Physiotherapy

What is Simulated Placement?

A simulated placement is a controlled environment which provides the opportunity to gain practical experience and develop your clinical skills and knowledge in a realistic setting. It will involve simulated clinical environments, human patient simulation, VR and role play.

It provides a safe training space where students can try various approaches and learn from their mistakes; enabling you to acquire important skills and gain confidence in practice, whilst not compromising patient safety. ~ CSP, 2024

“Simulated learning has seen dramatic improvements in the confidence and knowledge that students take to their clinical placements.”

- Nojoud Alrashidi et al. 2023

What's Expected of You?

1- Engage with the activities - treat it like a real life scenario.

2- Treat it like any other placement - make sure you’re attending all sessions punctually and follow the uniform policy.

3- Communication with your patients and peers is essential - teamwork is key.

4- Push yourself out your comfort zone but make sure this is within your scope of practice - this provides the best opportunity for learning.

5- Have a positive attitude and enjoy yourself!

How to Prepare?

Pre-simulation reflection: think about your strengths and weaknesses - SWOC
Refresh your knowledge of assessment, anatomy, physiology & treatment
Practice learnt hands-on techniques
Setting Goals: What do you want to achieve in this stimulated placement?
Look at the available pre-placement materials beforehand, including the Level 4 CPAF & powerpoint

What to Expect?

BSc

6 Week Placement.

2 Weeks Simulated, followed by a 4 week allocated placement, 4 weeks later

MSc

5 Week Placement.

1 Week Simulated, followed by 4 weeks of allocated placement immediately after

Here are some possible learning opportunities available in your upcoming simulated placement.

They will allow you to prepare, learn and develop a range of skills that can be transferred into future clinical placements.

Clinical Experiences will be linked to the 3 main settings of Clinical Practice

Inpatient setting

Community Setting

Outpatient setting

Skills You May Develop

Clinical Reasoning

Problem Solving
Subjective and Objective Assessments
Improved Confidence in Handling
Physio specific skills : gait observation, reading scans, using PT equipment
Patient centred care
Communication
Teamwork & Collaboration
Prioritisation of patients
Receiving, providing and responding to feedback

What is a Debrief?

Throughout your sim placement you’ll have multiple opportunities to debrief as a team. This provides you with the chance to discuss learning points, what went well… and what maybe didn’t go so well!

The debrief will give everyone the chance to reflect on their own practice and feedback to the team. An example of questions that may be asked are as follows;

What went well during the scenario?

Were there any moments where you felt uncertain / challenged?
How effectively did the team communicate and work together?
Were any errors made/missed opportunities? What can we learn from them?
What is one key takeaway to improve our future practice?

For further information, use the Debrief page.

Student Voice

Here are some MSc Students sharing their experiences of Simulated Placement. Click on the image & follow the link to see what they have to say...

Gallery

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