By Michelle Agus, PGPA Occupational Therapist within the Lower Valley Primary Care Netowrk (PCN)
Creating outstanding placement experiences
Since joining the Primary Care Network, I have had the privilege of supporting six occupational therapy students and two speech and language therapy students through their practice placements.
Each student has brought fresh ideas, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. It has been incredibly rewarding to help them develop their confidence, professional identity and understanding of working within primary care. Supporting students from two different professions has also created valuable opportunities for shared learning and demonstrated the importance of collaborative, multidisciplinary practice.
Our occupational therapy placement has received consistently excellent feedback and is now regarded by the University of Huddersfield as one of the best occupational therapy placements in the Huddersfield area. Students particularly value the variety of learning opportunities, the supportive environment and the opportunity to see how occupational therapy can make a meaningful difference to people’s independence, health and emotional wellbeing.
Building a community partnership
The placements have also created exciting opportunities for partnership working with Focus for Hope, a local charity. Louise, the charity’s CEO, and I jointly supported an occupational therapy student, enabling the student to gain experience across both primary care and the voluntary sector.
This partnership provided a broader and more innovative learning experience while demonstrating how occupational therapy skills can be applied outside traditional services. It also strengthened the relationship between the Primary Care Network, Focus for Hope and the University of Huddersfield.
As a result of this successful shared placement, the university is now considering Focus for Hope as a potential role-emerging placement. This could create further opportunities for students to explore the contribution occupational therapy can make within the voluntary and community sector, while also supporting the development of new services and approaches.
Partnership impact
This is a fantastic example of how student placements can achieve much more than individual learning. They can help build sustainable partnerships, strengthen collaborative working and open new placement opportunities for future students.
Recognition from the university
The consistently positive feedback reflects the time, energy and care invested in ensuring that every student feels welcomed, valued and supported. My aim has always been to provide a placement where students feel safe to ask questions, develop their skills, reflect honestly and grow into confident practitioners.
The impact of this work has now extended beyond the placements themselves. As a direct result of the excellent feedback received from students, I have been invited to become a specialist visiting lecturer at the University of Huddersfield. I will be delivering a session to third-year students about wellbeing and the important contribution occupational therapy can make in this area. I have also been invited to deliver a placement-preparation session to first-year students, helping them feel more confident and prepared as they begin their own placement journeys.
A lasting impact
I feel incredibly proud that the learning experiences provided within our Primary Care Network are being recognised in this way. Supporting six occupational therapy students and two speech and language therapy students has contributed to their individual development, showcased the value of occupational therapy within primary care and helped create new partnerships across health, education and the voluntary sector.
Being invited to share my knowledge with future occupational therapists is a wonderful acknowledgement of the positive relationships I have built with students and the quality of the learning experiences they have received. Most importantly, this work demonstrates how investing in students today can help create compassionate, confident and skilled healthcare professionals for the future.