Improving retention in radiotherapy. Delivering an intervention to enable clinical supervisors to support and nurture students to achieve their full potential

Abstract

Submission Category: Non-Student Abstract: Keywords: Therapeutic Radiography; Attrition; Well-being; Reflection; Supervision Introduction: Dissatisfaction with clinical placement is rated the most frequent reason for leaving radiotherapy programmes1 and healthcare programmes generally2. As reported in the “Mind the Gap” project3 different generations of students and staff have different expectations and needs. Furthermore, evidence has shown when students feel part of the team, they learn more effectively and have a positive experience4. A collaboration between UWE and CUoL, supported by the Office for Students Strategic Interventions in Health Education Disciplines Challenge Fund, investigated how enhancing clinical supervisors awareness of students needs through training, could provide an innovative approach to reduce attrition. Method and Materials: The ethics approved project is delivered in two phases. 1) Engagement phase: Clinical supervisors for UWE and CUoL participated in a facilitated online student support discussion forum. Student feedback was gained via an online placement experience survey. This data informed the educational intervention design (study day and online resources). 2) Implementation phase: The study day has run in London and the Southwest of England and evaluated through participant feedback and student feedback on placement experience. The study day will run again in autumn 2019. Results: Feedback from clinical supervisors highlighted a desire to support students on placement but indicated a need for guidance on student well-being. Feedback from students indicated their placement experience varied widely and related to specific interactions with different staff members5. The study day and resources were designed around a central well-being theme and has received positive feedback. Conclusion and Discussion: The positive support for the intervention affirms its need. It provided delegates with reflection time, supervisory skill development and is supported by online resources. Further study days and feedback will provide additional impact data and may indicate its contribution to retention. Numerical References 1 - SCoR (2014) Analysis of student and recently qualified radiographers survey 2014. https://www.sor.org/learning/document-library/analysis-student-and-recently-qualified-radiographers-survey-2014 2 - Hamshire, C., Willgoss, T.G.& Wibberley, C. (2012) “The placement was probably the tipping point” – The narratives of recently discontinued students, Nurse Education in Practice, 12:182-186 3 - Jones, K., Warren, A. & Davies, A. (2015) Mind the Gap: Exploring the needs of early career nurses and midwives in the workplace. Health Education West Midlands. 4 - Houghton, C. (2013) ‘Newcomer adaptation’: a lens through which to understand how nursing students fit in with the real world of practice, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23:2367–2375 5 - Armstrong-James, L., Khine, R., Thorne, R., Tuckey, M., & Bennett, C. (2019). Radiotherapy students’ perceptions of support provided by clinical supervisors. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, 1-5.