The Placement Pathway Project : a report for Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority

Executive Summary This report represents the findings from an evaluation of current service provision within placements used by nursing and allied health professional students in the Yorkshire and Humber geographical area. The aim of the evaluation was to capture the thoughts and feelings of a variety of related professionals and students who have experience of working and operating within the current system of placement pathways and so to discover the extent and nature of these pathways. The study was designed around three phases. In each of these data were generated and interpreted by the research team via interviews, questionnaires and this was in turn considered against a reading of the relevant current literature. In conducting the evaluation we found that : Placement pathways add value to the student learning experience and simultaneously contribute to the development of the existing workforce. Pathways contribute to the debate on quality and employability by offering a change of focus to meeting the needs of learners in the workplace. Pathways are now a necessity for students in order that they are able to gain sufficient skills and knowledge to meet the requirements of the professional registration bodies. We therefore recommend that: All placements develop their own placement pathways in line with findings. Good communication systems be set up between the placement, the student and the link lecturer university/HEI. The placement should produce a document that outlines the placement learning opportunities for the specific pathway. Student progress on the pathway must be incorporated into overall placement assessment. We have produced a tool by which personnel connected to student learning on placement can store and record all relevant data and access materials associated with achieving successful outcomes. This is on a DVD and is included in a separate pocket at the back of this report.