Student-resourced service delivery of occupational therapy rehabilitation groups: patient, clinician and student perspectives about the ingredients for success.

Background: A number of innovative models of student practice placements are emerging due to pressures on universities to provide quality practice placements and on health services to deliver rehabilitation efficiently, safely and cost-effectively. The student-resourced service delivery (SRSD) group program is one such model in occupational therapy. There is a paucity of research evidence to guide services in planning, implementing and evaluating the SRSD model.

Microfluidic tumor-on-a-chip model to evaluate the role of tumor environmental stress on NK cell exhaustion.

Solid tumors generate a suppressive environment that imposes an overwhelming burden on the immune system. Nutrient depletion, waste product accumulation, hypoxia, and pH acidification severely compromise the capacity of effector immune cells such as T and natural killer (NK) cells to destroy cancer cells. However, the specific molecular mechanisms driving immune suppression, as well as the capacity of immune cells to adapt to the suppressive environment, are not completely understood.

Experiences of and support for the transition to practice of newly graduated occupational therapists undertaking a hospital graduate Program.

Introduction: Newly graduated occupational therapists face well-documented difficulties as they embark on professional practice. Occupational therapy departments need to ensure that new graduates conduct their roles appropriately while developing experience and building clinical and professional skills. This study aimed to explore the experiences of new graduates at a major Australian metropolitan hospital occupational therapy department, the support provided to them and their perceptions of this support.

Allied health pre-entry student clinical placement capacity: can it be sustained?

Objective Meeting the demand for clinical placements in an environment of increasing university cohort growth and changes in health service delivery models is challenging. This paper describes the outcomes of a quality review activity designed to gain key stakeholder perspectives on the enablers and barriers to sustaining effort to placement provision and reports on: (1) measures used to determine the effect of a jurisdiction-wide initiative in clinical education for five allied health professions; (2) outcomes of data related to key factors affecting placement supply and demand; and (3) qualitative perspectives from management, workforce and university stakeholders on placement sustainability. Methods This study reviewed clinical placement, staff full-time equivalent numbers, university program and student cohort data for five allied health professions from 2013 to 2016.

Simulation in Occupational Therapy Curricula: A literature review.

Background/aim: Simulated learning experiences are increasingly being used in health-care education to enhance student engagement and provide experiences that reflect clinical practice; however, simulation has not been widely investigated in occupational therapy curricula. The aim of this paper was to: (i) describe the existing research about the use and evaluation of simulation over the last three decades in occupational therapy curricula and (ii) consider how simulation has been used to develop competence in students.

Methods: A literature review was undertaken with searches of MEDLINE, CINAHL and ERIC to locate articles that described or evaluated the use of simulation in occupational therapy curricula.

New graduate transition to practice: how can the literature inform support strategies?

Objective The transition to practice for new graduate health professionals has been identified as challenging, with health services typically adopting a range of support and management strategies to assist safe professional practice. Queensland's state-wide Occupational Therapy Clinical Education Program supporting new graduates within public sector health facilities conducted a narrative literature review to identify evidence-based recommended actions that would assist new graduate occupational therapists' to transition from student to practitioner. Method Searches of Medline, CINAHL and PubMed databases were used to locate articles describing or evaluating occupational therapy new graduate support actions.

Pre-entry student clinical placement demand: can it be met?

Objectives: The Clinical Education Workload Management Initiative (the Initiative) is a unique, multiprofessional, jurisdiction-wide approach and reform process enshrined within an industrial agreement. The Initiative enabled significant investment in allied health clinical education across Queensland public health services to address the workload associated with providing pre-entry clinical placements. This paper describes the outcomes of a quality review activity to measure the impact of the Initiative on placement capacity and workload management for five allied health professions.

Supporting new graduate professional development: a clinical learning framework.

Background/aims: New graduate occupational therapists are required to competently deliver health-care practices within complex care environments. An occupational therapy clinical education programme within a large public sector health service sought to investigate methods to support new graduates in their clinical learning and professional development.

Methods: Three cycles of an insider action research approach each using the steps of planning, action, critical observation and reflection were undertaken to investigate new graduate learning strategies, develop a learning framework and pilot its utility.

An approach to building research capacity for health practitioners in a public health environment: an organisational perspective.

A unique opportunity to engage in research capacity-building strategies for health practitioners arose within public sector health services during the negotiations for an industrial agreement. A research capacity-building initiative for health practitioners that is allied health, oral health and scientist practitioners was funded and the components of this initiative are described. The initiative was implemented using a research capacity-building framework developed from a review of the literature and stakeholder consultations.

What makes a quality occupational therapy practice placement? Students' and practice educators' perspectives.

Background/aim: Practice placement experiences are crucial to enable students to integrate theory with practice, demonstrate professional and interpersonal skills and build confidence in their practice skills. This study addressed practice educators' and students' perspectives regarding quality practice placement experiences.

Method: In total 29 students, 41 practice educators and eight practice education staff members across three Queensland universities participated in focus groups or individual interviews (N=78) focusing on their views about quality learning experiences on placements.

Development of the student practice evaluation form revised edition package.

Background/aim: This paper describes the development of the Student Practice Evaluation Form Revised Edition (SPEF-R) Package. This assessment tool was based on the Student Placement Evaluation Form (SPEF), which was used nationally to evaluate student performance on professional practice placements.

Methods: The SPEF-R was developed using an action research process through three cycles of action and reflection: (1) national consultation through telephone interviews with participants from three stakeholder groups (10 academics, 28 practice educators and 18 students); (2) development of the SPEF-R Package; and (3) feedback on draft, piloting and launch.