Practicum Supervisors’ Handbook

School of Science and Technology

Practicum in Exercise and Sport and

Practicum with Clinical Populations

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CONTENTS PAGE

INTRODUCTION 3

DEFINITION OF GLOSSARY OF TERMS 4

ABOUT UNE 5

OVERARCHING AIMS OF PLACEMENT 5

REQUIREMENTS OF THE SUPERVISOR 6

UNE RECOGNITION OF PLACEMENT SUPERVISION 6

ESSA CPD RECOGNITION OF PLACEMENT SUPERVISION 7

THE CLINICAL PLACEMENT OFFICE: STAFF 7

LEGAL AGREEMENT AND INSURANCE 8

PLACEMENT TIMELINE OVERVIEW 8

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES 12

STUDENT ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE 13

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES THROUGHOUT PLACEMENT 14

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS 15

SUPERVISOR FEEDBACK FORM: ASSESSMENT OF KEY COMPETENCIES 15

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING GRIEVANCES AND CONFLICT ON PLACEMENT 16

STUDENT WELFARE 16

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY 17

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INTRODUCTION

Dear Supervisor,

We understand your time is valuable and we appreciate your commitment to mentoring our students and to assisting UNE in providing placement experiences that create competent and work-ready exercise professionals.

The ESSA accreditation program allows each accredited university’s placement program to dictate how industry relevant skills and placement opportunities are interwoven throughout the degree, how placements are managed and the processes related to student and site assessment. This document has been compiled to provide placement supervisors with an understanding of the requirements of these capstone placement units (EXSC322 and EXSC390) within the UNE coursework program. This includes the process of guiding the student through placement and the role of the Clinical Placement Educator within the UNE Clinical Placement Office.

In addition to the UNE requirements, UNE upholds and promotes the ESSA Professional Standards for Exercise Scientists and Exercise Physiologists and aligns its practices with the ESSA Practicum Guide. It is important each supervisor is familiar with these documents also.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the Clinical Placement Office with any questions or concerns at any point during the placement. The UNE Practicum Supervisor Portal contains information that will be helpful to you throughout this experience and this page includes how to gain access to the UNE library.

I hope you enjoy your role and we look forward to working with you.

Regards

Dr Kath Shorter Course Coordinator

Contact Details Clinical Placement Office Email: exerciseprac@une.edu.au Clinical Placement Office School of Science and Technology University of New England ARMIDALE NSW 2351 T. 02 6773 3712

Course Coordinator Dr Kath Shorter Email: kshorter@une.edu.au T. 02 6773 3338 School of Science and Technology Administration Team Email: admin-st@une.edu.au T. 02 6773 5022

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DEFINITION AND GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Accrediting body Exercise and Sport Science Australia (ESSA) who advise the standard against which our students will be measured.

Accredited Exercise Scientist (AES) An individual who is registered with the accrediting body as an Exercise Scientist.

Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) An individual who is registered with the accrediting body as an Exercise Physiologist.

Clinical Placement Administrator A UNE professional staff member who is responsible for the administration of the placement for the disciplines of Exercise and Sports Science/Clinical Exercise Physiology.

Course Coordinator A UNE staff member who is responsible for ensuring the academic integrity of the degree program and who is authorised to approve any changes to the program of study throughout its delivery.

Clinical Placement Educator

The UNE academic staff member who is responsible for ensuring a high quality educational experience to students within the placement units (EXSC322 & EXSC390). This person holds an AES and AEP qualification and works with the supervisors to support students before and during placement.

Clinical Placement Office The Clinical Placement Administrator and the Clinical Placement Educator together form the Clinical Placement Office.

Exercise and Science Australia (ESSA) The professional organisation which is responsible for accrediting, registering, supporting and promoting tertiary trained exercise and sports science practitioners.

InPlace The software package used by the Clinical Placement Office to store and manage information related to activities and supervision of students while they are on placement.

Moodle UNE’s online learning management system (LMS). All assessment items and mandatory documentation must be submitted by students to their own, password protected Moodle site.

Practicum Supervisor Portal The UNE online source for supervisors to download documentation and information related to hosting UNE students on placement. This includes links to an application for library access for all supervisors.

Student The individual currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science or Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of New England, in Armidale, New South Wales.

