76 aspiring physiotherapists have gained hands-on patient experience, as a Teesside NHS-led training programme goes from strength-to-strength.
Based out of the University Hospital of Hartlepool, ‘Student Academy’ was launched by the hospital’s integrated musculoskeletal (iMSK) physiotherapy team in August 2024.
It sees students running their own clinics for up to six weeks as they assess patients with non-complex cases – under the watchful eyes and ears of chartered physiotherapists.
Now almost 18 months on, the team is leading its 13th cohort of students through the programme. Since then, it has also been nominated for a national NHS award.
Feedback shows that students enjoy more direct patient contact and freedom, giving them the practical experience, emotional insight and confidence they need early in their careers.
Harvey Ward, senior physiotherapist, explains: “As a student, I didn’t typically see many patients one-to-one and I’m a big believer that you only learn when you start to apply your knowledge. You can learn about hips at uni, but you won’t know what osteoarthritis of the hip feels like until you actually feel it yourself.
“Our students undertake several practical sessions with us before seeing patients in their first week on placement. The curtains are open and we can wander round, listen in and advise but we’re not over their shoulder.
“The biggest and best feedback we get is that they have the freedom to try out what they’ve learned in a low-pressure environment so that they’ve got that hands-on experience and confidence in the future.
“They tell us that they feel like part of the team. And we hope that once they’re qualified, some of them will come back to us to join the team on a more permanent basis.”
Advancing the Student Academy
Since Student Academy was first launched, the programme has evolved to include clinical reasoning, helping students to understand why and when to use specific testing methods. This combined practical and theoretical training covers exercise therapy, manual therapy, public health and more.
Students are also invited to multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss patient cases. Here they learn more about patients’ treatment plans outside of iMSK physiotherapy.
Student Academy was shortlisted for a ‘Creative Provision of Placements’ award at the 2025 NHS England Chief Allied Health Professions Officer (CAHPO) Awards.
Alan Bolton is senior clinical professional for iMSK and rheumatology. He said: “Just being nominated for a CAHPO award was something to be really proud of. And I think that’s testament to how hard Harvey and the team have worked on this.
“We’re sometimes labelled as that small NHS trust on the side of the A19, but to be nationally recognised is really great. We can do great things and this is a really good example of that.”