Professional Experience Placement

This paper by Brown et all (2011) investigated how undergraduate students enrolled in health-related programs viewed different clinical and practice education learning environments. This paper and previous blogs (in the archive) at this site have outlined factors that impact on student learning during clinical practice education in healthcare environments. This study focused on actual and preferred perceptions of clinical learning environments and an assessment of the differences between the two perspectives. Participants were from a range of healthcare professions including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, pharmacy, paramedics, radiography, nutrition and dietetics, social work and medical imaging.  Nursing was not included in this study.

A total of 548/1000 (55%) students responded to the survey, that used a previously validated tool. The authors provide detailed information about the tool and export the demographics. The importance of this study for clinical supervision is that it found significant differences between students actual and preferred learning environments. The authors suggest that reorientation clinical learning environments to be more harmonious with student preferences may lead to better outcomes being achieved by students undertaking work integrated learning placements.

The grouped responses were represented by the subscale categories of:

• Personalisation
• Student involvement
• Task orientation
• Innovation
• Individualisation.

This study found that personalisation was the most important domain as reported by students. This concept refers to opportunities provided and concern for the students welfare to students by their supervisors, preceptors or mentors. On the preferred form task orientation was found to be the most important domain. It rated second in the actual form indicating it was currently satisfactory, however students felt this area could be given further consideration. Individualisation was rated lowest on both forms.  This domain referred to the extent to which students were allowed to make decisions and were treated differently according to ability or interest. The authors indicated that in the actual form students did not feel they were currently able to make their own decisions or were treated according to their abilities.

The authors found that student satisfaction was greater in students who valued task orientation, student involvement, personalisation and innovation. Furthermore those students who were treated as part of the team were more satisfied in their workplace education.

The main finding of this study was that students were expecting more than they were receiving in the context of real life clinical contexts. Students indicated the clinical environment was valuable and where they could gather priceless knowledge and skills. Clinical supervisors need to be aware of this perception so that they can enhance the learning experience by communicating with their students to ensure their students are included and offered opportunities to undertake learning both with indirect and direct supervision within this context.  Opportunities for reflective practice was suggested by the authors as being essential for learning and ensuring that at the beginning of placement students are introduced to the environment, write objectives and discuss learning opportunities with their supervisors. The authors conclude by stating that ongoing communication between students, supervisors and those responsible for workplace learning needs to be maintained and constantly reassessed.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the findings of this study or tips to maintain communication with your students you are welcome to post them here. Please join us @PEPCommunity.