Preceptorship
Feature
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n Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board ( CTMUHB ) all band five occupational therapists undertook a six-month preceptorship programme to address the challenges of being a newly-qualified practitioner and to improve their transition from student to professional .
This was then reviewed at 12 months against the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework and used to set future learning objectives in their Personal Annual Development Review ( PADR ).
The health board ’ s band five rotations are 12 months in duration and span a variety of specialities in both the hospital and community settings , including trauma and orthopaedics , rehabilitation , general medicine , mental health , paediatrics , stroke , reablement and social services .
Towards the end of each rotation , the band five occupational therapists were required to provide feedback on their experiences over the year and use this information to support their choices for their next rotation .
Through further discussion with them , it was identified that the preceptorship period had been beneficial in facilitating the development of effective , confident and autonomous practitioners within the first rotation .
However , due to the variety of rotations available , they felt that they would have benefitted from this same level of support and learning opportunities when rotating into different specialities .
In addition , it was identified that the standards and quality of preceptorship and supervision provided varied across the health board , and this impacted on the quality of their rotation and learning opportunities .
The importance of investing in our workforce
As a senior occupational therapy management team , we recognised the importance of investing in our workforce to develop skilled practitioners capable of delivering high quality , evidence based occupational therapy .
We appreciated that this investment in our staff would have a direct link to job satisfaction , wellbeing and staff retention , which in turn provides clear succession planning and opportunities for the occupational therapy service .
To achieve our vision , we reviewed the preceptorship programme alongside a number of other resources , including RCOT ’ s Career Development Framework ( 2017 ), the CTMUHB supervision and PADR standards , and the Knowledge and Skills Framework ( KSF ).
Using these resources , we developed our own POPPIES model and framework .
Improving the transition from student to practitioner
POPPIES ( Pillars of Professional Practice in Every Setting ) is an inclusive model and framework that encompasses elements of the four pillars of practice in RCOT ’ s Career Development Framework
As a senior occupational therapy management team , we recognised the importance of investing in our workforce to develop skilled practitioners capable of delivering high quality , evidence based occupational therapy .”
February 2022 OTnews 43