Physiotherapy Placements for Physiotherapy Students

Acceptance Protocol for Physiotherapy Students and Work Experience Students

We take on placements for University undergraduate and postgraduate students. We do this because we love seeing the new generation of physiotherapists and osteopaths coming through. We want to help students and we want to support students, and it's part of our committment to the profession that we love.

Our protocol is as follows:
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • You must be at an English University and studying a physiotherapy degree.
  • Exception 1: If you are studying physiotherapy at an overseas or European university and able to fund your placement, we will consider you.
  • Exception 2: If you are under 18, and you or your parent is a patient, we will be able to offer you half a day shadowing to help requirements for your UCAS form.

    • Unfortunately, we are inundated with requests for work experience and placements. We are unable to take on all the requests we receive. This is due to a large number of students that we see for up to 6 weeks at a time. Due to funding, we are restricted to English universities. For anyone not meeting the criteria above, please contact your local NHS physiotherapy provider or NHS Hospital Trust.

    If you are an undergrad or postgrad student, and are interested in coming to one of the Surrey Physio Group clinics for your placement, then just email us on our contact form or email tim at surreyphysio.co.uk.

    More Information about our Placements

    This video is a good place to start:


    Here is another video made by one of our students which will give you an insight into what to expect:


    Our Ethos:

  • To provide the highest quality of treatment and care to our patients
  • To support our communities where we work
  • To communicate effectively and professionally with our patients and colleagues.

    • Our 3 main rules:

  • No politics. We have no bad feelings around the clinic. Don’t get yourself into politics especially if you are sharing your placement with another student. Our work environment is not a competition. It’s a safe proactive place.
  • Say bye to your colleagues before you leave. It helps us know who is on-site, and is just a nice thing to do.
  • If you see any food left out, you are welcome to eat it!

    • I thought it might be a good idea to share a few other expectations:

    Lunch: Please bring your own lunch.

    Times: On most days you will start at 8am, and typically finish at 5pm, but sometimes the days and times will vary on the physio availability, local opening times, and physio hours. It might be you work a long day e.g. 8am to 7pm, but then you have a day off in the week. Stay flexible.

    Dress Code:
    In a GP Practice: Preferably black trousers, smart shoes, and smart top.
    In a clinic: As above, or sporty.
    Absolutely no jeans.
    Polo Shirt: Please wear your University physiotherapy polo shirt.

    Things we all have to do: All of our physios have to do admin, so we ask you to do some as well. Such things may include picking up the telephone, helping out on the front desk, running errands, and generally helping out around the office. We all have to help out with cleaning too, so we will ask you to do it. You will likely be asked to do recycling. You might need to fill ultrasound or massage bottles. These are all day-to-day things we do so you will need to as well. We will guide you on what we need.

    Get Involved: Help out, do exercises plans for patients, write notes, do some hands-on treatment, contribute in discussions, and ask your lead clinician any questions.

    Reading Material: One of the best books you can read prior to starting your placement is Brukner and Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine: click here to view on Amazon

    Social Media or Google Review: Please either post a positive Google review or tweet and share about your experience on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn messages about your experiences at the clinic.

    @Surreyphysio

    For Twitter, tag: @Surreyphysio @timallardyce

    If you do any exercise prescription, tag: @rehabmypatient

    Never share any personal patient information.

    If you wish, we can add you to our WhatsApp group where you can share info with other clinicians and generally get a vibe for the team spirit.

    Placement Set-Up

    You will be allocated a Physio Trainer who will look after you throughout the placement period (usually between 4 and 6 weeks). Depending on where you live, you may be placed into:

    Primary Care: shadowing a First Contact Practitioner

    Outpatient NHS physiotherapy clinic: shadowing a Physio

    Private Practice: shadowing a Physio

    We try to match students to a work location closest to where they live, taking into account factors such as what we have available, physio provision available, and your transport options (e.g. if you drive or not). Basically, we’ll try to place you as close to home as we can.

    Placement Locations:

    Croydon Physio, 1 Upper Selsdon Rd, CR2 8DD

    Surrey Physio, 2 Coleridge Ave, SM1 3RQ

    Mitcham Physio, 409-411 London Rd, CR4 4BG.

    Balham Physio, 39 Balham Hill, SW12 9DX

    The Border Practice, Blackwater Way, GU12 4DN.

    Farnborough Physio, 208 Farnborough Rd, GU14 7JL.

    First Contact Practitioner Sites in GP practices in Croydon, Wandsworth, Surrey Heath, Brighton, North-East London (Havering, Dagenham), NE Hants (Farnborough, Aldershot), Lambeth.

    As you Progress

    As you build confidence, and if you are competent, we may invite you to see patients on your own (although supervision will be on-site) for 1-2 sessions during the week. This will usually involve exercise prescription, advice and guidance. If the session is face to face, you may utilise any manual therapy or electrotherapy skills you have learned to date.

    Portfolio

    Bring any paperwork from your University with you. We will ask you to fill out the majority of your own paperwork. We can assist with this, of course, but always do as much as you can. Critique yourself, you know yourself better than we do. We will sign and provide feedback on request during your placement. Just prepare as much of the paperwork as you can prior to getting the physio to fill in their section.

    We look forward to welcoming you to Surrey Physio and our #greatteam.