Explore UCD

UCD Home >

PHTY41170

Academic Year 2026/2027

Advancing Physiotherapy Professional Practice (PHTY41170)

Subject:
Physiotherapy
College:
Health & Agricultural Sciences
School:
Public Hlth, Phys & Sports Sci
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Gráinne O'Donoghue
Credit Split by Trimester:
Autumn 5
Spring 5
Trimester:
2 Trimester duration (Aut-Spr)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
Module Type:
Clinical Module
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This is a 10-credit, master’s-level professional practice module delivered primarily through face-to-face teaching in the Autumn Trimester. It builds on the Year 1 module, Foundations of Physiotherapy Professional Practice, and supports students’ transition to autonomous, safe and effective practice as entry-level physiotherapists. The module develops students’ understanding of the professional, ethical and regulatory responsibilities associated with contemporary physiotherapy practice, including fitness to practise, professional conduct and the requirements for registration with CORU. It also encourages students to consider the importance of personal values, self-awareness and self-care in sustaining practitioner health, wellbeing and professional effectiveness.

Students will examine the wider contexts in which physiotherapy services are delivered, including health policy, service development, global health and inclusion health. They will consider how physiotherapists can contribute to service improvement and respond to changing population, healthcare and service needs. Through service-development planning and related project work, students will develop their ability to identify service needs and formulate appropriate, evidence-informed proposals.

The module will also prepare students for employment and continuing professional development by introducing a range of career pathways across acute, primary and community care, private practice and emerging areas of physiotherapy. Students will develop practical skills relevant to the transition into the workplace, including networking, curriculum vitae preparation, job applications and competency-based interviews. Teaching will also address communication, leadership, management and conflict resolution; effective teaching, mentoring and supervision; and business, entrepreneurship and innovation in physiotherapy practice.

Mapped to CORU SoP: 1.1-1.12, 1.14-1.20, 2.7, 2.9-2.15, 3.9, 3.11, 4.1-4.6, 5.1, 5.24

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Critically analyse how healthcare structures, health policy, service reform and national and international health priorities influence physiotherapy practice and service delivery.
2. Critically evaluate and apply the professional, ethical and regulatory requirements governing physiotherapy practice, including the CORU Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics, fitness to practise and registration requirements.
3. Critically examine the influence of equality, diversity, inclusion and social determinants of health on access to healthcare, service delivery and physiotherapy practice.
4. Develop an evidence-informed service-development proposal that addresses an identified need and incorporates appropriate stakeholder engagement, implementation and evaluation considerations.
5. Demonstrate effective professional communication, leadership and conflict-management approaches relevant to physiotherapy and multidisciplinary healthcare environments.
6. Apply appropriate principles of teaching, mentoring and supervision to support the learning and development of students, colleagues and service users.
7. Critically reflect on the influence of personal values, self-awareness and self-care on professional behaviour, practitioner wellbeing and sustainable practice.
8. Critically evaluate career pathways and emerging opportunities within physiotherapy and demonstrate skills relevant to the transition into employment, including networking, job applications, competency-based interviews, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Indicative Module Content:

Practitioner self-awareness, self-care and wellbeing
Career pathways across healthcare and private practice settings
Health policy, service reform, global health and inclusion health
Professional communication, leadership and conflict resolution
Teaching, mentoring and supervision
Professional conduct, fitness to practise and CORU registration
Service-development planning and evaluation
Business, entrepreneurship and innovation
Job applications, CV preparation and competency-based interviews

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Competent

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Competent

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Proficient

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Competent

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Proficient

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 2

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all 1

Reduce inequality within and among countries 1
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

36
Autonomous Student Learning

120
Lectures

20
Small Group

24
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Active/task-based learning; peer and group work; lectures; reflective learning; problem-based learning; debates; case-based learning; student presentations.

AI/Academic Integrity:
Staff may utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the programme to support teaching and learning and it will be clearly indicated if and when AI is used. Students are prohibited from representing work as their own that they did not write, code or create. Submission of AI-generated content to this module by a student without explicit permission and attribution is not allowed and it may reflect unacceptable professional behaviour. This may result in the initiation of a student disciplinary procedure in accordance with the “University Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity Policy.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Required:
PHTY30330 - Foundations Physio Prof Prac


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: An individual one-hour written examination comprising applied, case-based short-answer questions aligned with the module learning outcomes. Students will answer four questions from a choice of six. Week 12 Autumn Alternative linear conversion grade scale 40% No
70
 No
Group Work Assignment: Working in groups, students will identify a relevant physiotherapy or healthcare service need and develop an evidence-informed service-development plan. Week 12 Autumn Graded Yes
30
 Yes

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

- Summative feedback i) individual student and ii) group/class feedback, post-assessment - Formative feedback i) individual student and ii) group/class feedback, within class, prior to summative assessment

Physiotherapists Registration Board - Standards of Proficiency for Physiotherapists (CORU)
https://www.coru.ie/files-education/prb-standards-of-proficiency-for-physiotherapists.pdf

Physiotherapists Registration Board - Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics
https://coru.ie/files-codes-of-conduct/prb-code-of-professional-conduct-and-ethics-for-physiotherapists.pdf

Available on Physiopedia (access through ISCP student membership):
Leading in Rehabilitation - Implement the Leadership Approach
Leadership Skills and Personal Values and Beliefs
Professionalism and Ethical Practice in the Workplace

Name Role
Dr Julie Broderick Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Dr Eimear Cronin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Assoc Professor Deirdre Hurley Osing Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 8, 9, 10, 11 Fri 11:00 - 12:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 3 Fri 13:00 - 14:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 10 Mon 14:00 - 15:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 2 Mon 14:00 - 15:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 7, 8 Thurs 13:00 - 14:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 3 Tues 09:00 - 10:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 6, 7 Tues 09:00 - 10:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 2, 5, 7 Tues 11:00 - 12:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 10 Tues 13:00 - 14:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 11 Tues 13:00 - 14:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 4, 9 Tues 13:00 - 14:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Practical Offering 50 Week(s) - 12 Wed 09:00 - 10:50
2 Trimester (Sep-May) Lecture Offering 50 Week(s) - 10 Wed 11:00 - 12:50
Print this page
Fill in the following details:
Enter the body of your query here.

From time to time UCD would like to send you further information that we feel, based on your enquiry, would be of interest to you.