Improving the quality of allied health placements: student, educator and organisational preparedness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Work Integrated Learning is essential for healthcare degrees where students learn to become healthcare professionals. As a complex form of learning the quality of student placement experiences are variable, impacting student wellbeing and development of professional competencies. Getting it right, students enter the workforce ready to practice. Getting it wrong can have deleterious effects on all stakeholders. Although research has examined placement quality for students, less is known about the experiences of other stakeholder groups (e.g. placement educators, university academics and professional support staff). Our research addresses this gap. Using narrative interviewing methods, underpinned by social constructionism, we interviewed fifty-one participants: 19 allied healthcare students, 15 placement educators, 12 university academics and 5 professional staff from a large Australian university. We identified four preparedness themes impacting on placement quality, namely: University, Placement Site, Placement educator and Student preparedness. Within these themes, good practice is highlighted alongside examples of unsettling experiences. Curricula should be reviewed to ensure students are prepared as agentic learners for the complexities of the workplace. Furthermore, universities should co-design placements in partnership with healthcare organisations and educators to enable students to optimise their learning and contribution to patient/client care.