Factors influencing provision of clinical placements for health students: A scoping review

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical placements for students completing health degrees are vital for meeting work-integrated learning requirements and enabling students to develop a broad range of professional capabilities in authentic settings. Understanding the factors that influence the provision of clinical placements for health students from the perspectives of those providing the placements is essential, not only to sustain existing resources but also to expand opportunities to meet growing placement demand. Methods: A scoping review of articles with a focus on health student clinical placements within the international context, published between 2000–2020, was facilitated using seven databases, including Google Scholar and other sources. Results: A total of 2,283 records were identified. After removal of duplicates, 1,159 records were screened based on the title and abstract. Full-text review was conducted on 93 articles, and 48 of these publications were included in the final scoping review. Data from these articles were charted and four major themes emerged to illuminate factors that influence the provision of clinical placements for health students: institutional, personal, university engagement and student capability. Conclusion: Multiple factors influence the provision of clinical placements for health students from the perspectives of those who provide the placements. Understanding these factors is important to sustain existing resources and inform planning to increase placement provision sustainably into the future. From this scoping review, a clear gap in the literature is the perspectives and experiences of two distinct groups: health service managers and health clinicians