Understanding the Allied Health Professions Student Experience of Practice Placements during the First Wave of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract

In England, a national lockdown came into effect on 23 March 2020 in response to the rapid spread of the Coronavirus. Healthcare services were quickly redesigned or scaled back to meet the significant and rising demands. Many practice placements were discontinued, which resulted in large numbers of Allied Health Professions (AHPs) pre-registration students requiring placements to meet the required practice hours. The challenge for placement providers, who were experiencing increased demand and uncertainty, was to continue providing quality placements. At the local trust, 58 AHP students had a placement between April and July 2020. Some clinical areas offered traditional placements. However due to social distancing rules many placements utilised blended practice; using aspects of both direct face-to-face and remote practice. It is important to understand the student experience in anticipation of future surges of Coronavirus. In total, 36 students responded to a placement survey. Results showed the majority of the students reported positive placement experiences overall. Despite the ever-changing placement landscape and the need for flexibility, it is important to ensure that placements are well planned and that students are well informed about the safety measures in place. It is vital that student’s feel welcomed and valued in order to learn and reach their full potential whilst on placement. The use of a blended placement model provided valuable learning experiences, however consideration needs to be given to ensure that students feel part of the team and have confidence that their learning needs are met.

Practice-based learning and the impacts of COVID-19: doing it for real?

“…Such experiences are considered an essential component in facilitating the integration of the theory of interprofessional education into interprofessional or collaborative practice (Gilbert 2014;Fraher and Brandt 2019;O'Leary et al 2020;2021;Naumann et al 2021). These experiences provide a place for students to learn and collaborate together as they perform their own professional activities, before assuming their professional roles upon successful completion of their studies (Lapkin et al 2012;Morphet et al 2014;Brewer and Barr 2016).…”

“…Many practicebased learning opportunities, whether uniprofessional or interprofessional, have experienced significant disruption, being postponed as programmes were mandated to rephase their delivery; or requiring the adoption of innovative, alternative approaches to existing provision, with rapid transitions to remote and online learning. The impacts for educators and students worldwide have proved considerable (Hickland et al 2020;Winship et al 2020;Bartlett et al 2021;Lawton et al 2021;Marchant 2021). It is from this theoretical and evidence-informed position that consideration will be given to the COVID-19 adaptations and opportunities for innovation within practice-based learning and interprofessional practice-based learning, drawing on the literature and illustrated by case study reports and reflections from academics working with a range of professional groups.…”

Health professional graduate perspectives of practice education during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Considerable effort was made by HEIs, practice educators and practice partners to identify, create and prioritise practice education opportunities, to ensure that final year students could complete their practice placement, and join the temporary register or gain employment on qualification (Marchant 2021;Clarke et al, 2022).…”

The radiography students' perspective of the impact of COVID-19 on education and training internationally: a across sectional survey of the UK Devolved Nations (UKDN) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

“…It is important to note that clinical placement is usually a challenging experience for undergraduate students, 20,21 this would be without the additional burden of the unpredictable and challenging circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Published data reports the clinical experiences of radiography students during the early stages of the pandemic, 19,22e26 others have concentrated on final year graduates entering the workforce during the pandemic.…”