Placement requirements and expectations
What you need to know about hours, competencies and conduct during your podiatry placements.
Understanding what's expected of you during placements helps you prepare effectively and succeed in your clinical education.
Required hours and attendance
To qualify as a podiatrist, you must complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of supervised clinical practice as required by the HCPC.
Attendance is mandatory for all scheduled placement sessions. If you miss sessions, you'll need to make up the time to meet the required hours.
Speak to your course tutor about:
the breakdown of hours required in different settings
policies for recording and verifying your placement hours
consequences of failing to meet required hours
Clinical competencies
During placements, you'll develop clinical skills in line with HCPC Standards of Proficiency for podiatrists.
The Practice-Based Learning Framework describes 4 clusters of clinical learning:
professionalism
clinical skills
patient and person-centered care
evidence-informed practice
Within these clusters, there are 12 key practice-based learning statements that students should achieve, including:
communicating effectively in all aspects of your role
using systematic approaches to quality assurance to enhance patient safety
maintaining effective record-keeping
engaging in reflective practice
engaging in supervised contemporary podiatry practice
providing supervised core clinical podiatry interventions
maintaining a safe practice environment
developing management plans for people with complex needs
using podiatric care models based on evidence
implementing support strategies for patients
promoting and engaging in the learning of others
participating in leadership activities
Professional behaviour expectations
While on placement, you must adhere to the same professional standards expected of qualified podiatrists:
professional communication with patients and colleagues
respect for patients' dignity, privacy and confidentiality
adherence to health and safety protocols
following the HCPC's guidance on conduct and ethics for students
You must act professionally during your training. This means being reliable and well-presented by:
arriving on time for all commitments
dressing appropriately for your role
managing your time effectively
maintaining appropriate personal presentation
You must communicate in a professional manner:
using appropriate language and tone
respecting patient confidentiality
maintaining clear professional boundaries
being honest in all interactions
The HCPC provides videos to help you improve your communication skills, including:
You must follow protocols and policies by:
adhering to workplace guidance
maintaining accurate records
reporting concerns appropriately
protecting patient information
Examples of professional misconduct whilst in a placement include:
breaking patient confidentiality
being rude to staff, patients or other students
being hungover at work
being late for work for no good reason
If you are found to have breached the professional standards, your university might receive a complaint about you or you may be refused a placement in the future.
Supervision arrangements
Read Reflect, discuss, develop: a guide by HCPC about the benefits of supervision.
There are similarities between supervision and clinical supervision, but the main difference is that in clinical supervision the supervisor will not be your line manager; they may not even be from the same profession, or they may be a peer.
You may wish to access clinical supervision in addition to supervision, particularly early on in your career when both models of reflective practice can be particularly helpful. Clinical supervision may be offered as part of the preceptorship programme.
You'll always work under supervision during student placements. This is essential for your development as a podiatrist. Your supervisors support your learning while ensuring patient safety.
The level of supervision will depend on:
your stage of training
the complexity of the tasks
local placement policies
Build effective supervision relationships by:
communicating regularly about your progress
being clear about your current competence level
asking questions when you're unsure
responding constructively to feedback
documenting supervision discussions
raising concerns appropriately
Your supervisor needs to know if you:
feel unable to carry out any task safely
have concerns about patient care
need additional support or training
experience any issues affecting your practice
Resilience-based clinical supervision is a form of clinical supervision which focuses on the ‘emotional systems motivating the response to a situation’ and includes elements of mindfulness-based exercises with a view to ‘enhancing well-being, resilience and improving patient care’. Watch an animation showing the benefits of resilience-based clinical supervision.
Speak to your course tutor about:
specific supervision ratios for podiatry students
minimum qualification requirements of supervisors
progression of supervision levels throughout your training
procedures when supervision is not available
responsibility boundaries between students and supervisors
Assessment methods
Your clinical performance will be assessed through:
direct observation by supervisors
patient case discussions
clinical documentation review
skills-based assessments
Speak to your course tutor about:
standard assessment tools you'll use on placement
marking criteria for clinical assessments
processes for failing placements
appeal procedures for assessment decisions
mandatory assessment requirements for progression
Dress code and identification
There are no national uniform standards. So you must follow the dress code of your placement provider, which typically includes:
professional clinical attire
appropriate footwear
minimal jewellery
student identification badge
You should familiarise yourself with standard 9 (infection control) of the clinical standards, which includes advice on the use of personal protective equipment based on risk.
Each placement provider will have different uniform standards, so you should check with the provider to see if they have dress code guidelines.
You’ll use the equipment provided by your placement provider.
Confidentiality and data protection
You must understand and follow confidentiality requirements in line with:
the Data Protection Act 2018 and The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018
HCPC Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics
local NHS or private provider policies
Read our summary of GDPR and how you must comply with the regulations.
To report a breach in confidentiality, you should inform your university or placement provider in the first instance. They will log the breach and decide if the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) should be informed.
A complaint to the ICO could result in them issuing a fine if they find there has been a data breach. And it is possible that you may be sued by a patient or their family.
So when you make references to a case during your university studies, you should:
anonymise the case study
not discuss a case in public
