The Practicum is a compulsory part of the Study Programme and it is organised in the subjects called ‘Supervised Work Placements’ accounting for a total of 42 ECTS. They are offered in the first semester of the third course and in both semesters during the last course. They involve a minimum of 1050 hours of practical work and 210 hours of independent work (including the writing of the Work Placement Report). They have the following credit distribution: 

• Supervised Work Placement I: 6 ECTS
• Supervised Work Placement II: 18 ECTS
• Supervised Work Placement III:  18 ECTS

The Supervised Work Placements aim at incorporating the student into a real-setting learning context so they can assimilate what they learnt and apply their knowledge to specific clinical cases determining and putting into practice the necessary physiotherapy treatment techniques. They will also apply their knowledge in the area of disease prevention and health promotion.

Our Faculty and its counterparts in the foreign receiving universities have specific agreements which allow students who undergo our international programme to do in-patient and out-patient work placements in primary health and community care centres as well as in socio-sanitary centres, old-people’s homes and other professional settings.

Students undergoing the Physiotherapy Degree can choose to take the Supervised Work Placement I, planned for the first semester in the third year, in the foreign universities with which an agreement has been signed or in English-speaking physiotherapy clinics (Dénia Hospital and its health centres). The work placement is undertaken during the first month of the semester, so that students can attend the rest of the sessions without any overlapping during the remaining months in the semester.

Supervised Work placement II, scheduled for the first semester of the fourth year in the Physiotherapy Degree are undertaken in collaboration with foreign universities with which an agreement has been established, and will take place in the last two or three months of the first semester after on-campus academic activities in the other two subjects in the study programme have finished.

Supervised Work placement III, planned for the second semester of the fourth year in the Physiotherapy Degree are undertaken in collaboration with foreign universities with which an agreement has been established. There is no overlapping with other subjects as no on-campus activities is in progress at this time of the academic year (theoretical sessions, practical sessions or seminars). Students can write their TFG (final undergraduate project) receiving online supervision from their tutors.

External supervisors (PAAP) guide and monitor the student throughout their Supervised Work placement with a view to promote a high quality training model which fosters to integrate practical experience with the theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom setting. This is achieved through a monitoring carefully planned and put into practice, based on objectives which act as a guide for the students, so they are aware of what they are expected to learn in every period according to their level.

Some of the activities carried out by the PAAP are the following:

• To enhance the integration of the student in the healthcare team.
• To do a one-to-one monitoring adjusting to the individual learning pace and improving personal abilities.
• To Assist the student in their learning process fostering self-regulation and autonomy.
• To provide the student with a humanistic and scientific training including professional ethics.
• To give students the chance to take part in scientific sessions or activities happening at the unit
• To point the students some readings to complementary for their training.
• To guide the student in case of an accident during the work placement and to make sure the right protocol is followed.
• To take part in the evaluation of students at his or her unit or health centre once they have finished their work placement.

We have signed several agreements both in our region and with some foreign universities to make it possible for our students to undertake the supervised work placements in English. As of today, we have signed agreements with universities in France, Belgium, Holland, Switzeland, Germany, Portugal, Turkey, Denmark, Finland and Italy.

The process of management of Practicums includes the following phases:

Our work placement coordination department is responsible for the management of the work placements during the third and fourth course. Places are allocated according to academic record (weighted mean), at the beginning of every semester through our intranet, using the work placement online programme. In this way, students can choose the placement offered at private health clinic, hospitals and health centres (Supervised Work Placement I) collaborating with the placement programme, or they can choose the universities under agreement (Supervised Work Placement I, II and III).