Student Practicum Portal The UNE online source for students to download documentation and information related to hosting UNE students on placement. This includes links to available scholarship opportunities.

Supervisor

An individual who is recognised by the accrediting body who is nominated by an appropriate agency to supervise a student while undertaking professional placement. Where a co-supervisor is utilised, this person is responsible for approving the final outcome and certifying the competency of the student.

NOTE: Documents and templates referred to in this handbook can be found on either the Student Practicum Portal, the Practicum Supervisors Portal.

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ABOUT UNE

The UNE Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and the Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology are delivered both on-campus and online. There are therefore two main differences supervisors must be aware of in the delivery of the UNE placement program compared to the majority of placement programs across the country.

Firstly, online course delivery means UNE students can study from anywhere around the world. The geographical spread of students varies year on year and a significant number of students live and study in rural and remote areas where access to appropriate placement sites is limited. The Clinical Placement Office therefore may request a significantly different number of places at each site each year and students may have to travel significant distances to attend appropriate placement sites. Your understanding and assistance is appreciated.

Secondly, students are required to submit assessment items online while on placement. UNE student grades are determined by their performance in unit assessment items graded by the Clinical Placement Educator. Unit assessment items are designed to reflect the students’ competency at graduation. This includes video submissions which replace physical practical examinations but still allow the assessment of a student’s inter-personal and time management skills by the Clinical Placement Educator. Your assistance in facilitating this within your site is appreciated. The feedback from placement supervisors is important as it provides the university with assurance the students’ performance in a workplace environment is in keeping with professional expectations. All students are required to reach a competent standard in key skills to pass the unit. The Clinical Placement Educator will work closely with the supervisor if at any time a student has difficulty meeting the required competencies.

OVERARCHING AIMS OF PLACEMENT

The Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and the Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at UNE are accredited through ESSA. Graduates of ESSA accredited courses aligned to meet the professional standards for Exercise Scientists and Exercise Physiologists should be able to appropriately assess clients to design safe and effective exercise interventions. This includes health and wellness interventions to affect behavioural change and increase exercise and functional capacity across diverse contexts and settings.

The Clinical Placement Office partners with appropriate sites and supervisors to continue to develop students in the following areas:

1. Understand and apply the principles of responsible, evidence based practice, with respect for and in accordance with ESSA’s:

• Code of Professional Conduct and Ethical Practice,

• Professional Standards and;

• Scope of Practice

2. Consistently demonstrate effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills in their interactions with clients, peers, colleagues, other health professionals and external stakeholders.

3. Appropriately apply specialist knowledge and evidence-based practice to accurately and efficiently collect and interpret subjective and objective assessment data.

4. Continue to develop and apply specialist knowledge and evidence-based practice to prescribe and deliver safe and effective health, exercise and sports performance interventions for individuals of varying social and/or cultural backgrounds.

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5. Demonstrate a sound understanding of lifestyle modification and behavioural change strategies to facilitate behavioural change in the prescription and delivery of their exercise interventions and to continue to develop these skills.

6. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the risks associated with exercise assessment, prescription and delivery when working with healthy populations and for clinical populations, and develop and implement strategies to minimise risk.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE SUPERVISOR

It is a UNE requirement that all supervisors have two years industry experience prior to taking on the role of supervisor. In circumstances where this is not achievable, for example geographical isolation, oversight supervision is required. The oversight supervisor must be able to demonstrate expertise in the required field and hold the qualifications as required by the ESSA Practicum Guide. In most circumstances the UNE Clinical Placement Educator is able to perform this role. All oversight supervision requirements must be raised with the UNE Clinical Placement Office as early as possible in the site evaluation process. The oversight supervision must be coordinated by the Clinical Placement Office and where oversight supervision is required, evidence of documented communication and information sharing between the oversight supervisor, primary supervisor and the student is required.

UNE RECOGNITION OF PLACEMENT SUPERVISION

Currently ESSA credits 1 CPD point for every forty (40) hours of student supervision (see ESSA CPD Guidelines below). The UNE has produced a logbook cover page to allow each supervisor to nominate the number of hours they have provided student supervision and this number is reflected on the certificates of appreciation sent out to each supervisor at the end of the trimester (November annually).

