Physiotherapy student placements

Placements may also be available for postgraduate and overseas physiotherapy students. Short-term observational visits may be available to qualified physiotherapists for research purposes or career development however these will require clear identification of learning objectives for the visit.

Please note all the above placements are subject to availability, staffing levels and rotations.

Unfortunately, due to high demand and our priority commitments with university placements, we are unable to offer work experience to those considering a career in physiotherapy, for example school leavers.

Due to the specialist nature of the work that is carried out here, there may be a largely observational component to the placement. However, we will endeavour to make it ‘hands-on’ wherever possible. There may additionally be some self-directed learning or virtual elements to the placement which could require working from home.

Clinical educators will endeavour to facilitate appropriate learning needs and ensure objectives are met. Placements usually last 4-6 weeks but may be longer in certain circumstances.

If your query is not physiotherapy related we will not be able to respond to you. Please contact the relevant department that you are interested in directly.

In the first instance, please contact our physiotherapy Physiotherapy Student Placement Team for further details.

If your application is successful, the following forms need to be completed and processed before the placement starts:

• honorary contract (providing two referees and three forms of identification)
• occupational health form
• CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) check
• POCAL (Protection of Children's Act)

These will be organised by the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Human Resources (HR) department

Please note you will not be able to commence a placement until all the above paperwork and criminal record checks are completed. Your placement may be cancelled if any of the above checks are not satisfactory.

Please be aware of the following:

• The placement fee is £50 per day, or £200 per week.
• There is an additional cost of £150 for the CRB to be processed.
• You will need your own relevant insurance as the hospital insurance only covers UK students.
• Students are required to have good spoken, written and comprehension of the English language.
• Overseas students will only be able to complete an observational placement with no hands-on contact.

We may not be able to offer you a placement for a number of reasons. This could be because you may not meet our selection criteria, staffing levels are not able to accommodate a student, or there may not be availability for the dates you have requested.

If we are able to offer you a placement, we can usually inform you within 1-2 weeks. This is a provisional offer until the paperwork has been completed by HR. This process can take up to 6 weeks, therefore please send us your placement requests early.

Please ensure you fill in and return any necessary paperwork promptly as this will speed up the clearance process. Be aware that you may be required to attend an appointment prior to placement to show HR proof of identification.

Hospital accommodation is not normally available for physiotherapy students but the hospital Accommodation Bureau may be able to help you find local accommodation.

Most of our clinical teams are able to offer student placements:

• orthopaedics
• neurosciences
• neuromuscular
• rheumatology
• neurodisability
• Respiratory Including:
• paediatric and neonatal intensive care
• cardiac intensive care unit
• cystic fibrosis service

“One of the best learning experiences and most enjoyable placements I have experienced. Wouldn’t change a thing.”

"I feel that this was ideal for an elective placement as I got a good all-round experience of paediatrics."

"I enjoyed the wide variety of case-load, from PICU, NICU, CF and transplants, as this gave me a wide experience of ventilated and non-ventilated patients."

"All my learning needs were met. I was able to experience lots of different paediatric areas. I was able to spend time working with other multidisciplinary members which was useful."

"I thoroughly enjoyed this placement. Clinical educators and other staff were friendly and approachable. I was given the opportunity to experience a wide area of paediatric physiotherapy and develop autonomy in assessing and treating patients – Thank you!"