Practice Placement Experiences Research Articles

Exploring the concepts of consumer feedback systems for occupational therapy student learning during practice placements: A scoping review.

Consumer contribution to occupational therapy student learning is mandated for Australian educational programs. However, there is limited research about how consumers contribute to student learning during practice placements. A scoping review was completed to explore the concepts of existing feedback systems for consumers to authentically contribute to student learning during practice placements. Five databases were searched for all articles up to and including July 2023. All publications were included if they described and investigated authentic contribution to student learning during a practice placement experience. Data from the results and discussion sections of the papers were transformed into qualitative data and thematically analysed to develop a conceptual understanding of consumer feedback systems. Forty-six papers met the eligibility criteria. Most articles originated from Medicine (30%) and Nursing (45%) education. Feedback systems were primarily designed to critique student communication and professional behaviours using a variety of standardised and non-standardised methods. Five interconnected themes were created that addressed the concepts of consumer feedback systems. The themes were (1) creating value specific for each stakeholder is essential, (2) preparation is required and nuanced; (3) consumers do engage and provide critical feedback when the system is supportive of all stakeholders; (4) gathering approaches need to be responsive to the diversity of practice and learning; (5) processing feedback with a trusted mentor is critical for learning. Consumers, academics, practice educators, and students recognised that consumers have an important role in contributing to student learning during practice placements. Future consumer feedback systems need to be co-produced to create an optimal mode for consumers to authentically contribute to student learning constructively and safely. A consumer consultant was a member of the advisory panel for the larger research project that this review is part of and provided advice to the research team at all stages of the project. In Australia, occupational therapy training programs require input from consumers to help students learn. However, there is not much research on how consumers help occupational therapy students during their practical training. We did a review to see how existing feedback systems let consumers genuinely help students during their training. We searched five databases for research up to July 2023. We included research that talked about how consumers help all health students learn during practical training. We found 46 articles, mostly from Medicine and Nursing education. We analysed them to understand how consumer feedback systems work and found five main themes: (1) making sure everyone involved gets value out of it, (2) being prepared is important, (3) consumers give useful feedback when the system supports everyone involved, (4) different approaches are needed because practices and learning vary, and (5) discussing feedback with other people helps students learn. Current feedback systems mostly focused on how students communicate and behave professionally. Consumers, educators, and students all agree that consumers play a vital role in helping students learn during practical training. In the future, we need to work together to make feedback systems that let consumers help students in the best way possible, making sure it is constructive and safe for everyone.

Exploration of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Allied Health Students; Practice Placement Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unexpected event, significantly impacting global populations. Due to its sudden occurrence, it has affected pillars of world stability, namely, healthcare. Not only has it stretched healthcare systems beyond their capacity, but it has disrupted its daily protocols and activities. As a result, adaptations to tackle this pandemic have been implemented, putting healthcare education, specifically, practice placements as a lesser priority; affecting students in a myriad of ways. Nevertheless, guidance has now been provided to allow clinical placements to continue. However, these changes have potentially limited students in their learning, posing the question of clinical sufficiency and competency. Hence, this qualitative study aims to understand the specific changes to Trusts and how students adapted to fulfil their module criteria and learning outcomes. A convenience sample of physiotherapy and occupational therapy students was recruited; from it, 18 interviews were then conducted. Transcriptions, coding and thematic analysis identified four main themes of learning opportunities, organisational changes, adaptations and mental wellbeing, thus providing clarity regarding how students successfully completed and met their placement learning outcomes despite organisational changes. However, as a result of these changes, mental and physical wellbeing has also been affected. The findings did shed light on which changes were helpful and which needed modification. Hence, future research was suggested to gain a more holistic understanding of the needs of students and other effective coping mechanisms, providing a more balanced placement experience during these uncertain times.

