Developing occupational therapy and physiotherapy clinical support workers in their role in supporting student education

TL;DR

This study explores how clinical support workers help educate healthcare students and evaluates a training program to support their role.

Contribution

The study introduces a training program and identifies themes around clinical support workers' involvement in student education.

Findings

Clinical support workers are involved in student education and perceive it as adding value to their role.

Barriers and enablers to training program engagement include blended learning and management support.

There is a need for structures to legitimize clinical support workers' role in education.

Abstract

Global healthcare services face increasing pressures and workforce shortages. But at the same time, there are increasing learners in practice as part of longer-term workforce strategies, which, in turn, create extra demands on educators and teams. Anecdotally, we understand that clinical support workers (CSWs) are sharing responsibilities for student learning, yet there is limited understanding of this involvement or activities to support role development. The aims of this study were to (1) explore the CSW role in the practice education of students and (2) evaluate a training programme for CSWs.

A mixed-methods design was utilised; 17 CSWs completed a survey prior to completing a training programme, and 11 participated in focus groups after the programme.

We identified five themes: (1) supporting students is an expectation, (2) supporting students ‘boosts the role’, (3) legitimacy of the CSW role to support students, (4) application of new learning to practice and (5) enablers and barriers to engagement with the programme.

CSWs are part of practice education ‘Communities of Practice’, evidenced through regular involvement with student learning. Responsibilities for student learning are perceived as adding value, although there is an absence of structures to legitimise the role. CSWs identified barriers and enablers to engaging with the programme, such as blended learning approaches and management support.

Figures