What students and new graduates perceive supports them to think, feel and act as a health professional in a rural setting

Identifying features of quality in rural placements for health students: scoping review

OBJECTIVES

To explore and synthesise the evidence relating to features of quality in rural health student placements.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest, Informit, Scopus, ERIC and several grey literature data sources (1 January 2005 to 13 October 2020).

STUDY SELECTION

The review included peer-reviewed and grey literature from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development listed countries that focused on quality of health student placements in regional, rural and remote areas.

DATA EXTRACTION

Data were extracted regarding the methodological and design characteristics of each data source, and the features suggested to contribute to student placement quality under five categories based on a work-integrated learning framework.

RESULTS

Of 2866 resulting papers, 101 were included for data charting and content analysis. The literature was dominated by medicine and nursing student placement research. No literature explicitly defined quality in rural health student placements, although proxy indicators for quality such as satisfaction, positive experiences, overall effectiveness and perceived value were identified. Content analysis resulted in four overarching domains pertaining to features of rural health student placement quality: (1) learning and teaching in a rural context, (2) rural student placement characteristics, (3) key relationships and (4) required infrastructure.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that quality in rural health student placements hinges on contextually specific features. Further research is required to explore these findings and ways in which these features can be measured during rural health student placements.

The Impact of Preceptorship for Newly Graduated Orthoptists on Clinical Confidence and Attitudes towards Public Health

Background:

Preceptorship has been found to ensure a positive and healthy start to a clinician’s career. Evidence shows increased staff satisfaction and empowerment and decreased medical errors as a result of preceptorship. There is limited literature that includes allied health professionals, particularly new orthoptic graduates. This study aims to: 1) explore the effectiveness of the British and Irish Orthoptic Society (BIOS) preceptorship programme at providing support and confidence in newly graduated orthoptists, 2) explore new graduates’ experience of embedding public health in their clinical practice.

Methodology:

Focus groups were organised for mentors and mentees to discuss their experiences with the BIOS preceptorship programme and how it facilitated embedding public health into clinical practice. Constant comparison analysis was used to identify key themes of discussion.

Findings:

The preceptorship document promoted structure, reflection, and engagement all of which contributed to effective transition for the mentees. However, document navigation, lack of preceptorship exposure at undergraduate level and leadership engagement were potential barriers to using the programme. The programme encouraged public health engagement among new graduates but barriers such as time pressure, lack of experience and patient understanding were challenges that often prevented the adoption of public health skills and behaviours within their practice.

Conclusion:

The BIOS preceptorship successfully supports new graduates in their transition into an autonomous practitioner. The programme could be improved by the implementation of a guidance document to assist mentors in their role. Preceptorship engagement could be improved by increasing exposure to undergraduate orthoptic students and departments alike.