Documentation

Video Quick Guide - to recording student competencies 

The RCSLT have updated the dysphagia training requirements for students, so that learners will graduate with practical experience and training following new competencies for eating, drinking, and swallowing. The background to the change is to ensure that the profession keeps pace with modern healthcare challenges, and to align graduate skills with other bodies internationally within the mutual recognition scheme. It also means that as of 2026 all students will be graduating with commensurate entry level knowledge and skills in eating, drinking and swallowing. 

The competency document itself can be found by following this link:

Pre registration EDS competencies 

It has 20 components, each detailing a specific aspect of EDS. In order to graduate, the college expects students to have achieved 16 out of the 20 competencies. There is also a requirement that students complete an hour’s log of experience with dysphagia management. 30 of these hours need to be direct i.e., patient facing (with adult clients). There is also a requirement for learners to have achieved 10 hours of paediatric dysphagia experience. 

In practical terms, any student attending a placement which could include dysphagia management  are encouraged to seek out learning opportunities which may enable them to have one or more competencies signed off by their practice educator. Competencies can be filled in any order, and there is a recognition that the type of EDS exposure will vary depending on the type and nature of the placement. 

It's important to note that not all competencies need to be signed off by a dysphagia trained therapist. An example of this would be carrying out an orofacial assessment on someone without eating, drinking, and swallowing difficulties. A non-dysphagia trained therapist could help guide the students learning here and sign off the competency as achieved. In addition, university staff will be supporting learners in signing off competencies as part of several structured learning activities which are embedded within the curriculum.

That said however, a lot of student’s learning and development will be whilst on placement and so there will be an increased responsibility for dysphagia trained therapists to help students achieve their competencies. For ideas and activities to help learners achieve each individual competency,  please refer to the following documents. 

Placement activities 

Further placement activities

Other Useful Links

·         RCSLT EDS Resources homepage - Pre-registration eating, drinking and swallowing competencies | RCSLT  

·         Ideas for placement structure - Eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties (EDS) practice placement case studies | RCSLT 

·         Supporting video - Pre-registration EDS competencies - a guide for practice educators