Allied health professions (AHP) learning site

• If you are not a member please join the AHP Practice-based Learning Virtual Community through this link: MS Forms Link
• Once you have joined the community or if you are already a member, access the event recording and slides via the community's CPD Events channel (recordings folder within the channel files)

New guidance launched in March 2026 to support practice educators and students can be accessed here: 

AHP Project-Based Placements Guidance | NHS Education for Scotland

An infographic sharing key information can be accessed here: https://learn.nes.nhs.scot/88462 

Not sure if this model is for you? Some of its benefits are highlighted below. It should also be noted that a project-based placement can work well with different PrBL models and methods of delivery, for example peer assisted learning.

Benefits to practice educators

• Flexible to allow practice educators working in both traditional and less traditional roles such as, health promotion services, case management and consultant roles to meet HCPC requirements for supporting students
• You can allow a student to spend time working independently – so is well suited for part-time practice educators or those with very heavy work and time demands, enabling them to meet HCPC requirements for supporting students
• Can be part of a shared, role-emerging or inter-agency placement - again suiting part-time practice educators
• Student can develop valuable resources and contribute to quality assurance activities and processes in your service
• An opportunity to put ideas into practice and evaluate new approaches to an area of identified need in your service rather than trying to also do this yourself
• If a student is outside your organisation working on the project, it is an opportunity to strengthen relationships and partnerships other services
• If you have two or more students working together, they are likely to feel more supported
• Project work can be completed virtually

Benefits to service users

• Services that develop and evaluate are more likely to deliver quality services and experiences to their users. Students can contribute to this active and evolving service
• If a student is working in a new setting on a project, it might be the first time they have had access to a particular professional group
• Good relationships built between organisations will improve the quality and communication between services to the benefit of their users as well as benefits to services
• Selecting meaningful projects means the outcome will benefit the service and the organisation
• If a setting has not had a particular profession before – they can gain first hand experience of what this may offer, gain evidence of needs that are not currently met or are under-serviced, that could support development of a new post

Benefits students

• A broader range of placement experiences and learning opportunities
• A different and equally valuable skills set including project management skills, interdisciplinary team work, strategic communication etc…
• Gain skills across the 4 pillars of practice e.g leadership and evidence research and development
• Demonstrate applied knowledge and understanding of quality improvement and service evaluation in processes
• Pro active way of demonstrating applied knowledge and understanding of monitoring, review and evaluation