Clinical Education Unit News December 2022

Christmas baubles and decorations with the text seasons greetings overlaid

Welcome to the December CE News.

2022 is close to finishing and it has been another year of challenges, so we hope you feel encouraged that you have survived or thrived!

Our 2022 UQ graduates will be attending graduation ceremonies on the 17 December. We will join in their celebrations as those students who successfully finished their courses and final placements will be proudly walking across the stage. This is thanks to the continued amazing support we have from you in our allied health community to facilitate a diverse range of placement learning opportunities.

Across the disciplines and all years of the programs, students completed 428, 490 placement hours in simulation clinics, UQ clinics and with external partners in 2022.

This year stress, resilience, and mindset are among some common themes being discussed for both students and educators. We have noticed this in feedback, in meetings with providers and in the clinical education forums and workshops. This is also a key topic in many of the popular podcasts and media as well in the wider community. As we continue to manage COVID and busy workloads, it is good to observe the acknowledgement of current pressures, and that more open conversations around these themes are happening. We encourage tapping into the range of strategies available in the workplace and through the university when working with students, to promote the importance of maintaining wellbeing. SHRS is working to embed awareness, discussions, and strategies across all years of our programs when connecting with students to develop more skills around wellbeing and work readiness. We encourage providers to connect with the CELMS who can offer education, discussions, and individual support on these topics.

This newsletter has a range of updates on resources, workshops and student stories. Reach out if you would like more information on any clinical education topics or ideas for forums next year.

We want to express our sincere gratitude to the clinical educators and organisations who continue to support UQ and our student placements.

We wish you a safe and hopefully restful holiday time and look forward to connecting with you and your students on placements in 2023.

News from UQ

SHRS Clinical Education Forum - 24 November 2022

The annual Clinical Education Forum was held on 24 November and welcomed UQ and external clinical education partners to explore the topic of student readiness, resilience and grit in clinical education – what does it mean for us as educators?

The session was attended by around 70 allied health professionals from our clinical education community. Participants and speakers explored the topic with energetic group discussions and reflections on how we manage as allied health professionals and what we observe in students when they arrive on placement.

The speakers were Marlena Calo (lecturer and physiotherapy clinical education manager at La Trobe University in Victoria) and Franziska Trede (Associate Professor of Higher Education and Professional Practice at University of Technology, Sydney).

Franziska spoke first on our role in fostering “professional agency” and characteristics of a “deliberate professional” that reviewed the skills and tools we need to cultivate a positive relationship with students in this space, including conditions we can set up to promote professional learning. Marlena presented her research on student grit, resilience and mindset (GRaM) with final year students on placements (see reference below). She discussed a range of strategies that can support students, educators and the organisation to promote positive skill development in these areas, along with the importance of how the language used by educators can empower students strengthen these attributes. Both speakers agreed that it is a shared responsibility in the learning experience to foster the development of these personal attributes. The attendees enjoyed the opportunity to network over a hearty morning tea and then explored a range of questions in discussion groups that generated strategies to implement in future placements. If you are interested in the research or the outcomes of the forum, please get in contact with our team.

References

Calo, M., Judd, B., Chipchase, L., Blackstock, F., & Peiris, C. L. (2022). Grit, Resilience, Mindset, and Academic Success in Physical Therapist Students: A Cross-Sectional, Multicenter Study. Physical Therapy, 102(6), 1. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzac038

Clinical Pearls for Graduate Physios – Podcast episode 18: Grit, Mindset and Resilience with Marlena Calo on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xmaGJoFWtMvmZuaAAJCP0

Trede, F., & McEwen, C. (2016). Educating the Deliberate Professional Preparing for future practices (1st ed. 2016.). Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Springer.

Awards

The University of Queensland Staff Awards

Dr Freyr Patterson, Occupational Therapist from the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences received a UQ Commendation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning recognise individuals and teams who make a significant contribution to student learning; who are acknowledged for their achievements within a faculty or the wider University community; and who have received strong endorsement within their area.

Congratulations Freyr!

Dr Freyr Patterson receiving her award

HABS Faculty Awards

Congratulations to our SHRS staff and affiliates who were highly successful at the 2022 HABS Staff awards, presented on 24 November.