THRIVE: Experiences of designing and delivering a student-led, person-centred, interprofessional practice placement experience using a digital telehealth platform

THRIVE: Experiences of designing and delivering a student-led, person-centred, interprofessional practice placement experience using a digital telehealth platform

THRIVE: A student-led, person-centred, interprofessional practice placement experience using a digital telehealth platform. Findings from a student survey

THRIVE: A student-led, person-centred, interprofessional practice placement experience using a digital telehealth platform. Findings from a student survey

Clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students are perceived as safe and beneficial for students, private practices and universities: a national mixed-methods study

What are the extent and characteristics of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What do university clinical education managers perceive to be the benefits, risks, barriers and enablers of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What training and support are available for private practitioners? Mixed methods study combining a national survey and in-depth, semi-structured focus group interviews. Twenty clinical education managers from Australian universities who had graduating students in entry-level physiotherapy programs in 2017 (95% response rate) responded to the survey with data on 2,000 students. Twelve clinical education managers participated in the focus groups. It was found that 44% of physiotherapy graduates in Australia in 2017 completed a 5-week private practice placement. Private practice placement experiences were perceived to be safe and beneficial for students, private practices and universities. The main risks identified by clinical education managers were related to the quality and consistency of the student's experience on placement and not risks to service or clients. The main perceived barriers were time costs (both practitioner and university clinical education managers) and perceived lost earning capacity. Clinical education managers emphasised that more time and resources to establish and support private practitioners would enable them to reduce risk and overcome barriers to increasing private practice placement capacity and quality. Engaging private practitioners and working collaboratively appear vital for establishing, monitoring and supporting private practice placements. By working collaboratively, universities and private practice physiotherapists can enhance private practice placement capacity and quality.

Impact of clinical placement sites on general practice as a career preference for Australian medical students.

This study investigates whether General Practice placement experience or locations (urban/metropolitan vs non-metropolitan) promote student interest in pursuing general practice. SurveyMonkey was used in the design of the survey. The study was conducted online. A total of 520 and 705 clinical-year students were surveyed in 2009 and 2019, respectively. The study was conducted online, using SurveyMonkey, and the participants were mostly non-indigenous Australian medical students, between the ages of 18 and 30. Students were recruited from the General Practice Students' Network membership database to complete the survey online. Chi-squared testing, Pearson's correlation and a multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the correlation between general practice placements and intention to become a general practice. The association and causation between general practice placement location, student experience and students' intended career outcomes. In 2009, majority of students rated their general practice experience 'mostly positive' while most metropolitan participants and majority of non-metropolitan placement participants in the 2019 survey responded with 'mostly positive' in 2019. Based on 2009 and 2019 data, general practice placement location had no association with the likelihood of pursuing general practice as a career, while student experience had a stronger positive correlation with the likelihood of pursuing general practice as a career. Our study shows that students' overall experience with their general practice placements significantly encourages medical students to pursue the general practice pathway. As such, increasing both metropolitan and non-metropolitan placement experiences can potentially overcome general practice shortage.

Confidence, interest and intentions of final-year nursing students regarding employment in general practice

<h2>ABSTRACT</h2><h3>Background</h3> Rising health care burden has increased demand for general practice nurses. Exploring final-year nursing students' perceived levels of confidence, interest and intention to work in this area can inform preparation and recruitment of new graduates into this workforce. <h3>Aim</h3> To explore final-year nursing students' confidence, interest and intention to work in general practice. <h3>Methods</h3> Final-year nursing students from five universities situated in New South Wales, Australia were surveyed between March and June 2019. The survey comprised investigator-developed questions and validated tools adapted for use in general practice. <h3>Findings</h3> Of the 355 included responses, 34.1% respondents had a clinical placement in general practice. Work experience was a significant predictor of confidence in working as a Registered or General Practice Nurse. Being enrolled as an international student, general practice placement experience and high confidence to work in general practice were significant predictors of interest and intention to work in this setting. Analysis showed a strong positive relationship between interest and intention to work in general practice, and a small but positive relationship between confidence and intention to work in general practice. <h3>Discussion</h3> Despite generally positive views around their confidence, interest and intention to work in general practice, some respondents indicated uncertainties around these, and the usefulness of their undergraduate preparation towards PHC employment. This may be attributable to the inconsistent exposure to general practice nursing within Australian undergraduate nursing programs. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Increasing students' theoretical and clinical exposure to general practice enhances confidence and interest to pursue a career in this setting.

