University Physiotherapy Student's Reflective Assignment

This assignment is a reflective journal entry by a physiotherapy student detailing their experience conducting a mobility assessment for a patient with a hip replacement. The student, an occupational therapy student, describes their initial anxiety and lack of practical experience, and how they overcame these challenges through communication, seeking guidance from an experienced occupational therapist, and adhering to ethical guidelines. The reflection highlights the importance of professional collaboration, understanding one's limitations, and the need for continuous learning. The student analyzes the experience, identifying strengths and areas for development, and outlines an action plan to gain further practical exposure in conducting different types of assessments. The reflection explicitly links the experience to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) standards of proficiency and the College of Occupational Therapists' Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, demonstrating a commitment to ethical practice and professional development. The student's reflections underscore the significance of lifelong learning and professional competence within the field of occupational therapy.

Running head: REFLECTION ON PHYSIOTHERAPY
Reflection on physiotherapy
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1REFLECTION ON PHYSIOTHERAPY
Reflection:
Description:
I got the opportunity to demonstrate my skill in professional collaboration,
communication with service user and professional conduct by conducting mobility assessment
for a patient with hip replacement surgery. As the patient was discharged from the hospital 1 day
before, I was supposed to assist the occupational therapist in conducting mobility assessment to
understand the need for adaptive devices or any hazards present at home during mobility.
Feelings:
As I am occupational therapy student and I was yet to complete my course, I lacked
practical knowledge in conducting the assessment in a systematic manner. I was nervous
regarding how I would approach patient, build rapport with him and extract information from
him regarding mobility risk. Another reason for my anxiety was that I had no past experience of
conducting mobility assessment and hence I was not aware of the protocol.
Evaluation:
Through my communication skill, I could enter into therapeutic communication with
patient. I respected their privacy during the assessment and to protect the interest of the service
user (Crawford 2017). I also sought help from an experience Occupational therapist to reduce
the possibility of errors during the assessment. The rapport building phase was easier as I had
past experience in interpersonal interaction while working as a social worker. However, the thing
that went bad for me was that I was not aware regarding the tools or elements needed to be
assessed during assessment of mobility risk. To work in accordance with the limits of knowledge

2REFLECTION ON PHYSIOTHERAPY
and skills, I workers under the Occupational therapist instruction (Health and Care Professions
Council. 2018). He corrected me and gave guidance during the procedure. The activities are also
a summary of working according to HCPC guidance on conduct and ethics. According to the
College of Occupational Therapist (2015) Code of Conduct, I also took all reasonable steps to
fulfil the duty of vare and prevent breach of duty of care. I identified the need for professional
competence and lifelong learning too.
Analysis:
The experience was very useful for me identify my potential and strengths that would aid
me in being an Occupational therapist in the future. I could also realise my limitations and need
for education and training to get quality results in the field.
Conclusion:
To conclude, it was an enriching experience for me as I was satisfied to build the right
rapport with client. I also realized the importance of professional collaboration to work within
my scope of practice.
Action plan:
My action plan is to gain practical exposure in conducting different types of assessment
in the field of Occupational therapist.
Developmental needs:
Specific skills related to assessment for clients with Occupational therapy needs is the
main development needs and I need to take training and education in this area to identify useful
tools to enhance the quality of assessment.

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Links to HCPC standards of proficiency:
My action is in relevance with the guidance 2 on communicating effectively, guidance 2
on working within limits of knowledge and delegating appropriately (College of Occupational
Therapist, 2015).
Links to Code of Ethics:
The experience and key learning from the activity is linked to section 5 and section 2 of
the code of conduct (Health and Care Professions Council. 2018).

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Reference:
College of Occupational Therapist 2015. Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Retrieved
from: https://www.rcot.co.uk/sites/default/files/CODE-OF-ETHICS-2015_0.pdf
Crawford, E., 2017. Continuing the dialogue: A rights‐approach in occupational
therapy. Australian occupational therapy journal, 64(6), pp.505-509.
Health and Care Professions Council. 2018. Guidance on conduct and ethics for students.
Retrieved from:
http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10002C16Guidanceonconductandethicsforstudents.pdf