Resources are made available to each supervisor to enhance mentoring skills and develop clinical knowledge. Each supervisor is encouraged to discuss their particular needs with the Clinical Placement Educator. In addition, each year a supervisor engages with the UNE placement program they are permitted, upon application, to have access to the UNE library for a period of 12 months. To gain access, please navigate to the Practicum Supervisor’s Portal and follow the instructions under “Library Access”.

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ESSA CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD) RECOGNITION OF PLACEMENT SUPERVISION

ESSA Continuing Professional Development Guidelines – Figure 1 – CPD Points System

THE CLINICAL PLACEMENT OFFICE

Student placements within the Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science and Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology are coordinated through the UNE Clinical Placement Office.

Communication between the Clinical Placement Office and placement supervisors will predominantly occur via telephone and email correspondence. A Clinical Placement Office team member, or an academic member of staff, will visit placement sites as required when students are on placement.

The Clinical Placement Office can be contacted via email at exerciseprac@une.edu.au or for further information see the Practicum Supervisor’s Portal.

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LEGAL AGREEMENT AND INSURANCE

Placement sites are require to complete a Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement. This is the legal agreement between the university and the legal entity connected to the placement site and these documents remain valid for 3-5 years. Placement cannot commence without a valid Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement in place. The Clinical Placement Office will provide a copy of this Agreement on receipt of the completed Placement Site Application Form.

UNE covers full public risk and professional indemnity insurance in relation to acts and omissions of students undertaken as part of their university program. A UNE Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement must be signed by representatives of both UNE and the placement site prior to the commencement of any placement activity associated with the site. UNE will effect and maintain these insurance policies throughout each placement:

• public liability and professional indemnity cover of $10 million for students and the UNE Placement Supervisor/s;

• personal accident insurance cover for students not covered by workers' compensation insurance; and

• workers' compensation insurance as required by law.

Note: UNE’s insurance does not cover illness suffered while on placement. This is particularly pertinent to the COVID-19 pandemic.

UNE will, on request, provide the placement site with copies of the Certificates of Currency for the insurance policies referred to within the Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement. Please contact the Clinical Placement Office if you require further information or a copy of the UNE insurance certificates.

PLACEMENT TIMELINE OVERVIEW

The timeline below outlines the primary actions and communications from the Clinical Placement Office prior to and during each placement:

Student UNE Clinical Placement Office Nominated supervisor

or placement site contact person.

Before placement

First year students enrolled in the BEXSS & BCEP courses complete a Working with Children Check (NSW based students) or your state’s equivalent and an Australian first aid certification which includes

• HLTAID001 Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation

• HLTAID002 Provide basic emergency life support

• HLTAID003 Provide first aid

The Clinical Placement Educator is responsible for the identification and acquisition of high quality placement experiences. Sites are evaluated and appropriate documentation is completed prior to a site being offered to students.

The Clinical Placement Office will endeavour to offer placement sites that match your preferred locations. Rural and hospital placement opportunities will be offered. Opportunities for subsidised accommodation options to assist you can be located on the Student Practicum Portal.

Each placement site will complete a Placement Site Expression of Interest and a Supervisor Declaration form. These documents contain essential information UNE is required to report to ESSA in terms of supervisor qualifications, facilities and activities available at each site.

The Placement Site Expression of Interest includes checklist of administrative steps that must be completed prior to the site being confirmed as appropriate.

Please update any supervisor contact details as necessary. The Clinical Placement Office will periodically send emails reminding sites to update details.

First year (or part-time equivalent) students enrolled in the BEXSS &

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BCEP courses create an InPlace account with the help of the Clinical Placement Office (contact via AskUNE) and uploads their First Aid Certification. Updated certifications are to be uploaded by the student as necessary. A valid first aid certification is required to be considered for placement.

EXSC322

Second year (or part-time equivalent) students enrolled in the BEXSS & BCEP courses who are potentially eligible for exercise science placement (EXSC322) the following year will be contacted by the Clinical Placement Office toward the end of trimester two to request confirmation that the student wishes to complete placement in the second trimester of the following calendar year.

EXSC390

Third year (or part-time equivalent) students enrolled in the BEXSS & BCEP courses who are potentially eligible for exercise physiology placement (EXSC390) the following year will be contacted by the Clinical Placement Office toward the end of trimester two to request confirmation that the student wishes to complete placement in the second trimester of the following calendar year.

Potential sites are to return a completed Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement. This is the legal agreement between the university and the legal entity connected to the placement site and these documents remain valid for 3-5 years.

