Sealey, Rebecca (2008) WIL to ensure workplace readiness in Allied Health: a regional University perspective. In: Proceedings of Leadership of Learning and Teaching Forum 2008. pp. 33-34. From: Leadership of Learning and Teaching Forum 2008, 30-31 October 2008, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

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Abstract

The Institute of Sport and Exercise Science and James Cook University integrates four WIL subjects into their undergraduate degree programs totalling 500 hrs of placement across at least seven different facilities. The WIL subjects focus on the translation from theory to practice, and a progression from in-house client-centred experience while under the tuition of the subject coordinator, to workplace learning and interaction under the tuition of workplace supervisors. This transition occurs from the apparently healthy Sport and Exercise Science field and then progresses to the higher risk and more complex Clinical Exercise Physiology environment. The main focus is to provide students with a variety of opportunities to develop personal and professional skills pertinent to the Allied Health workforce. Difficulty lies however, in providing Allied Health WIL placements that are supervised by appropriately qualified personnel. Further, while accreditation bodies require evidence of WIL for accreditation and employers require employees to be accredited; suitable workplaces are unable to facilitate WIL due to the increased workload inherent with workplace supervision and tuition. Universities and Government should focus on providing financial assistance to students required to travel for WIL and to qualified workplaces to facilitate WIL. Given the shortage of appropriately qualified supervisors in the workforce, it is also recommended that Universities establish in-house community-based training facilities. Such facilities would act as appropriately supervised "learning clinics". This would alleviate student travel costs and workforce-workload burden, and ensure appropriate supervision and suitable theory-to-practice translation for best practice. The question is who pays for the set-up and maintenance of such facilities? One suggestion is to utilise the facility as a dual research-teaching centre with funding provided in-part by research grants.

Item ID:	12148
Item Type:	Conference Item (Presentation)
Related URLs:	Organisation
Date Deposited:	21 Aug 2012 05:47
FoR Codes:	13 EDUCATION > 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy > 130209 Medicine, Nursing and Health Curriculum and Pedagogy @ 100%
SEO Codes:	93 EDUCATION AND TRAINING > 9303 Curriculum > 930301 Assessment and Evaluation of Curriculum @ 100%
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