Teaching:

Karina O’Leary – Excellence in Clinical and Professional Skills Education (ECLiPSE) Award (STARS)

Research:

Dr David Klyne - Early Career Excellence Award

Qld Aphasia Research Centre (QARC) – Consumer and Community Involvement in Research Award

Professional Staff Awards:

Sonia Hoppe – Innovation Award - for the NAB Clinic Bridge to Brisbane event (NAB Clinic staff)

Dr Dion Scott – Teamwork Award – a member of the HaBS Respirator fit testing team

Emma Caird – Above and Beyond Award for the QARC launch

QARC Professional team – Professional Teamwork Award

Academic Awards:

Dr Megan Ross – Leadership – academic award

SHRS Clinical Education Partnership Awards

In 2021, SHRS introduced the Clinical Education Partnership Awards at the SHRS End of Year Awards Presentation Event at Customs House.

The purpose of these awards will be to recognise and reward partners in clinical education who have been nominated due to their outstanding commitment to clinical education which enhances clinical learning for students in SHRS programs. Examples of quality education can include partnering to create a new student service/ activity, the provision of high quality / excellence in clinical education, going above and beyond through involvement in additional activities/ initiatives, sustained engagement, and facilitation of placements. We are pleased to recognise the winners for 2022.

2022 award winners

SHRS Clinical education partnership award in Audiology – John Pearcy Audiology

SHRS Clinical education partnership award in Occupational Therapy – My Therapy Crew

SHRS Clinical education partnership award in Physiotherapy – Miles Browning, Fizzio Clinics

SHRS Clinical education partnership award in Speech Pathology – Catherine Sanderson (STARS)

Top of page

Clinical education resources

Reminder – Online resources to support your clinical education skills

The SHRS clinical education webpage has been updated with a fresh new look and additional clinical education resources for Hosting Allied Health Placements in Private Practice Settings. These have been designed in partnership with private practice providers and include information on integrating and hosting students along with a series of very interesting podcasts where practitioners share their own experiences.

In addition, SHRS staff involved in clinical education have put together a series of short videos on popular clinical education topics. There are 21 videos in the Building Skills in Clinical Education series ranging from approximately, 2-6 mins each in length. Each video has been developed to provide current and prospective educators with valuable insights on a range of topics relevant to supporting student placements.

Top of page

Student stories

Rural placements lead to rural new graduates

Final year occupational therapy placement in Chinchilla
Lana Trout and Katy Bonner

Occupational therapy students Lana Trout and Katy Bonner in front of a giant slice of watermelon Undertaking a rural placement was an incredible opportunity and a fundamental part of our journey to become occupational therapists. Through working with a diverse mix of clients and health professionals, this placement provided us with the opportunity to develop our occupational therapy skills across a broad scope of practice, whilst simultaneously adapting to work in a rural context. Whether it be three-hour drives to clients' homes, patchy phone service, flooded roads preventing clients from attending sessions, or distance creating a lack of availability in equipment and services, working rurally taught us the importance of flexibility and being able to think quickly to adapt your plan. Overall, this placement helped us to appreciate and enjoy the complexities of rural practice, and understand the vital role a therapist adopts within local communities.

Our top tip to future students looking to do a rural placement would be to make the most of every opportunity. For us, this included providing overnight outreach services in remote towns, attending a two-day medicolegal conference, and participating in district-wide service development projects. These opportunities not only extended our skills but opened our eyes to whole new sides of occupational therapy. Another top tip is to take opportunities to connect with the community outside of your work and become involved in community events, as this makes the experience less lonely.

Doing a rural placement strongly influenced our decisions to work rurally as new graduates. We were able to see how much these communities value and appreciate allied health clinicians. Rural work also provides an incredible opportunity to work with and learn from a wide range of people, all with unique stories and experiences to share.

Top of page

HaBS News update

If you haven’t already, please take the time to read The Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences News Update, where research and new developments are discussed.

HaBS Clinical Partnerships

For more information on clinical partnerships for organisations who have a range of disciplines visit the Faculty's Clinical Partnerships page.

School news

For interesting news from the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, visit the School's news webpage.

Top of page

SHRS clinical education research projects at UQ

Would you like to be involved in research activities currently being explored by our disciplines at UQ?

Current projects will be added to each newsletter with contact details. If you would like to know more, or have a project for consideration please email ceu.shrs@uq.edu.au.

Top of page

SHRS clinical education training & support at UQ

SHRS is committed to providing clinical educator (CE) support and training. We have been offering clinical education and support strategies in an interprofessional model since 2005, with our suite providing specific sessions for beginners and experienced CEs, for a range of settings and sectors.

As a clinical educators who engages in the learning and development of SHRS students whilst on professional practice placements, we welcome you to apply.