The Student-Led Groups Program Model of Practice Education: Pilot Evaluation from the Perspective of Service Provider and University Stakeholders

Background: There is a need for innovative models of student practice placements to accommodate increasing numbers of occupational therapy students while providing quality learning experiences. The Student-Led Groups Program model is a new approach, which involves multiple students in continuous overlapping placements taking responsibility for leading a group program. Aims: The aim of this study was to explore service provider and university stakeholder perceptions of the Student-Led Groups Program model of professional practice education in a brain injury rehabilitation unit. Method: A participatory action research approach was utilised and this paper presents the findings from the first cycle of research. Data were collected using focus groups with service provider and university stakeholders and analysed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Results: Five key themes emerged in the data analysis, 1) positive practice placement experience for students, 2) positive practice placement model for clinicians, 3) improved occupational therapy services for patients, 4) essential components of the program, and 5) wider influence and reach. Conclusions: Findings indicated that the Student-Led Groups Program model was effective in providing quality student experiences and enhanced patient services in an inpatient setting from the perspectives of service providers and university representatives. Recommendations for subsequent research cycles are presented.

Needing to Belong: First Practice Placement Experiences of Children’s Nursing Students

ABSTRACTThis study examines first year children’s nursing students’ anxieties before their first practice placement and their support needs during that time. Strategies to address needs are highlighted. A questionnaire was completed by children’s nursing students (n = 21) before their initial practice placement to establish their expectations and concerns. A subgroup (n = 5) took part in a focus group following placement to establish consensus around the support that helped and what could help future students prepare for first placement. The resultant data indicated the importance of students having a sense of belonging to their practice placement, trusting website information, induction days, and the involvement of a more senior student in their preparation, in addition to facilitative mentors. Using similar methodology to that used with students, a subgroup of professional staff took part in two focus groups (FG1 n = 5, FG2 n = 4) to establish consensus around support initiatives using areas identified by students as priorities that could better facilitate this initial practice placement. Although commonalities existed within both students and professionals, some differences were highlighted. A student’s first practice placement is of utmost importance in affirming their choice to study nursing. Academic and clinical staff play a crucial part in this decision-making.

Nurse-doctor: a relationship of trust

A 3rd-year student nurse has analysed nurse-doctor relations on the basis of his different practice placement experiences. The organisation seems to be a marker of the quality of these relationships. Respect and trust are also important.

Development and evaluation of an online, interactive information and advice tool for pre-registration nursing students

Attrition rates for student nurses on academic programmes is a challenge for UK Higher Education Institutions. Reasons for leaving a programme of study include personal, financial issues or practice placement experiences. Research has shown systematic and integrated support mechanisms may improve attrition rates and student experience.This project explored the sources of, and support needs of nursing and allied health students, develop and evaluate and interactive online tool: ‘SignpOSt’. Enabling students to access ‘the right support, at the right time, from the right place’.Focus groups were carried out with 14, 3rd year students and 8 academic staff including personal tutors, programme/module leaders. Thematic analysis of transcribed data under four key themes for support and advice: 1. Financial 2. Programme 3. Personal 4. Study/academic, found poor student knowledge and little clarity of responsibilities of academic staff and services leads to students sourcing support from the wrong place at the wrong time. Students valued the speed and accessibility of information from informal, programme specific Facebook groups. Conversely, there were also concerns about the accuracy of these. Further research into the use of informal Facebook groups may be useful along with additional evaluation of the SOS tool.

Learning to work collaboratively to improve the quality of care for individuals, families and communities: The practice educator’s role

This article explores some of the issues that face the practice educator in providing and facilitating inter professional learning opportunities for their student during a practice placement experience. A brief overview of IPE is provided to show how it provides a platform for learning for effective collaborative practice Issues highlighted and discussed include: the unique factors which have to be taken into account when facilitating learning of mixed professional groups; the enhanced and additional skills needed by teachers and facilitators; the challenges of finding appropriate interprofessional learning opportunities in limited and diverse practice settings; the preparation, strategies and changes which are needed to support practice educators in their interprofessional teaching role.For the purpose of this article the role of the practice educator refers to a formal role in which the qualified health professional has formal responsibilities for facilitating the learning of pre-registration trainees.

