Sinead reflects : ‘ While I was hesitant at first to select a remote placement , in fear it would mean I was behind in practical clinical skills in comparison to my peers , this leadership placement has taught me invaluable transferable skills in communication and initiative and grown my confidence in ways I never expected .
‘ Over the course of the placement , I have been involved in a variety of projects within the university , which have challenged me to be evidence based in my research . Integrating theory into my practice has helped me to be selfdirected in my study and to stay engaged in my learning and dedication to the most up-to-date research .’
She concludes of the experience : ‘ This has been the highlight of my placement , as the encouraging words of the students in nominating staff and the emotional responses from staff to the nominations has exceeded my expectations .
‘ I feel I have been working on a project that will continue beyond my time on placement , which has been both motivating and rewarding to be a part of . Working alongside my fellow student has also given me insight into differing learning and leadership styles and it has been enjoyable to work collaboratively whilst balancing the workload efficiently to each of our strengths .
‘ It has been incredibly rewarding to work on this and other projects and to see the ideas from the beginning of the placement come to fruition over the course of seven weeks .
‘ I am more competent and confident in working remotely and online than ever before – skills which will be extremely beneficial as a newly qualified occupational therapist in a post-COVID workplace .’
Co-constructing a PEEP placement
Another focus was assisting with the development of a peer enhanced e-placement ( PEEP ), creating a virtual town containing six case studies , which mirrors a traditional face-to-face placement .
Chloe says : ‘ Before starting the placement , I was apprehensive about how a remote placement would function , as well as how I would meet my placement competencies and objectives . [ However ] I am shocked at … how much I have learnt and how a remote placement has allowed me to develop so many skills that will be essential as a practitioner .’
She adds : ‘ In order to ensure this new style of placement is rewarding for students , we facilitated a focus group with students , which allowed for their views on the virtual town as well as online learning .
‘ As a result of holding this focus group , it allowed us to incorporate different formats of resources , such as audio clips and visual pictures , to ensure the case studies are as engaging and realistic as possible .
‘ The placement has provided me with opportunities to release my creativity through the design of a student handbook , as well as following the occupational process while creating client centred and holistic case studies . ‘ I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of a leadership project and would recommend this to other students , I have gained so much knowledge in the last seven weeks that has had a huge impact on my leadership skills , confidence as a practitioner and clinical reasoning . ‘ Working closely with other colleagues has made a remote placement as enriching as an inperson placement and together we have been able to help with the design of an exciting project that we hope future students will enjoy .’
Codie also valued the opportunity to build confidence , leadership and other transferable skills for clinical practice .
‘ We were encouraged to work autonomously in this placement
© Jacob Ammentorp Lund via Getty Images