An immersive online response to a practical problem

Jones, Sam; Jones, Gareth

Abstract

COVID-19 has led to shortages of clinical placements across academia, felt strongly within the School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP) who lost 12 placements in September and 73 placements in November 2020. To counteract this loss, SAHP and governing bodies requested clinical partners provide virtual experiences to a larger number of students, reducing the possibility of cancelling placements. Simulation placements have been used with the medical professional previously to great success. However, these alterations required a rapid response that maintained quality. To this extent the potential outcome was unclear, as this needed to be managed without the usual level of quality assurance. This was done via communication with clinical partners and students. The study consisted of four final year Physiotherapy students, with questions developed from a Likert questionnaire completed by all students (n=11) who attended placements with CR from September to December 2020. The students highlighted excellent communication between their educator and CR team, while some remarked a lack of increased clinical skills. However, all considered the placement to be successful in COVID-19 but would not have liked a virtual placement outside of these terms, stating a lack of patient contact as a major concern. The placement fulfilled its objectives of opening extra student capacity, while maintaining quality, allowing for students to graduate with appropriate clinical hours. This study will be useful for future Physiotherapy placement planning should capacity issues arise and as a route to clinician contact for courses that do not offer professional experience.

Citation

Jones, S., & Jones, G. (2023). An immersive online response to a practical problem. The Journal of Academic Development and Education, https://doi.org/10.21252/na3v-ag62

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 15, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 2, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 2, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Academic Development and Education
• Print ISSN: 2051-3593
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.21252/na3v-ag62
• Keywords: Clinical Skills; Online Learning; Student Experience; Clinical Placement
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.21252/na3v-ag62