Practice Placement Experiences and Needs of Trainee Educational Psychologists in England

As part of initial professional training, educational psychologists in England undertake substantial periods of practice placement, within which the role of supervision is instrumental to their professional learning and effectiveness. The research reported here provides up-to-date and comprehensive information on the experiences and needs of trainee educational psychologists within practice placement. Focus group meetings were held with trainee educational psychologists from each year group at four English training universities. Through a rigorous process of thematic analysis, data from the 12 focus group meetings identified the valued processes and learning outcomes of practice placement in the context of a facilitative supervisory relationship and service context. The need to understand more fully the patterns and dynamics of trainee educational psychologists' practice placement experience is highlighted.

Placement Learning in Cancer & Palliative Care Nursing Howard Penny and Chady Becky Placement Learning in Cancer & Palliative Care Nursing 240pp £9.99 Baillière Tindall Elsevier 9780702043000 0702043001

CONVENIENTLY SIZED to accompany any level of nursing student on ward placement, this book is designed to take readers through a series of learning presented in three sections: preparation for practice placement experience; placement learning opportunities; and consolidating learning: the patient experience. These sections can be read sequentially or in small bites, depending on the area of interest and time allocation

Exploring Medical Student Experiences of Ethical Issues and Professionalism in Australian General Practice

Student experiences of ethics and professionalism during clinical placements have a powerful influence on their future attitudes and behaviour. International literature in this area has focused predominantly on hospital placement experiences, and relied heavily on analyses of graded student essays. This study aims to explore the medical student lens on ethics and professionalism in the primary care setting, using a different method of data collection. During weekly tutorials medical students recounted, and reflected on, their general practice placement experiences. Tutors logged the ethical and professional practice issues raised by 43 students over 76 hours of tutorial time. The logs were submitted to a qualitative content analysis from which major themes emerged: mixed messages; uncertainty about professional roles; and a ‘medical student predicament’ (including unsettled boundaries, emotions and personal health concerns). Findings suggest that the extent of compromise in general practice may challenge student expectations. Students may perceive that their clinical teacher is out of step with previous teaching, especially in areas that are considered ethically grey by their teachers. Students may need support to maintain professional boundaries and personal precautions. Clinical teachers should consider exploring common ethical issues like confidentiality, writing medical certificates, professional boundaries and affordability of health care in contexts which are relevant to students. Medical students are interested in the limits and scope of professional roles. These findings provide insights for general practitioner and other practice-based clinical teachers to reflect on their ethics and professionalism teaching, mentoring and role-modelling.

The Perceptions of Slovak Physiotherapists of their Practice Placement Experience

The practice education of undergraduate physiotherapy students is crucial for developing skilful and knowledgeable healthcare professionals. In Slovakia, there is a lack of literature exploring physiotherapists’ practice education, which might have a serious impact on its future provision. Therefore, this study aimed to explore novice physiotherapists’ perceptions of their practice placement experience using a qualitative design. A purposive sampling of five participants was recruited to conduct semi-structured interviews which were translated and transcribed verbatim. Collected data underwent Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al. 2009). This resulted in four major themes that fully captured participants’ perceptions of their practice placement experience. Identified themes were as follows: ‘The practice educator who cares?’; ‘Clinical placement issues’; ‘Learning sources’ and ‘Ready for practice?’. Overall dissatisfaction and frustration from participants’ experience of practice placements suggested the necessity to put more focus on development, delineation and provision of practice education in Slovakia. Also, more research related to practice education of physiotherapists and preparation of the practice educators in Slovakia was recommended.

