Clinical Placement

Work-integrated learning (WIL) has emerged as a leading pedagogy that blends theory with application. In recent years, policymakers, educators and practitioners have called for a significant expansion of WIL, one which would enable every undergraduate student has at least one WIL experience during their program of study. Despite these appeals, there remains a significant divide between the aspiration of universality and the realities. Consequently, the study asks the following question: How can post-secondary institutions expand their WIL initiatives to universal levels that deliver transformative learning?

Objectives
The Health Workforce Australia Clinical Supervision Support Program Discussion Paper (2010) highlighted the education deficits of health professionals responsible for the clinical supervision of students. This research aimed to develop, implement and evaluate a new education program for nurses to assist in the development of knowledge and attitude to supervise students whilst on clinical practicum.
Design
The impact of the ACS program was determined using a descriptive methodology involving the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data using a triangulation approach. This included the use of surveys, online reflections and interviews.
Settings
The ACS program was presented in both the metropolitan and regional areas of Western Australia.
Subjects
Participants (n=199) were from both the public and private health care sector working in a variety of nursing specialties within both the inpatient and community setting.
Results
Analysis of the data determined that participants improved their knowledge and attitude towards students and clinical supervision.
Conclusions
The ACS was confirmed as a strategy for providing effective education for nurses.

Peer placements, pairing two preservice teachers with a cooperating teacher, have been shown to provide a more supportive and collaborative context for learning to teach than the traditional student-cooperating teacher, single placement model. In some cases, however, tensions existed. This qualitative study seeks to expand the extant research by identifying and analyzing the challenges 24 preservice teachers experienced in their peer placements. While virtually all preservice teachers viewed their peer placements positively, results indicate that all preservice teachers negotiated challenges that pertained to the act or perceived value of collaboration in practice. Specifically, preservice teachers’ prior experiences had not prepared them for in-depth collaboration, and their tendency to view teaching as an autonomous profession that one gains entry into by “sinking or swimming” influenced their perception of the role of collaboration in professional learning. Recommendations are provided to guide the development or refinement of peer placements.