ICTN PROJECT WEBINAR SERIES

1. ICTN PROJECT WEBINAR SERIES COMMUNITY HEALTH STUDENT PLACEMENT PROGRAM Presented By: Robyn Stringer, Judith Foley-Chell and Helen Johnson

2. PROJECT OVERVIEW • Expand the current clinical placement opportunities for students within Goulburn Community Health. • Provide an opportunity to observe and learn skills specific to those required when delivering care in a Primary Health Care setting. • Experience will include: Ambulatory Care Wound Clinic, Palliative Care, Community Nursing, HITH, Diabetes Management and Chronic Disease Management

3. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND • Initial Student Placement Program in Wound Clinic • Successful streamlined and structured approach to student clinical placement • Identified need to develop similar program throughout Community Health nursing speciality areas to meet student placement needs and objectives • Identified potential to increase student placement opportunities offered through Community Health

4. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND – WOUND CLINIC • High number of students from multiple universities • Varying expectations of placement • Differing levels of education • Poor identification of student objectives • Little guidance for staff • Reduced effectiveness of placement

5. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND – WOUND CLINIC • Structured, standardised approach to placements with targeted education to meet student objectives • Clearly defined and measurable placement outcomes identified and student program designed and delivered to meet objectives • Development of Wound Clinic Placement Package for student completion prior to attending placement

6. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND – WOUND CLINIC • Education delivery based on defined outcomes for Wound Clinic program • Standardised information based on student needs provided by staff • Measured improvement in student knowledge with pre- and post-learning tools, student satisfaction with survey and staff satisfaction with discussion groups

7. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND – WOUND CLINIC • Of 56 students whose data was collected in the pre-placement and post-placement learning tools, overall improvement in student knowledge was 33.4%, with above-average improvements in cellular (43%) and aetiology (57%) knowledge • Of 56 students who completed the placement evaluation, all answers on the survey were rated Excellent or Very Good.

8. CURRENT PROJECT AIM • Increase student placements from one day placements to five days within a specified Community Health stream, rotating to other streams for placements greater than a week • Build a network of clinicians in a preceptor role that can professionally support our student nurses

9. CURRENT PROJECT AIM • Develop a standardised orientation package for all community students to support learning needs and objectives • Provide a learning environment that promotes practical learning experiences

10. CURRENT PROJECT - ACTIVITIES • Communication with universities and TAFE to inform and promote nursing student clinical placement in Community Health specific to Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease Management • Orientation manual and learning package developed for students with focus on Primary Health Care and Chronic Disease

11. CURRENT PROJECT - ACTIVITIES • Speciality stream / student objectives and planner developed • Pre- and post-placement learning tools developed to identify individual areas of learning and measure outcomes • Student satisfaction survey developed

12. CURRENT PROJECT - ACTIVITIES • Preceptor training program for nurses working with students in progress • Obtaining practical learning aides including laptop for online learning, wound care mannequin and practice consumable resources designated for student learning

13. CURRENT PROJECT – CHALLENGES & RISKS • Changes to planned facility in ClinConnect • Funding – practical learning resources not yet purchased • Time limitations • Changing team

14. CURRENT PROJECT - OUTCOMES • Resources developed as discussed previously – currently on trial in Community Health streams with result analysis to be conducted quarterly • Preceptor training provided by tertiary institutions. Internal preceptor training program to begin in June 2013 • No significant increase in clinical placement numbers – historical underutilisation of offered placements – but contact with tertiary institutions has had promising feedback

15. CURRENT PROJECT – SUSTAINING CHANGE • Project is still in progress • Plans to sustain change include: • Links with tertiary organisations • Ongoing Preceptor training of permanent and new staff • Data collection and response to results as appropriate • Sourcing future funding to ensure access to practical resources is maintained

16. CURRENT PROJECT - TRANSFERABILITY • Demonstrated through adaptation of initial Wound Clinic program to current project throughout Community Health • Potential for adaptation of program to other areas in which there are student placement programs

17. QUESTIONS