The development of a scale to assess practitioner capacity to engage in clinical education

Clinical educators play an important role in the development of clinical skills during health care undergraduates’ practice placements. The supportiveness of the learning environment and the attitude of the clinical educator towards student development are considered to be important factors that impact upon practice placement experience, although these influences are multi-factorial. This pilot study is the first phase of an action research project exploring practice placements in podiatry. The aim of this pilot study is to develop a scale to measure podiatrists’ capacity to engage in clinical education using criteria considered to contribute to overall clinical educator capability. An online survey consisting of 74 questions was developed and clinical educators from the podiatry services of 25 English National Health Service (NHS) Trusts were targeted. There was a 66 per cent response rate to the survey. Item–total correlations were calculated and nine subscales identified, all with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.7. The scale can be used to explore the factors that influence podiatrists’ capacity to engage with clinical education. It may also be utilised in the recognition and prediction of other potential variables that influence clinical educators’ capacity to undertake the role. This may therefore be used to identify support and training requirements. The scale could be adapted for application to other health care professions.

Pre‐registration dietetic students’ attitudes to learning communication skills

Communication is a core skill and a prerequisite for dietitians' clinical competence. It is generally acknowledged that communication skills can be taught and learned. There is a paucity of published work identifying dietetic students' attitudes towards learning communication skills, and understanding this is important. The present cross-sectional study aimed to address this issue using an adapted version of the Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS), which was designed to capture information concerning positive and negative attitudes to learning communication skills. An online questionnaire was sent to all undergraduate and post-graduate dietetic programmes in the UK. Of the students' solicited for enrolment in the study, 33.4% (n = 300) completed the questionnaire. A one-way analysis of variance showed attitudes to learning communication skills differed significantly between years of study on both subscales of the CSAS. Subsequent analyses indicated that first-year students' attitudes to learning communication skills were significantly more positive than those of fourth-year students (P = 0.042). Third-year students had significantly more positive attitudes to learning communication skills than fourth-year students (P = 0.028). Negative attitudes were also linked to the year of study with fourth-year students having significantly more negative attitudes than third-year students (P = 0.046). Sex, practice placement experience and parental occupation did not significantly influence attitudes to learning communication skills. These findings indicate that efforts are required to maintain positive attitudes to learning communication skills. Further longitudinal studies are recommended in this respect.

‘Being dyslexic doesn't make me less of a teacher’. School placement experiences of student teachers with dyslexia: strengths, challenges and a model for support

This research investigated the school practice placement experiences of six student teachers with dyslexia representing each year of a 3‐year initial teacher training course at a UK university. Placement performance and outcome has enormous implications for student teachers in demonstrating their professional competence and ability to meet the Training and Development Agency for Schools Professional Standards for Teachers and obtain qualified teacher status. The research focused thematically on student strengths, challenges and management strategies using a case research approach. Findings indicate student teachers with dyslexia bring unacknowledged strengths to placements but face a number of challenges despite proactive adoption of management strategies. A model of placement support to enhance student effectiveness has been developed. Conclusions indicate the importance of listening to the student's voice to understand individual placement requirements and co‐ordinate and implement specific reasonable adjustments as required by UK legislation1.

What makes a quality occupational therapy practice placement? Students’ and practice educators’ perspectives

Practice placement experiences are crucial to enable students to integrate theory with practice, demonstrate professional and interpersonal skills and build confidence in their practice skills. This study addressed practice educators' and students' perspectives regarding quality practice placement experiences. In total 29 students, 41 practice educators and eight practice education staff members across three Queensland universities participated in focus groups or individual interviews (N=78) focusing on their views about quality learning experiences on placements. Key themes described university preparation and processes, a welcoming learning environment, detailed orientation and clear expectations, graded program of learning experiences, quality modelling and practice, consistent approach and expectations, quality feedback, open and honest relationships and supervisor experience and skills. These findings were consistent with research previously undertaken in Australia and Canada that had investigated either student or practice educator perspectives. This article synthesises the perspectives of these stakeholder groups and has led to the development of quality indicators across the phases of placement establishment, preparation, maintenance and review. Although having sufficient placements can be challenging for university programmes, ensuring that the experiences provided are of high quality is also important and requires significant attention by university academics and practice education staff, practice educators, managers and practice organisations alike.