scholarly journals Words in action: Examining what clinical education placement documents contribute to thinking, acting and feeling like a health professional

Author(s):  
Linda Furness ◽  
Anna Tynan ◽  
Jenny Ostini

Introduction: Clinical placements are critical for student learning and transition to practice. They help students integrate their knowledge and skills and support their development of professional identity—so they come to “think, act and feel” like a member of their profession. Students have reported that placements play a role in development of professional identity. Documents are frequently the first contact students have with the placement setting. However, there are few studies examining the impact of clinical placement documents on the development of allied health students’ professional identity. This study examines what clinical placement documents contribute to the development of professional identity through facilitating thinking, feeling and acting like a health professional.Methods: Thematic analysis of clinical education placement documents was conducted using a deductive framework based on review of literature considering how students can be supported to think, act and feel like a health professional.Results: Thirteen placement orientation documents were reviewed. Reference to factors that support “thinking” described learning opportunities to enable students to develop knowledge for practice. Reference to factors that support “acting” described graded learning that enables student contribution to service delivery and recognition as a health professional, and reference to factors that support “feeling” described workplace culture and practices supporting connectedness.Conclusions: This study identified that placement documents can contribute to allied health students thinking, acting and feeling like a health professional while on clinical placement. Academic staff and organisations reviewing clinical placement documents may wish to consider the implications identified in this study, which demonstrate how documents can include or exclude students in the workplace.

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liza-Jane McBride ◽  
Cate Fitzgerald ◽  
Laura Morrison ◽  
Julie Hulcombe

Objectives The Clinical Education Workload Management Initiative (the Initiative) is a unique, multiprofessional, jurisdiction-wide approach and reform process enshrined within an industrial agreement. The Initiative enabled significant investment in allied health clinical education across Queensland public health services to address the workload associated with providing pre-entry clinical placements. This paper describes the outcomes of a quality review activity to measure the impact of the Initiative on placement capacity and workload management for five allied health professions. Data related to several key factors impacting on placement supply and demand in addition to qualitative perspectives from workforce surveys are reported. Methods Data from a range of quality review actions including collated placement activity data, and workforce and student cohort statistics were appraised. Stakeholder perspectives reported in surveys were analysed for emerging themes. Results Placement offers showed an upward trend in the context of increased university program and student numbers and in contrast with a downward trend in full-time equivalent (FTE) staff numbers. Initiative-funded positions were identified as a major factor in individual practitioners taking more students, and staff and managers valued the Initiative-funded positions’ support before and during placements, in the coordination of placements, and in building partnerships with universities. Conclusions The Initiative enabled a co-ordinated response to meeting placement demand and enhanced collaborations between the health and education sectors. Sustaining pre-entry student placement provision remains a challenge for the future. What is known about the topic? The literature clearly identifies factors impacting on increasing demand for clinical placements and a range of strategies to increase clinical placement capacity. However, reported initiatives have mostly been ad hoc or reactive responses, often isolated within services or professions. What does this paper add? This paper describes implementation of a clinical placement capacity building initiative within public sector health services developed from a unique opportunity to provide funding through an industrial agreement. The Initiative aimed to address the workload associated with clinical education of pre-entry students and new graduates. What are the implications for practitioners? This paper demonstrates that systematic commitment to, and funding of, clinical education across a jurisdiction’s public health services is able to increase placement capacity, even when staffing numbers are in decline.


Author(s):  
Suzanne Snodgrass ◽  
Darren Rivett ◽  
Scott Farrell ◽  
Kyle Ball ◽  
Samantha Ashby ◽  
...  

Purpose: Growing demands placed upon healthcare systems require more health professionals to be trained. Clinical placement education is an integral component of health professional training, however accommodating increasing numbers of student placements is a challenge for health services. Personal digital assistants such as iPads™ may assist in delivery of clinical education, by facilitating transfer of knowledge and skills from clinical educators to health professional students, however such an initiative has not been formally investigated. The present study sought to explore perceptions of clinical educators and allied health students regarding the impact of an iPad™-based feedback delivery system on student reflection and learning. Methods: A pilot study was performed using iPads™ with specialised software to deliver electronic formative feedback to physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology students during clinical placements. Students and clinical educators completed a questionnaire exploring advantages and disadvantages of the technology. Results: Nine clinical educators and 14 students participated and completed the survey. Clinical educators largely (n=7, 78%) reported the electronic feedback system was easy to use and 67% (n=6) reported it improved the quality of feedback provided to students. Five (56%) clinical educators thought electronic feedback improved student performance. Most students (n=10, 71%) reported electronic feedback facilitated reflection upon performance, and 64% (n=9) reported improved performance as a result. Disadvantages included poor wireless internet access and software inefficiencies (n=7 [78%] clinical educators, n=7 [50%] students), and difficulties using iPads™ in settings requiring infection control (n=2 [22%] clinical educators). Conclusions: Clinical educators and students perceived electronic feedback as a positive adjunct to student learning on clinical placement, however technological and software interface factors need to be considered for implementation in some settings.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrie-anne Frakes ◽  
Sharon Brownie ◽  
Lauren Davies ◽  
Janelle B. Thomas ◽  
Mary-Ellen Miller ◽  
...  