Placement cannot commence without a valid Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement in place. The Clinical Placement Office will provide a copy of this Agreement on receipt of the completed Placement Site Expression of Interest.

January of the year of placement (EXSC322 & EXSC390)

Students who are potentially eligible to enrol in placement (assessed via completed credit points and projected completion of all pre-requisite units) will receive a Pre-Placement Interview Form.

Forms are to be returned to the Clinical Placement Office via AskUNE before 31 January.

Students must engage with the Clinical Placement Office in January to be considered for placement in that calendar year.

Enrolment in the placement units (EXSC322 & EXSC390) is completed only on receipt of approval from the Head of School. Approval is given only after the pre-requisite units have been successfully completed. This is usually no earlier than Orientation Week of trimester 2. Attempts to enrol in EXSC322 or EXSC390 prior to Orientation Week of trimester 2 will be declined.

The Clinical Placement Office confirms a Pre-Placement Interview for each student who has returned the

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required paperwork and has a valid first aid and CPR certification.

The Clinical Placement Office begins construction of each student’s individualised placement experience.

The Clinical Placement Office will send each supervisor a copy of their student’s Pre-Placement Interview Form (Student). This document provides an overview of the career aspirations, student’s previous experience, learning style and brief self-report of their strengths and areas in which the student could improve.

A phone interview will be conducted between the Clinical Placement Educator and the primary supervisor. This is an informal interview to discuss the general approach taken by the site to induct and guide the student through the placement and also provides an opportunity for the Clinical Placement Educator to discuss logistical and content expectations of unit assessment items and answer questions about the Supervisor Feedback Form which provides written feedback to the student and UNE regarding student performance. Supervisor feedback does not formally contribute to the student’s grade. UNE bases the student grade on summative unit assessment item results only. Candid feedback and open two way communication is important. The Clinical Placement Educator is available to support the supervisor with any difficulties in communicating student performance.

The Clinical Placement Office confirms in writing and on InPlace each student’s placement details including start dates and supervisor contact details.

Prior to Placement Commencing

Students are encouraged to make contact with their supervisor as soon as they have received the written confirmation from the Clinical Placement Office but no later than two (2) weeks prior to the commencement of placement to confirm

• Placement commencement date

• Placement estimated end date (completion of hours assuming competency has been demonstrated)

• Time and place of initial meeting at the start of placement

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• Placement physical address and contact details and confirm these match the UNE records

• Week to week timetable, capacity for flexible delivery, start and finish times

• Allocated break times

• Dress standards and grooming appropriate to the site (Students will be required to wear a UNE Exercise & Sports Science practicum shirt)

• Additional paperwork or pre-placement reading requirements; and

• Expected workplace exposure, duties and responsibilities.

Commencement of Placement

Assessment, approved activities and documentation requirements.

Student are required to read, understand and note the due dates for all placement unit (EXSC322 or EXSC390) assessment requirements.

Students are encouraged to review the ESSA Practicum Guide ‘approved activities’. Students are to discuss any concerns they have regarding the content of their placement activities with the site supervisor and the clinical Placement Educator as soon as possible.

Logbooks are a mandatory record of placement experience. Relevant logbook templates are available on the Student Practicum Portal. Student are required to commence logbooks from Day 1 of placement. Example logbook entries are available on the Moodle unit page. Logbooks should be sighted and signed by the nominates site supervisor weekly and are submitted with a completed and signed Record of Student Engagement to your student Moodle portal at the completion of the allocated hours at each site.

Orientation to Placement (Day 1)

All students must be oriented to the safety and documentation requirements of each placement site.

The student must be provided with a broad plan of what activities will be completed during their time at each site and what you as the supervisor expect of each student.

The Clinical Placement Office aims to provide students with a varied placement experience by encouraging students to attend two placement sites for EXSC322 placement hours (140 hours minimum) and EXSC390 placement hours (360 hours minimum).

Therefore students may be undertaking hours at two placement sites in tandem depending on the operating hours and demands of each site and the travel requirements.

All students must be made aware of how and when feedback is to be provided.

Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology may be completing additional units of study which will include attendance at the residential intensive school in Armidale within the allocated placement dates. Students must discuss this with their supervisors on their first day so appropriate adjustments can be made. The Clinical Placement Educator is on hand to mediate this process as required.

