Hi Dylan.
Here in Canada we have lots of potential physio students shadowing our Physios. It is the best way to see what the job is really like before you give your life over to the profession! Verbal consent by the patient is sufficient here to allow potential students to observe. If the patient does not consent, the student goes back to the office and reads a physio article until the next patient arrives and we try again. The vast majority of the patients have no trouble at all with having a student observing their care, especially if the Physiotherapist explains the situation to them well in the first place! Don't give up...I have probably had 20 potential students shadow me over the years!