Occupational Therapy Practice Education Collaborative - Queensland

Setting up for a student placement

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  2. Resources & Publications
  3. Clinical educator's resource kit
  4. Setting up and sustaining a positive student clinical placement
  1. Access clinical education training and resources
  2. Brainstorm the learning opportunities your facility can offer students
  3. Ensure management and staff are aware, informed and in support of providing a student placement
  1. Preparation of the clinical education environment
  2. Structure a graded student learning program and establish placement learning expectations
  3. Make Friends with the SPEF-R

5. Structure a graded student learning program and establish placement learning expectations

It is important that your student timetable is structured in such a way that it builds on learning, allowing increasing levels of independence and self-management.

Think about what you would expect a student to achieve week by week.

“I expect students to experience “lift off” by the end of week three – it is the experience of “a-ha” whereby suddenly their role, the context, the expectations of them becomes clear. “Lift off” is demonstrated in [the student’s] physical demeanour and their comfort level with me as educator and colleague.” - K. Adam, OT clinical educator, workplace rehabilitation practice (personal communication, May 10, 2007)

 “By weeks 3–4, I expect to be able to leave students to perform assessments or treatment sessions independently." - S. Bartholomai, OT clinical educator, collaborative placement model, May 31, 2007)

Structuring a graded learning program that clearly articulates expectations or placement learning objectives can be helpful for the student as well as providing you with a guide as to what student performance skills to be expect, monitor and assess.

 “I like to provide students with a printed timetable that they are expected to work within….of course, scheduling and tabling their own appointments within that… then I know where they are and what they should be doing. It needs to run like clockwork. In turn, I need to be clear on telling them of my movements, for example, when are my planned ADOs, so they can plan their own time and activities on that day.” - S. Bartholomai (personal communication, May 31, 2007)

It is also encouraged that you become familiar with the University expectations of student performance and general learning objectives of the placement subjects.