The Clinical Placement Office has made students aware of limits to hours worked according to Fair Work Australia and has dissuaded students from working while on placement. All

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students should be made aware of the site requirements for attendance.

The nominated site supervisor is encouraged to raise any potential difficulties with the Clinical Placement Office as soon as possible.

During the first week of placement the Clinical Placement Office will contact each student and their nominated site supervisor by phone and/or email. This is an opportunity to discuss how you are settling into placement. Students and nominated site supervisors are encouraged to contact the Clinical Placement Office if they have any concerns. After this contact has been made the Clinical Placement Office will then email the Mid Way Interview date and time to both the supervisor and student.

At the mid-way point of each placement the Clinical Placement Educator will conduct an online interview with both the student and the supervisor to the outcomes of placement to date. This interview primarily acts as an opportunity to identify any barriers to achieving the required competencies. A summary of the interview will be emailed to the student and the supervisor.

During the final week of placement at each site the Clinical Placement Office will send all students a reminder to have the logbook and ESSA Record of Student Engagement signed by the supervisor and for each student to complete the Student Feedback Form – Placement Supervisor.

Students must upload these documents to Moodle at the completion of hours at each placement site. This is mandatory to pass the placement unit (EXSC322 & EXSC390).

During the final week of placement at each site the Clinical Placement Office will remind the nominated site supervisor to complete the Supervisor Feedback Form, log book and ESSA Record of Student Engagement and return them to the student to upload to the Moodle online learning system.

Completion of Placement

After the required hours (≥ 140) and competency are obtained students are required to complete one Student Feedback Form – Placement Program to provide feedback to the Clinical Placement Office about their placement experience.

As soon as possible after the completion of placement hours the Clinical Placement Office will send each of the nominated supervisors a certificate of thanks to be used as evidence to collect ESSA CPD points for that calendar year.

By way of thanking our valued supervisors, each supervisor is granted access to the UNE library for the period of 12 months upon completion of the appropriate paperwork.

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

The UNE Pre-Placement Interview Form will be provided to you. This document outlines additional skills, training and experiences the students have as well as information related to their individual learning style (VAK).

As a placement supervisor you will be available to supervise and guide your assigned student/s throughout the practicum. The ESSA and UNE maximum ratio is 5 students per 1 supervisor at any

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given time. A student should not be completing any hours without the oversight of the clinical supervisor.

Please also be aware that students cannot count paid work towards their practicum hours, nor can they be paid for their practicum.

Should supervisors have any concerns with the ability of any student please raise this with the student in the first instance, and then discuss with the Clinical Placement Educator. If there are any concerns or difficulties around the student’s completion of video submissions, please contact the Clinical Placement Educator as early as possible.

The supervisor should involve the student in the day to day activities of the workplace as much as possible; that is, more than as an observer. Please incorporate the students as active assistants in work day tasks. This will enable them to understand the typical workload of your business and to utilise their knowledge where possible.

Placement supervisors should ensure that students are aware of the professional, safety, legal and ethical aspects of your work and the responsibilities entailed in dealing with patients or clients. Supervisor are also expected to:

o Maintain professional and ethical conduct with regard to all placement matters

o Provide learning opportunities and resources that will assist the students’ learning goals

o Assist the student with identifying learning needs, scope and objectives for the placement

o Observe and provide feedback to the student with respect to placement matters

o Undertake the completion of an interview with the Clinical Placement Educator and the student at the midway point (if placement exceeds 4 weeks’ duration), and completion of, the student’s placement.

o Confirm hours completed via an ESSA Student Record of Engagement

o Notify the Clinical Placement Office when students perform poorly or significant problems eventuate regarding placement.

