Physiotherapy with Foundation Year

Physiotherapy is the allied health profession concerned with restoring, maintaining and enhancing people's function and movement across the full range of conditions and life stages. Physiotherapists work with patients recovering from surgery, managing long-term neurological or musculoskeletal conditions, rehabilitating after injury or stroke, and maintaining independence in older age. The profession requires both a deep scientific understanding of anatomy, physiology and biomechanics and the clinical reasoning and communication skills to deliver effective, patient-centred care in settings ranging from acute hospitals to community clinics and sports medicine.

At the University of Keele, this five-year programme includes a foundation year that provides supported academic preparation before you enter the main physiotherapy curriculum, making the qualification accessible to students who may not meet the standard entry requirements for a direct-entry programme. The programme includes all elements required for professional registration, including extensive supervised clinical placements in a range of NHS and other healthcare settings. These placements are not simply supplementary to academic study but are the core of your professional formation as a physiotherapist: you will develop your clinical skills, reasoning and professional identity through real patient care under the guidance of experienced practitioners.

You will study musculoskeletal physiotherapy, neurological rehabilitation, cardiorespiratory physiotherapy, research methods and the evidence base for physiotherapy practice, developing the competence to work safely and effectively across the broad scope of the profession.

Graduates register with the Health and Care Professions Council and enter practice as physiotherapists in NHS hospitals, community health services, mental health settings, sports medicine, occupational health, care homes and private practice. Career progression toward specialist clinical roles, advanced practice, teaching and research is available to those who continue their professional development.