OTnews January 2020 | Page 28

FEATURE STUDENT EDUCATION
services can be beneficial to reduce fire risk , improve wellbeing and keep people safe in their own homes .
The SFRS Community Action Team ( CAT ) provides free home fire safety visits as well as education and engagement activities to various community groups . The Glasgow CAT is where the eight-week occupational therapy placement took place .
Practice based learning structure The opportunity was developed for final year students . At this stage , students have a good underpinning of their professional core skills and are required to exercise greater autonomy and responsibility ; skills that could be demonstrated within the diverse CAT setting .
Practice-based learning within fire and rescue services has been established in other areas of the UK , therefore a starting point to develop this in Glasgow was to collaborate with other HEIs and practice settings to learn from past experiences .
Key elements of the placement development and structure were :
• students were asked to self nominate , writing a short blurb about why they were interested in the placement , which ensured students were motivated to engage with the learning experience ;
• a peer support model with two students , as this has been noted to enhance student learning , support and overall experience ( Christiansen and Bell 2010 );
• structured days split between the CAT and two occupational therapy services , a community rehabilitation team , and an intermediate care team , one for each student ;
• a dedicated mentor within the CAT who underwent practice educator training at GCU ; and
• weekly supervision provided by the occupational therapy educator with feedback from the CAT mentor , with half way and final assessment dates and meetings agreed by all prior to the placement starting for clarity .
Student reflections Reflecting on the practice-based learning , students Sarah Taylor and Aimee Sangster share their thoughts on the experience and if this has changed how they view fire safety within their role .
‘ The fact it was a new placement opportunity was very exciting ,’ says Aimee . ‘ But if I ’ m being honest , prior to this placement , I had little knowledge of this partnership working or what the role of an occupational therapist would be within the fire service .
‘ This made me a little apprehensive about what to expect . Now , coming out the other end , I feel as though my understanding has greatly increased and I would be able to help raise awareness of this beneficial partnership in future jobs .’
Sarah adds : ‘ Having the split week between the two placement sites worked very well . Our placement started at the CAT site , which was a bit daunting as I had no idea what to expect , but as I was there with another student , I felt less nervous .
‘ The occupational therapy part of my placement was within community rehabilitation ; it was very interesting to see the link between the two .’
Both students identified learning that was transferable across settings , emphasising the complementary partnership between the services and the benefits of a split placement structure .
Aimee explains : ‘ The structure was helpful as it allowed me to use the knowledge that I gained from the CAT about risk recognition and fire safety on home visits on the other side of my placement .
‘ For example , during a visit for the intermediate care team , I completed a home visit for a patient with dementia who was going to be discharged to live with her daughter .
‘ I noticed the daughter had at least three to five candles lit in every room of the house , which would be a fire risk , particularly when her mother would be discharged home . With my knowledge from working with the CAT , I had the confidence to use this opportunity to discuss the risks involved and try to work around these .’
She continues : ‘ Then , during a home fire safety visit with the CAT , it was identified the lady used a chair by her bathroom sink to wash as she had difficulty getting in and out of the bath .
‘ I was able to take an occupational therapy lead role and discuss the bath transfer with her . From my intermediate care experience , I could discuss what options were available to make this transfer easier , and possible referrals for assessment .’
The experience also provided an opportunity for students to develop their mentor ’ s knowledge , giving students confidence in their own professional identity and knowledge base .
Discussing how they did this , Aimee explains : ‘ During the first week of our placement , we noticed that there was some confusion about the role of an occupational therapist .
‘ Therefore , we presented to the CAT about the role of an occupational therapist and included case studies to explain the occupational therapy process . We also worked with our practice educators to create a list of services in the different localities for the CAT to utilise in future .’
Sarah explains : ‘ Following our presentation , the CAT voiced on several occasions they had a better
28 OTnews January 2021
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