STUDENT ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE

Prior to commencing practicum within either EXSC322 or EXSC390, students have successfully completed units which cover the following areas:

• Human anatomy and functional musculoskeletal anatomy

• Health and sports performance assessment and monitoring

• Biomechanics

• Exercise physiology

• Human pathophysiology in the pathology domains highlighted by ESSA (EXSC390)

• Human nutrition

• Biological, psychological and social contributors to physical activity and health

• Sports psychology

• Motor skill acquisition and performance

• Testing and training for physical fitness

• Growth and human development across the lifespan

• Sports medicine

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• Exercise testing (EXSC322)

• Exercise testing for healthy populations and clinical populations (EXSC390)

• Exercise prescription (EXSC322)

• Exercise prescription for healthy populations and clinical populations (EXSC390)

• Exercise programming (EXSC322)

• Exercise programming for healthy populations and clinical populations (EXSC390)

Students have therefore had exposure during their coursework and within EXSC322 (where relevant) to:

• Conducting client interviews

• Performing pre-exercise screening and risk assessment

• Identifying the need for medical clearance

• Assessing physical capacity

• Implementing musculoskeletal function tests and performing anthropometric measurements

• Generating and interpreting data

• Designing exercise programs

• Instructing exercise for individuals and groups

• Documentation (SOAP) and preparing reports

Prior to enrolment in placement students will also have submitted evidence of completing First Aid, CPR and Working with Children check requirements.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES THROUGHOUT PLACEMENT

During the placement, students are expected to work in a professional manner and uphold the standards required. They are also ambassadors for UNE and a guest in your facility. As such, they must be aware of and display an appropriate professional appearance, attitude and conduct during each placement.

Students are required to comply with the University’s Code of Conduct Rule. It is also an expectation that all supervisors and students are aware of and follow ESSA's Code of Professional Conduct and Ethical Practice.

UNE Students are required to

• Ensure they have completed all mandatory placement hours within the ascribed period (Trimester 2, July to September).

• Ensure confidentiality of information with respect to client and placement facility records.

• Maintain a logbook of all placement hours which is sighted and signed by their supervisor weekly.

• Complete a Record of Student Engagement indicating total number of hours completed and activities undertaken for each placement site which is sighted and signed by their supervisor on completion of their hours.

• Complete all tasks set by their supervisor including required reading and familiarisation tasks set out by the placement facility prior to commencing placement.

• Inform the placement supervisor if the student feels that adequate guidance and/or opportunities for development are not being provided or they are unable to follow the placement supervisor’s instructions

• Notify the placement supervisor if they expect to be late to the placement site throughout the placement. If the student is consistently late without justification, the placement supervisor should

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notify the Clinical Placement Office as soon as possible.

• Notify the placement supervisor if they are unwell during the placement. In the case of illness that extends over a period of time, the student is to notify the Clinical Placement Office as soon as possible. The Clinical Placement Office will work with the placement supervisor to identify if there is scope to make up for the missed hours/days

• Actively demonstrate a willingness to assist and learn and to be receptive to professional advice while undertaking placement

• Maintain open communication with the placement supervisor and Clinical Placement Office with respect to placement expectations and outcomes

• Seek information and feedback from the placement supervisor to assist with learning

• Ensure the placement supervisor completes the Supervisor Feedback Form at the midway and final point of each placement; and

• Complete a Student Feedback Form at completion of all placement hours to provide information to the Clinical Placement Office and future students about their experience.

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the ESSA requirements, the University of New England (UNE) Practicum Requirements must be met (documents and templates can be found on the Student Practicum Portal or in Moodle):

a. Completion of a logbook detailing total number of hours completed at each placement site and the activities undertaken during these hours. This logbook will be completed via Excel spreadsheet and is reviewed by the Clinical Placement Office;

b. Completion of an ESSA Record of Student Engagement detailing total number of hours completed and activities undertaken for each placement site, to be signed by placement supervisor/s;

c. Completion of pre-determined case studies (on Moodle) that utilise the SOAP note format detailing exercise assessment, prescription and delivery for clients encountered during placement. Please note that students will benefit from familiarising themselves with, and starting on, this assignment at the commencement of their placement/s;

d. Completion of a midway placement online interview with the supervisor and the Clinical Placement Educator (if placement exceeds 4 weeks’ duration), and an online interview at the completion of each placement,

e. Submission of a Supervisor Feedback Form indicating competency in key areas of practice and completion of required skills,

f. Submission of a Student Feedback Form at completion of all placement hours; and

g. Successful completion of a practical examination at the end of Trimester 2 that further assesses practical competency in exercise assessment, prescription and delivery.

