Course overview

As a physiotherapist you will use physical approaches to strengthen and maintain people's physical, psychological, and social wellbeing, optimising their general health and helping to prevent illness. Physiotherapy at Keele provides you with an exceptional breadth of theoretical knowledge and practical experience to enable you to deliver high quality patient centred care.

Essential physiotherapy skills

This innovative course has been carefully designed to reflect physiotherapy in the 21st century and is flexible and future proof to accommodate the changing demands of health and social care, and the profession globally. You will develop the required competencies and clinical skills, which are underpinned by evidence to enable you to deliver high quality, safe and effective care that meets the needs of patients.

You will improve your understanding of anatomy, physiology and movement science including basic therapeutic handling and the fundamentals of physiotherapy practice. You will study modules that focus on common conditions associated with the cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. Throughout the programme you will explore the effects of acute critical illness and the deteriorating patient, as well as studying core themes such as pharmacology, hydrotherapy, assistive technology, orthotics and neuropsychology.

The course explores concepts of physical rehabilitation, functioning and disability and investigates the impact of disability and how to restore function to individuals with specific conditions such as diabetes mellitus and heart disease.

You will undertake practical sessions within our Anatomy Suite where you will analyse and handle real anatomy prosections to enhance your understanding of the human body.

You will learn the required patient assessment techniques, including those who may have complex rehabilitation needs to improve your clinical decision making and analytical abilities. This will enable you to propose effective management strategies for patients in a well-informed and confident manner. You will benefit from specific modules which aim to enable you to establish your communication skills so you can become confident in your professional interactions as a physiotherapist. As a physiotherapist you will need to be able to communicate with a range of patients, carers, family members and fellow clinicians.

Modules to enhance your research and critical thinking competencies are embedded throughout the programme. We put a strong emphasis on the role of evidence and using it to support physiotherapy best practice. The advantage of a fourth year of study is that it offers you the flexibility to explore specialist areas of practice in areas such as musculoskeletal and neurological.

Physiotherapist’s play a key role in promoting health and preventing illness and you’ll gain a solid understanding of the factors that can impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

Inter-professional learning is a key element in your growth as a professional physiotherapist and studying alongside students from other healthcare occupations reflects your future working environment. We give you the skills not just to become a physiotherapist but to become effective future educators and teachers through specific modules that concentrate on learning and teaching.

Physiotherapy Clinical Experience

Clinical practice is a core element of the programme. Exposure to a range of clinical environments will enable you to build your confidence. This practical, authentic, hands-on experience ensures you are able to graduate with the required skills and competencies to practice and deliver high quality patient care.

There are placement opportunities to complete over 1380 hours of practice throughout the programme. Our dedicated Clinical Education Team will source appropriate placements in a wide variety of settings and provide additional support during your placements.

We offer a wide range of diverse opportunities to gain practical physiotherapy experience supporting people of all ages with different conditions. You will be exposed to various clinical settings that may include working with critically ill patients within the NHS, individuals injured at work, charities and the private sector, as well as supporting rugby and football clubs. Most of your placements take place in the West Midlands area, although placements for some specialist areas of physiotherapy may require you to travel further afield.

There are opportunities to apply for international electives so you can study abroad, depending on the current global pandemic situation.

Rehabilitation and physiotherapy clinic

Helping to bridge the gap between what you learn in the lecture theatre and clinical placement is our on-campus physiotherapy and rehabilitation clinic where you can get involved and observe the treatment of patients. The clinic offers ‘hands on’ treatments for a wide range of common musculoskeletal injuries.

Our expertise

Teaching is undertaken by highly skilled, highly qualified, and knowledgeable staff, some of whom are nationally and internationally recognised experts in their field. Many of our academic staff are active researchers, and physiotherapists teaching on the course are all registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.

Student support

We provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment for you during your physiotherapy course. You will be allocated an academic mentor at the beginning of your course who can give advice and guidance. Also during your first year you will be offered a student mentor. Supervision whilst you are undertaking your clinical placements is undertaken by practice educators.

Based within our faculty is a Student Experience and Support team who have a member of the team who is dedicated to the School of Allied Health Professions. As part of Keele’s student services, they work closely with teams across Keele so you can easily access the support you need.

There is peer support and additional help is available from the School's Disability Liaison Officer who provides an additional layer of support for all students, particularly for those who have special learning needs.

You will have access to a mixture of advice and support services at Keele which include;

• Learning Support and Academic Guidance
• Disability Services
• English Language Unit
• Student Advice at Keele (ASK)
• Student Support Services
• Occupational Health Department