Winchester physio wins Educator of the Year

A University of Winchester academic has been named Educator of the Year in the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy’s (CSP) Student Recognition Awards.

Philippa Beaumont’s award recognises the impact her work has had on the student experience, particularly through her pioneering work in designing and delivering a high-quality simulated placement programme.

Physiotherapy students are required to complete 1,000 hours on placement as part of their three-year course but finding placements in traditional settings has become increasingly difficult.

In 2023 Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy Philippa was tasked with developing a simulated programme to account for some of those hours.
Students at Winchester now do 50 hours of simulated placements making use of the University’s physio practical room, the hospital simulation wards and active living space (a mock flat to replicate a home visit). Actors are brought in to play the patients and the students participate in various scenarios based on real-life situations.

The budding physios receive different feedback on their “performance” from supervisors, their fellow students (who are allowed to watch in small groups) and the actors, which they find really valuable.

Philippa said: “The simulations only represent a small part of their total placement hours but they are a good introduction to clinical practice. The students learn about their own strengths and weaknesses, about planning treatments and assessing risk. They also gain confidence in problem solving and talking to people – all before meeting a real-life patient.”

Winchester was one of the first Universities to run simulated placements and Philippa is now gathering data from the programme for her doctoral thesis: Evaluating the impact of simulated practice-based learning in physiotherapy education. She has already made presentations about the programme to the CSP and the Association of Simulated Practice in Healthcare.

The CSP awards judges said: “The panel felt that Philippa stood out as an educator with a creative and values-led approach to innovative curriculum development. They were particularly impressed by the effect of her work on strengthening student confidence, preparedness and overall learning experience.”

Philippa was nominated for the award by Dr Katherine Cook, Deputy Head of the Department of Sport, Allied Health and Social Work in the University’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing.

Katherine said: “Working with Philippa is a real joy, she is wholly dedicated to the personal and professional development of students and focusses on the holistic and foundational skills students need for placement, practice and the rest of their career. Philippa enthuses staff and students alike and we as so appreciative of all she does.

Philippa will receive her award at a ceremony which forms part of the CSP’s annual conference, which is taking place in Glasgow on 19-20 October.

“I am honoured to receive this award and feel very privileged to be recognised for something I feel so passionately about,” she said.
“Its success, however, is only possible thanks to the incredible team of physiotherapy lecturers at the University of Winchester, and of course, the students who embrace simulation days with such energy and enthusiasm.”

Philippa has been a physiotherapist for 26 years and has been a part-time lecturer at Winchester since 2020. She splits her time between the University and her work as a clinician with Modus Physiotherapy in Crowthorne.