Faced with significant health and workforce challenges, the Central Queensland Hospital and Health Service commenced an innovative student-assisted clinical model of care ‐ The Capricornia Allied Health Partnership (CAHP) in 2010. The clinic supports pre-entry allied health student clinical placements to: (1) address service delivery gaps for previously underserved people with chronic disease; (2) facilitate hospital avoidance and early discharge from the local hospital; (3) provide an attractive clinical placement opportunity for allied health students that will potentially lead to future recruitment success, and (4) demonstrate leadership in developing interprofessional skills of future health workforce trainees. This case study details the conceptual background of the initial model, the key features of the clinical placement and service delivery model, and discusses the current and future evaluation of the clinic.


2009 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Schofield ◽  
Sheila Keane ◽  
Susan Fletcher ◽  
Rupendra Shrestha ◽  
Richard Percival

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wright ◽  
Mary Fry ◽  
Jo Adams ◽  
Catherine Bowen

Abstract Background: Evidence based practice enhances service planning and delivery, clinical decision making and patient care. However, health professionals often lack the time and opportunity to access or generate evidence. Research capacity building is thus an important mechanism for improving health service delivery. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a UK-wide Nurse and Allied Health Professional musculoskeletal research internship programme in which graduates applied to undertake their internship through one of five Higher Education Institutions. The evaluation explores the experiences of interns and their mentors.Methods: Sixteen new graduates completed the internship programme (September 2015 – August 2018). Twelve interns and thirteen mentors participated in the evaluation. The evaluation used qualitative asynchronous email-based interviews to explore the experiences of interns and mentors. Interpretive phenomenological analysis of coded transcripts identified principal themes.Results: Early research outputs from the interns include three peer reviewed publications and 21 conference abstract presentations. Two interns were in full time research at the time of interview or had a research component in their clinical role. Nine interns in clinical posts disclosed plans to return to research in the near future. Seven themes were identified: the impact on interns’ careers; personal impact (for example, influence on self-confidence); impact on clinical practice; drivers for applying; intervention design (for example, attitudes concerning the timing and duration of the intervention); mentorship and networking (including general support provided and quality of career advice); challenges.Conclusion: The internship programme is an effective model in building research capacity in musculoskeletal research for Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, influencing careers, building confidence and improving clinical practice. The internship programme has the potential to be replicable to other clinical contexts nationally and internationally.


BMC Nursing ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Pedregosa ◽  
Núria Fabrellas ◽  
Ester Risco ◽  
Mariana Pereira ◽  
Małgorzata Stefaniak ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Undergraduate students’ clinical experience, working directly with patients and the healthcare team is essential to ensure students acquire the necessary competence for practice. There are differences in the quality of clinical environments and in students’ clinical placement experiences and not all clinical sites are optimal learning environments. The Dedicated Education Unit clinical education model allows students to develop the practical knowledge, skills and professionalism they will need as nurses/midwives. Methods We employed the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to identify and compare barriers and facilitators in the implementation of the Dedicated Education Unit in 6 European undergraduate nursing/midwifery student clinical placement settings and to describe the experience of nurses/midwives involved in the Dedicated Education Unit model implementation and evaluation. A pre-post implementation interpretive assessment was based on participants’ responses to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research construct questions. Results Although Dedicated Education Unit model implementation in our project was heterogeneous, no main implementation barriers were perceived. Qualitative data showed that educational-service collaboration, including a focus on mutual goals, organizational communication and networking, satisfaction of educational and healthcare professionals, and the establishment of a safe space for professional discussion and feedback, were considered facilitators. Conclusions This study describes the key elements guiding educational and healthcare stakeholders in Dedicated Education Unit implementation, engaging participants in the entire process, and offering other organizations the opportunity to consider the benefits of this clinical education model.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Furness ◽  
Alison C. Pighills ◽  
Wendy Ducat ◽  
Anna Tynan

Expansion of occupational therapy education programs has resulted in increased student numbers and demand on clinicians to host clinical placements while also maintaining the delivery of high-quality, safe clinical services to patients. Much of the research about innovative placement models, including student contributions to service delivery, has been conducted in metropolitan areas. Therefore, there is a need to develop models that are suited to regional settings that face diversity of caseload, more generalised occupational therapy roles and variations in patient flow. The aim of the present study was to describe the initial application of the Calderdale Framework in student education in a regional context and look at lessons learnt. The Calderdale Framework provided a structured, clinically governed process whereby occupational therapists were able to determine which tasks could be allocated to students and provided a framework to support student training and competency development. The Calderdale Framework has been used successfully to implement allied health models involving professional skill sharing and delegation of tasks to allied health assistants, but it has not been used in clinical education. Pilot implementation of the Calderdale Framework showed that the model supports quality and safety of student-provided occupational therapy services and that the teaching method provides a platform for student skill development. These results warrant further investigation and are potentially transferrable to student education in other health professions. What is known about the topic? The Calderdale Framework provides a systematic method for reviewing skill mix, developing new roles, identifying new ways of working and facilitating service redesign in healthcare environments. It provides a structure for service and task analysis with a focus on developing clinical competencies, but has not been used in clinical education. What does this paper add? This paper provides an overview of implementation process, challenges and strategies used in the application of the Calderdale Framework in clinical education. What are the implications for practitioners? The Calderdale Framework provides a framework with tools and resources which can be applied to support student learning and student-provided service delivery on clinical placements. Further investigation of the application of the Calderdale Framework in pre-entry student placements is warranted.


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