc Physiotherapy

What you will study

All module information is for 2024 entry and is subject to change.

First-year

• Clinical Knowledge Foundations
• Foundations of Clinical Assessment
• Exercise Theory and Prescription
• Personal and Professional Development 1
• Investigating Health
• Health Promotion and Public Health

Second year

• BSc Year 2 Practice Placement A
• BSc Year 2 Practice Placement B
• Fundamentals of Assessment and Rehabilitation
• Developing Physiotherapy Practice
• Critical Analysis of Research
• Personal and Professional Development 2

Third year

• BSc Year 3 Practice Placement A
• BSc Year 3 Practice Placement B
• Complex Case Management
• Leadership and Management
• Employability
• Research Proposal

Placement Year

You will undertake 1000 hours of clinical placements in years two and three. Before commencing placements in year two, there are ‘preparation for practice’ sessions to ensure that students are as well prepared as possible about the expectations of work-based learning. There is a debrief session back in the University at the end of the placement to support your integration of theory and practice learning.

Your first placement is ‘formative’, which means it is not credit-rated but is marked on a pass/fail basis. This placement will give you experience of working in health and care settings and allow you to practice the professional and communication skills required to work in such environments before embarking on credit-rated placements later in the second year.

Placement locations are sourced for you by the Faculty. The variety of placements may entail some degree of travel and/or accommodation costs which is typical of physiotherapy education in the UK. However, we expect to be able to source many of our placements in the Bradford/Airedale and Leeds areas.

‘You will have access to the University's Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation Clinic, and the majority of students will complete one of their clinical placements in this setting.’

Placement experience allows you to:

• Experience professional clinical environments
• Problem solve with real people and situations
• Integrate theory into practice
• Learn and improve practical skills
• Consolidate learning from modules
• Begin to use reflection in and on action
• Experience multi-professional working
• Develop your professional identity and communication skills

Placement experiences will reflect the diverse nature of the profession and also enable you to work with diverse populations and differing multi-disciplinary teams. You can expect to work in any environment in which you would find a physiotherapist. You must complete a minimum of 1000 hours of placement learning over the three years of the programme.

Placements are assessed with marks contributing to your overall degree classification.

Learning and assessment

A major focus of the course is on problem-solving and clinical reasoning. Some large group teaching utilises the concept of team-based learning (TBL) whereby some knowledge-based content is studied out of class and is then assessed by answering multiple choice questions individually and then as a small group or ‘team’.

Lectures are supplemented with small group tutorials and practical sessions to facilitate an active and collaborative approach to learning. Case-based scenarios are used to facilitate the development of clinical reasoning skills. Reflection is embedded at all levels. These skills are ultimately evidenced in the practice setting.

The programme uses a diverse range of assessment strategies that accommodate different learning styles. These include:

• Some continuous assessment of competence-based clinical skills
• Practical assessments that are designed to mirror the clinical environment
• Assessments that require you to demonstrate academic writing skills
• A common assessment tool for practice placements used collaboratively with three universities in the region
• Group and individual presentation tasks

Career prospects

Physiotherapy is an Allied Health Profession and opens up a range of dynamic and exciting career opportunities in a variety of fields. Most physiotherapists work in the NHS, but opportunities also arise in the private sector, sport, research, education and industry.

Career support

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from Career and Employability Services including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and to use the extensive resources on the Careers website.

Discussing options with specialist advisers helps to clarify plans through exploring options and refining skills of job-hunting. In most of our programmes, there is direct input by Career Development Advisers into the curriculum or through specially arranged workshops.