The British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists (BAPO) is one of ten Allied Health Professional (AHP) professional bodies working together to support the growth and quality of practice-based learning in pre-registration education.
Last year, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) teamed up to develop a set of principles that offer a clear direction for creating quality, practice-based learning opportunities for both physiotherapy and occupational therapy learners (students and apprentices).
Recognising that no profession works alone, BAPO is now joining CSP and RCOT, along with seven other professional bodies and will be coming together to launch a co-badged and updated version of the principles in the autumn.
BAPO is coming together with:
- British and Irish Orthoptic Society
- British Dietetic Association
- Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
- College of Operating Department Practitioners
- College of Paramedics
- Royal College of Occupational Therapists
- Royal College of Podiatry
- Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
- Society and College of Radiographers
Tamsin Baird, CSP Education Advisor and Carolyn Hay, RCOT’s Head of Education are excited to be able to work with so many other professional bodies to support the further embedding of the principles of practice-based learning. Since their launch in October 2022 the principles have been well received by educators, university teams and learners. CSP and RCOT made the principles freely available to all AHPs and the new co-badged version will continue with this open insight.
The principles act as a catalyst for conversation and structure thinking to support the thousands of practitioners who are delivering practice-based learning opportunities for our future workforce. Without a growing number of quality, sustainable placement opportunities we will not be able to prepare the AHPs of the future for practice. These principles provide a common-sense approach detailing current evidence and practical pointers to support the breadth of placement opportunities needed.
On joining this collaboration Sandy Sexton, Education and Practice Development Officer from BAPO says “we are collaborating on the Principles to support the development of quality, sustainable placement opportunities for pre-registration prosthetists and orthotists”.