SUPERVISOR FEEDBACK FORM: ASSESSMENT OF KEY COMPETENCIES

Key competencies have been introduced to reflect ESSA’s move toward outcomes based placement assessment. Accompanying the key competencies is a list of specific skills UNE students are required to demonstrate while on placement. These are skills students have previously been assessed on and assessment of these skills while on placement should be informal. That is, students are expected to fluidly integrate these skills into their clinical practice and be able to answer any questions you have regarding the usefulness and application of these skills. These changes are reflected in the Supervisor Feedback Form.

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If at the mid-point of a student’s placement you feel that the student is at risk of not reaching competency by the placement’s completion, please contact the Clinical Placement Educator. If a student does not achieve competency they will receive a failing grade for the unit.

GUIDELINES FOR MANAGING GRIEVANCES AND CONFLICT ON PLACEMENT

Under the conditions of the UNE Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement "any disputes and/or grievances that arise are agreed to be resolved in good faith and within a reasonable timeframe." Where a concern is identified, the placement supervisor must first take reasonable steps to discuss the matter with the student. Where the matter is not able to be resolved on site, the Clinical Placement Office must be notified.

Where the grievance is not of a litigious nature, the Clinical Placement Educator implements a course of action to resolve the issue. This may include, but is not limited to:

• Disciplinary action for students

• Implementing remedial learning activities for students

• Monitoring of students’ activities via increased phone consultation

• Monitoring of supervisors’ activities via increased phone consultation

• Provision of additional support for the supervisor to enhance mentoring skills

• Moderating a meeting between the parties

• A practicum site visit

• Termination of the practicum placement

Where the Clinical Placement Educator) is not able to resolve the matter, notice is given to the Course Coordinator for resolution.

Examples of problems that may arise include:

• Lateness, or extended absence by the student or supervisor

• Irresponsible or unprofessional behaviour by the student or supervisor

• Poor student or supervisor engagement

• The inability for the supervisor and student to communicate effectively

• Threatening or harassing behaviour on behalf of the student or supervisor

• A student failing to adhere to placement site business protocols

STUDENT WELFARE

The welfare of students is UNE’s responsibility. UNE may at any time, for the welfare of a student, cancel a Placement. If UNE cancels a Placement, UNE will advise the placement site Coordinator as soon as possible. Discipline and control of students is UNE’s responsibility. UNE acknowledges, however, that the placement site may direct a student about appropriate client care. If the placement site is not satisfied that a student is competent to perform an allotted task, or that a student does not, or cannot, conduct their working practice in a safe and professional manner, then the placement site may, acting reasonably, do any or all of these things:

• restrict access by that student to clients;

• direct that student to leave the placement site’s premises; or

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• take any other steps the placement site considers reasonable to ensure the student complies with a direction given under clause 7.4 of the UNE Clinical Placement (Legal) Agreement.

WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY

During placements all students are obliged to practice under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2000 to facilitate and uphold health and safety. Students are expected to:

• Work safely at all times within the work environment

• Cooperate and follow reasonable instructions

• Wear, use and care for protective equipment where provided

• Not wilfully endanger the safety of themselves or others

Injuries and Accidents

If a student is injured during their placement they must follow the procedures set by the Health Facility in which they are located. They must also report the injury immediately to the Clinical Placement Office. If an injury is received, students should complete an incident report. Any incident report completed during the placement should be copied and provided to the Clinical Placement Office. The student is responsible for uploading the document into InPlace and the Clinical Placement Office will ensure that a report is uploaded to the UNE Work Health and Safety site.

Working while on Placement

Due to professional and ethical responsibility, students are to be well prepared for placement, and have an obligation to be well rested prior to their placement. Being employed full or part time during the placement period does not allow students to meet this obligation, as there are work health and safety implications associated with this practice.

Students who work full or part time hours whilst attending placement are placing themselves at risk under work health and safety legislation and may also be at high risk in the event of any litigation from adverse outcomes. Students are expected to discuss any external work/family commitments that may affect their ability to engage in their placement with the Clinical Placement Office and their placement supervisor.

Supervisors should ensure that the student is appropriately briefed on all health and safety and emergency procedures of the work site at the commencement of placement. Such procedures may include: evacuation and emergency procedures such as medical emergency, fire, physical safety and security; reporting of hazards, incidents and accidents; infection and disease control procedures; workplace bullying and harassment policy and procedures.

It is also the responsibility of the placement supervisor to ensure an appropriate and compassionate as well as a safe placement environment for the student at all times, keeping in mind that this may be the student’s first placement experience.