An Introduction to Practice Education

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Using this resource
3. Part One - An introduction to practice education
   1. The role of practice education
   2. The relationship between the academic programme and practice education
   3. Approaches to teaching and learning
   4. Expectations of Professional Practice
   5. Reflection
4. PART TWO - Planning and Preparation for Professional Practice Education
   1. The role of professional practice education
   2. Examining the work environment - resources for learning
   3. Reflection
   4. Possible resources to use with a student with the same learning preference
   5. Possible student anxieties before embarking on a new placement
   6. Suggested information required by practice educators
5. PART THREE - Supervising and Assessing a Student in Professional Practice
   1. Defining the learning experience
   2. Student supervision and feedback
   3. Principles of Assessment
   4. Reflective practice
   5. Coping with the student with difficulties
   6. Reflection
6. Suggested responses and additional notes
   1. Aims and objectives
   2. Video Scenarios - Supervison assessment
   3. Supervision
   4. References

Expectations of Professional Practice

Some Professional Bodies and Higher Education Institutions have written specific guidelines about the expectations they have of their professional practice educators. For example, The College of Occupational Therapists (COT, 2003)Standards for Education, Standard 3.2.6-10 concern practice education and The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy(CSP, 2004) Accreditation of Clinical Educators Scheme Guidance.

General expectations would include that the practice educator

• Act as a role model for the student
• Be up-to-date and confident in their own area of practice
• Work to the professional Code of Ethics
• Display a clear professional identity
• Use clinical reasoning
• Be reflective and use evaluation
• Respect teamwork
• Be sensitive and flexible in relation to student needs.

These criteria provide a general, broad view of expectations of the practice educator that would be acceptable to service managers, students and to the university.

In addition, Alsop and Ryan (1996) indicate that for each student undertaking a practice placement, the university will have expectations not just of you, but also of the service setting in which you work, and of its management.

• That a named practitioner will take responsibility for supervision
• That the practice educator has relevant experience and is willing to accept a student
• That staff in the service operate an Equal Opportunities policy
• That the service maintains good standards of practice and has a staff development policy
• That the student can be given relevant experience to meet the objectives of the placement
• That the practice educator communicates adequately with university staff and seeks to understand the student's programme of study and assessment procedures
• That the practice educator manages and facilitates the student's learning, takes time to give regular feedback on performance and evaluates the student's practice fairly and as objectively as possible.

(Adapted from Alsop and Ryan, 1996, p.57)

Even though it is considered to be a professional responsibility, not all practitioners are willing to take students, or necessarily have the abilities to be an effective practice educator. As well as being a competent practitioner and an appropriate role model, furthering your own professional development and being aware of new trends in the profession and your own field, there are other facets that need to be considered.

These can be brought together under four main headings:

Knowledge, abilities, qualities and attitudes

Another way of looking at the role of the practice educator is to consider what they need to know and what they need to be able to do, and what might be important characteristics in terms of qualities and attitudes.

Knowledge and abilities can be improved; attitudes can be more difficult to change. However, the attitude of the practice educator has a large part to play in establishing an effective learning environment for students.

Overall, positive attitudes will tend to have a beneficial effect on students' learning and attitude, whereas negative characteristics - being rigid, dominating, arrogant, uncaring, lacking in confidence, unsupportive, belittling - can have the opposite effect.

By this stage of the section, you are probably feeling that being a practice educator will not only require you to be superhuman, but will also be a one-way process!

Nothing could be further from the truth. Students can learn more, and gain a more realistic picture of their own performance, if you are honest about your own weaknesses, and they should be able to appreciate some of the difficulties of combining the roles of practitioner and practice educator. At the end of a successful placement, your need to feel valued should be rewarded by the student, your service manager and the university.

Remember that professional practice education is a partnership. In your new role, you have the right to expect that you will receive support from your line manager in taking on a student, as well as on-going support and supervision while s/he is with you.

• In some professions you would be expected to prepare for the arrival of the student, to supervise and facilitate the learning of the student, to discuss the student's caseload - and to deal effectively with your own workload.
• You should have sufficient documentation from the university, via the clinical tutor or co-ordinator, to enable you to act effectively as a practice educator, and you should expect to be informed of curriculum developments and more specific arrangements for the placement. The university should maintain sufficiently close links with your organisation in order to provide support for you and the student during the placement period, and respond promptly to any problems that might occur.

What should you expect of the student?

Another list - perhaps one that you can add to.

Professional practice students should:

• Come to the placement well-prepared and informed
• Behave and dress in accordance with the service setting
• Engage in the placement and take advantage of the learning opportunities it offers
• Take part in the induction process planned for them
• Notify you of, for example, any health-related problem which might have an effect on their placement with you
• Take responsibility for their learning, making good use of learning opportunities and demonstrating a commitment to their own professional development
• Engage in reflection on their performance and behaviour, and be open to constructive criticism and applying guidance
• Work in accordance with the Professions Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct - for example, in relation to respecting confidentiality
• Take responsibility according to his/her stage of training, but acknowledge the limits of his/her responsibility and experience so as not to endanger him/herself or other people
• Aim to achieve a balance in their work and social/personal life
• Provide you with feedback at the end of their placement experience.

(Adapted from Alsop and Ryan, 1996, p.59)