JCPSLP Vol 19 No 1 2017

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JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 1 2017 41
to participate in the study at the end of their placement.
They were advised that their participation was independent
of their clinical placement and would not impact in any way
on their assessment grades. Students in group 1
completed semi-structured interviews as OT/SLP pairs (four
pairs of two students). Students in all groups completed a
post-placement survey.
Clinical educators completed semi-structured interviews
as OT/SLP pairs. One clinical educator team (OT CE 1 and
SLP CE 1) participated in two interviews, one in 2013 and
one in 2016.
Data Collection
Survey tool
Student participants in all groups completed the 10-minute
survey 1 week to 2 months following their placement. It
involved 15 five-point Likert scale items asking questions
about students’ experiences of the learning environment,
clinical skills development, knowledge of working with
Indigenous people, supervision and feedback, and overall
experience of their placement. Questions were also asked
about the impact of the student placement on knowledge,
attitudes and skills, for example, “I am more likely to consider
working in Indigenous contexts in the future as a result of this
placement”. Two open-ended response items on the positive
and negative aspects of the placement were also included.
Interviews
Interviews were conducted by an independent researcher
not associated with the student clinic. A semi-structured CE
and student interview guide was used. Questions focused
on the placement structure, teaching processes and
practices, how these developed over time in context 1, and
how students responded to these processes.
Data analysis
Data collected from 2013 to 2016 were pooled and
analysed together.
Survey data
Quantitative survey data was grouped and descriptively
analysed to provide percentages of student responses.
Open-ended questions were analysed using content
analysis.
Interview data
Interview data were analysed using a qualitative description
approach (Sandelowski, 2000). Transcripts were reviewed
by two of the researchers and initial coding categories were
independently generated, then adjusted after comparison
and discussion. A proportion of the data (approximately
20%) was then coded by one researcher for each data set
(student and CE). Further discussion with the research team
occurred and refinements to the coding categories were
made. One researcher then coded the remainder of the
student data and another researcher coded the CE data.
Results
Findings from the qualitative data are used to structure the
results, with quantitative data from the surveys integrated
throughout. Four main themes emerged. These were: 1)
Structures and processes supporting placements; 2) The
importance of relationships; 3) Client-centred practice; and
4) Interprofessional leadership.
Structures and processes
Eighty-six per cent of students felt they were adequately
prepared by the university for their placement. CE and
community-controlled entity with governance from key
Indigenous community members. The therapy service has
weekly interaction with both the principal and board
members to ensure its responsiveness to cultural and
broader school needs. The service commenced as an OT
clinic at an urban school for students from prep to year 12
and evolved into an interprofessional SLP/OT clinic from
2011. This sessional (half-day/week for 12 weeks during
each university semester) student clinic provides school-
based interventions and is linked to a broader service
delivery model which comprises other allied health services
and a school-employed OT and SLP.
Context 2: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Community Controlled Health Services
(ATSICCHS)
Funding was obtained from the Queensland Regional
Training Network (QRTN) to trial a student service in four
clinics across south-east Queensland (SEQ). These clinics
were all members of a regional body tasked with
coordination of service delivery and workforce development
in SEQ ATSICCHS. Students attended sessional ATSICCHS
clinics in four locations where there was no existing
established allied health service and focused on developing
skill development programs for children from 3 to 5 years.
However, service delivery design aligned with the already
established clinical and cultural governance of the existing
allied health services across the regional network, including
a governance model which was driven by Indigenous
leadership.
In both contexts, service delivery was designed using
“strengths-based, action-oriented approaches to achieving
cultural safety that can facilitate increased access to
affordable, available, appropriate and acceptable health
care” (IAHA, 2015, p. 8). Programs were designed with
local Indigenous staff to incorporate activities with cultural
meaning for children and families.
Participants
There were two groups of participants in this study.
Students
Students who completed sessional placements within these
two interprofessional clinic contexts were invited to
participate in this study. There were three subgroups of
student participants, all of whom were undergraduate
students in their third or final year or graduate entry masters
students in their first or second year who attended a clinic
in interprofessional teams: Group 1 included four SLP and
four OT students attending a Murri School placement in
2013; Group 2 included 24 SLP and 24 OT students who
had completed a placement at the Murri School between
2013 and 2015; Group 3 included 18 OT and six SLP
students who attended an ATSICCHS clinic in 2014. Of all
students approached to participate, the following
consented: Group 1 – four SLP and four OT students;
Group 2 – 13 SLP and four OT students; Group 3 – three
SLP and eight OT (one of whom was Indigenous) students.
Clinical educators
All four clinical educators (CEs) who supervised the
students, an OT and SLP CE in each context, agreed to
participate in this study. All CEs were female and had a
range of 2–35 years of experience in supervising students.
Procedure
Ethical approval to conduct the study was obtained from
the relevant university ethics board. Students were invited
Jodie Copley
(top), Teresa
Quinlan (centre),
and Rebekah
White