The diversity of work-based learning in the School of Health Sciences
Authors: Dr Mary Hannon-Fletcher and Dr Patricia McClure, School of Health Sciences
Introduction
The School of Health Sciences is one of the oldest Allied Health Professional (AHP) academic schools in the United Kingdom,
with a distinguished history of producing graduates who then become leaders in research, health services and education.
The School delivers 6 AHP BSc (Hons) 3-year courses (Table 1); each course has to comply with the Health and Care
Professions Council’s (HCPC) standards of education and training (SETs). These are the standards against which the HCPC
assess education and training courses. Students who successfully complete these courses meet the HCPC standards of
proficiency and are then eligible to apply to the HCPC for registration. In addition to the HCPC requirements for approval,
each of the courses has professional body competencies that must also be met to permit the graduating students to
practise in the UK.
Practice education is a central part of the total curriculum of the AHP courses and is acknowledged as the most powerful
learning experience during pre-registration education. The regulatory and professional bodies have set very detailed and
specific requirements for practice based learning, in terms of organization, delivery and content. This provides a very broad
range of work-based learning (WBL) opportunities for our students.
Course
BSc Hons Occupational Therapy
College of Occupational Therapists
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
BSc Hons Podiatry
Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists
BSc Hons Radiotherapy and Oncology
BSc Hons Speech and Language Therapy
Week
SEM ESTER 1
1
September
2
6
7
8
9
10
December
-
to promote professional competence;
-
to provide opportunities for students to work with patients and clients;
-
to provide opportunities for students to integrate theoretical & practical learning;
-
to facilitate consolidation of students’ previous learning;
-
to offer students the opportunity to experience new theoretical learning and practical learning;
-
to promote the development of students’ clinical reasoning and judgement;
-
to promote reflection on, and analysis of experience and practice;
-
to facilitate multi-professional collaboration.
RAD
P2
OT PPP4
Students are required to complete a minimum of 1000 hours of professional practice placements during their course.
Placements are gained in a variety of settings throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland including hospitals, community
settings, special schools, clinics and role emerging settings. There are opportunities for elective placements outside the UK
in the final year.
7 wks
4 wks
6 wks
RAD
orient
SEMESTER 2
1
January
2
OT
PPP5
OT
orient
PT
orient
2 wks
Pod
orient
3
OT
PPP2
4
5
6
7
PT CP2
6 wks
8 wks
RAD P4
16 wks
EASTER
Mar/April
(plus 2
weeks
Easter
holiday)
8
9
10
11
12
Pod Clinical Practice Development 2
wks
REVISION
OT
PPP3
SLT
11 wks
Pod PP3
8 wks
PT
CP5
6 wks
8 wks
EXAMS
SEMESTER 3
1
June
2
3
SUMMER
VACATION
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
OT PPP
14 wks
PT CP1
RAD
P1
5 wks
Pod PP2
4 wks
8 wks
RAD
P3
8 wks
Methods
Pod PP1
PT CP4
12
EXAMS
Table 1. AHP Courses and Professional Bodies
Practice education exposes students to the culture of their profession and enables them to become socialised into the
profession. The main aims of practice education identified through research and practice within the professional literature
are:
Year 3
CHRISTMAS
Society and College of Radiographers
Objectives
Year 2
6 wks
11
Society and College of Radiographers
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
Year 1
3
4
5
Professional Body
BSc Hons Physiotherapy
BSc Hons Diagnostic Radiography & Imaging
Month
PT
CP3
6 wks
REGISTRATION
New academic year begins
Table 2. Professional Practice Placement (PPP) opportunities in AHP courses in Health Sciences
In the practice setting, knowledge and skills are extended by active learning under supervision. Practice educators act as
facilitators of student learning. The principles of adult learning are encouraged with the student being responsible for the
acquisition and management of their own learning. A range of independent learning strategies such as enquiry based
learning, individual and group project work, case studies and caseload management are used to facilitate this process.
The sequence of placements is interspersed throughout each of the three-year courses (Table 2) to encourage integration
and consolidation of learning in academic studies at the University with new experiential learning gained during practice
placements. This scheduling also provides many opportunities to facilitate inter-professional learning alongside a number
of professional groups in the practice setting. Students are required to reflect upon and evaluate their inter-professional
experiences as part of the assessment strategy for professional practice placement.
(Occupational Therapy (OT), Physiotherapy (PT), Podiatry (Pod), Radiography (RAD), and Speech & Language Therapy
(SLT). Periods of overlap are demonstrated within Table 2.
Within the BSc Hons Podiatry programme, students also gain ‘hands on’ practice experience within the University’s on-site
clinic. This enables them to gain essential professional practice skills in preparation for their placements within the NHS.
Assessment
Each placement experience is a specific module with set learning outcomes, credit and assessment. Students’ performance
on placement is assessed at a level appropriate for their stage of learning. The students are provided with a list of
placement objectives which correspond with the learning outcomes documented in their Halfway Report and Final Report
for each level of placement. These focus on professional behavior and competence to practise. The learning outcomes on
the placement report forms reflect the HCPC Standards of Proficiency; the QAA Benchmark Standards; and the standards
of the professional bodies.
The aims of assessment are:
• To provide feedback to the student on his/her performance;
• To help the student and the practice educator to identify strengths and weaknesses and modify learning as required;
and
• To assess professional competence to practise.
It is recommended that students have a formal supervision session once per week and they also receive ongoing feedback
throughout the placement. Marking guidelines and grade descriptors are provided to facilitate practice educators in
assessing the students and also to attempt to ensure that comparable standards are achieved across the diverse range of
practice settings in which the students undertake their professional practice placements.
Conclusion
Practice education is a process of work based learning which involves an effective working partnership between the
university, the practice educator and the student in the practice setting.
The School provides a wide range of placement experiences all of which meet the requirements of the regulatory (HCPC)
and the professional bodies. When students successfully complete their course, they do so with excellent work based
learning experiences which ensures they are fit for practice, purpose and award.
References
Health and Care Professions Council (2012) Standards of education and training. London: HCPC.
ulster.ac.uk
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