Occupational Therapy News OTnews February 2019_Joomag | Page 36

FEATURE STUDENT EDUCATION
The evolving
nature of practice
placements
Lucy Key explains how, as an educator,
she recently explored an alternative
practice placement supervision model
U
niversity Hospitals of Derby and Burton has
always strived to provide the highest quality
learning experience for students while they
are on practice placement within the trust.
With the many changes healthcare education
currently faces, and the changing landscape of
student demographics and generations, where having
opportunities to practise occupational therapy skills
and feeling valued and fully integrated into the whole
multidisciplinary team is fundamental to the overall
student experience, it was felt that a review of how we
run practice placements was needed, starting right from
the induction process and throughout the placement.
As a clinical educator, I was keen to explore
alternative practice placement supervision models, as we
have always used the traditional one-to-one apprentice
style. There is strong supporting evidence for alternative
placement models, such as quality inductions, long arm
supervision and non-traditional placements, being pivotal
in the success of a positive student feedback, and to
attain recruitment and selection into band five posts.
Practice placements are an integral part of the
education of allied health professionals, as it is where
students have the opportunity to translate theory into
practice, learn about professional values, as well as
fulfilling statutory requirements to gain their qualification.
Developing practice-based learning opportunities is
essential in order that the future AHP workforce can be
produced and sustained (NHS Education for Scotland
2007). I was also keen to consider the possibility
of cross-mentoring students within nursing and
occupational therapy, to determine whether this would
provide positive learning experiences for both.
At present, our students are provided with a basic
induction into the department and will shadow their
36 OTnews February 2019
educator constantly, with some support provided from
other occupational therapy team members. This would
continue for the remainder of the placement, with the
opportunity for visits to other occupational therapy team
members, as identified with the educator.
For my first pilot, I was allocated a first-year student
and thought that it would be a great opportunity to start
their induction and base them on an acute older persons
ward.
Here, they could not only consolidate their core
occupational therapy values and begin to explore
how to encourage occupational engagement within
a busy acute environment, but also appreciate the
working ethics and ethos of a ward, encompassing the
multidisciplinary team to see how occupational therapy
fits into the overall patient pathway.
For the first two weeks, the student was based with
the occupational therapy team, receiving standard
departmental induction and allowing her some time to
understand the fundamentals of occupational therapy
and routines within the hospital environment to aid the
progression of the placement, including seven-day
working.
After two weeks, the student became ward based
and stayed ward based for the next six weeks. Here
she learned the ward routine, shadowing nursing staff
and nursing support staff, allowing her to be fully hands
on, developing vital skills such as moving and handling,
communication and basic care on a deeper level.
I felt that it was important for the student to gain an
understanding of the importance of multidisciplinary
and inter-professional learning and working, in order to
break down professional barriers and enable them to
apply their inter-professional learning as they would at
university.