Ieuan is a self-employed Educational Consultant and Company Director and Interim Pro Vice Chancellor (Strategic Change Projects) at Wrexham University.
What is your role here at the HCPC and what do you do?
In my role as a HCPC partner, I undertake assessments of international physiotherapists – that is, physiotherapists who have been educated and trained outside the UK and who have applied to be accepted onto the HCPC register to allow them to practice the profession in the UK. The assessment process involves pairs of assessors, considering written application documents, to determine whether applicants’ primary physiotherapy qualifications evidence the achievement of the standards of proficiency. If the primary qualification does not address all standards, we then assess whether the applicants’ further qualifications and/or their post-qualifying employment experience as a physiotherapist provide evidence to compensate for the 'shortfalls' in standards identified in their primary qualification.
Where there is a lack of evidence in the submitted application of some of the standards being met, we can request further written information or alternatively request and undertake a Test of Competence. The Test of Competence normally involves a pair of assessors interviewing the applicant (usually on Microsoft Teams) to explore and more fully understand their education, training and professional practice and to seek evidence to confirm whether they meet the standards – and so can be recommended to be admitted to the register, or alternatively to confirm the areas and standards where there is a shortfall such that we recommend that they are refused admission to the register.
The process relies upon pairs of assessors, exercising professional judgement, based on the evidence submitted within the initial application and any further evidence presented through further written information or through the Test of Competence.
What do you like most about being a Partner?
I have been a partner assessing international physiotherapy applications across two centuries so yes, I do enjoy it!
Undertaking assessments across such a long period of time has given me huge insight into the similarities and differences in the education, training and practice of physiotherapy across the globe, and a detailed understanding of differences in curriculum design, scope of practice and level of autonomy of physiotherapists.
Over this period, I have been paired and worked closely with a considerable number of physiotherapist assessors and have benefitted from their expertise and experience as expert educators and expert clinicians.
As a physiotherapist who has worked in Higher Education for over three decades, and as a Professor in Healthcare Education, my 'day job' has allowed me to travel and work with universities providing physiotherapy education in a number of countries, allowing me to gain first-hand insight into different educational systems and approaches.
What are the challenges?
As a partner, I fulfil a specific assessment role, undertaking an assessment process that is enshrined in legislation and with a 'protocol' of assessment rules that must be followed rigidly to ensure consistency of approach and avoid any grounds for appeal on the basis of procedural error.
While I am experienced and compliant in following rules, there are numerous aspects of the assessment process that have limitations and require improvement. My natural inclination as a leader is to want to implement changes and improvements but that is not my role. I have however welcomed the opportunity to make recommendations on improvements and have recently been involved in piloting changes in the assessment process.
Tell us a surprising fact about yourself.
I have placed in the top 10 in the London Marathon, the Commonwealth Games Marathon and the European Marathon Championships and have competed for Great Britain and Wales as an international long-distance runner all over the world.
Less surprisingly, I now run slowly and seldom for more than 6 miles!
If you would like to be featured in the Meet our Partners section, please contact the Partner Team on partners@hcpc-uk.org or +44 (0) 207 840 1722.
