Pre-Placement Online Session Notes

Semester Background and Social Responsibility

• Canvas and Technical Challenges: The semester has encountered significant technology hurdles, including an international shutdown of Canvas.

  • Impact: While the shutdown lasted approximately $72$ hours, the recovery and workload implications have spanned about $2$ weeks.
  • Session Rescheduling: This pre-placement session was moved to Week $15$ based on student feedback. Students were focused on assessment items during Week $13$, and it was determined that their "headspace" was not ready for placement preparation at that time.

• Acknowledgement of Country and Reconciliation Week:

  • Ngunnawal People: Acknowledgement of the traditional custodians of the lands from which the presentation is given, paying respect to elders past, present, and emerging.
  • National Reconciliation Week: This week follows National Sorry Day, which commemorates the $30$-year anniversary of the "Bringing Our Kids Home" report regarding the Stolen Generation.
  • Report Findings: Statistics indicate that after $30$ years, only $10\%$ of the recommendations in the report have been fully completed by federal, state, or territory governments. A significant portion of recommendations has never been started.
  • Ethical Implications: Concerns were noted in Parliament that many members of the Stolen Generation have passed away without seeing a meaningful governmental response. This highlights the ongoing necessity of advocating for Indigenous health and education, as "GAP" reports illustrate that outcomes for First Nations people still do not match those of white Australians.

Placement Status and Allocation Updates

• Placement Statistics: There are $100$ students currently preparing for placement.
• Reallocations: In the last $7$ working days, approximately $12$ placements ($10\%$ of the total) required reprogramming or reallocation.
  • Causes: These changes were driven by site cancellations and specific design concerns raised by practice educators.
  • Current Status: Students with pending allocations should remain patient as the "EOT PRAC" team works to confirm quality practice education placements.
• Geographic Stability:
  • All students previously allocated outside of Canberra will remain in those locations.
  • All students flagged for Canberra-based placements will remain in Canberra.
  • Note: The nature or context of the specific placement (e.g., the facility or setting) may shift during this final confirmation process.
• Next Steps for Students:
  • Professional Introduction: Students must update their CV and prepare an email introduction blurb (templates are available on Canvas).
  • Wait for Confirmation: Do not email sites until final confirmations are sent, which is expected by early next week.

Simulation (Sim) Week Requirements

• Purpose: Simulation week is an extension of the practice education placement, not a standard on-campus learning experience. It prepares students for the "Day One" reality of clinical work.
• Attendance Expectations:
  • Uniform: Students must arrive at the University of Canberra Bruce campus in their full placement uniform with name badges.
  • Punctuality: Students must be in their location, seated, and ready at the "tick of the clock."
  • Timing: Specific start and finish times are approximately $9:00\text{ am}$ to $4:30\text{ pm}$ daily.
• Professional Appearance:
  • Clothing: Smarter attire (no activewear), dark-colored pants, and closed-in shoes.
  • Footwear Specifics: Shoes should be professional and context-appropriate. A smart black sneaker is acceptable for active playgroups/pediatrics. However, hospital settings require waterproof/leather black runners or shoes to protect against spills (no mesh fabrics).
• Location Details: Exact campus locations and further announcements regarding Sims will be posted on Canvas shortly.

Educational Philosophy: Academic vs. Practice-Based Learning

• On-Campus Learning (Academic):
  • Structure: Defined by unit outlines and specific assessment items.
  • Feedback: Lectures, workshops, and general questions are provided, but educators cannot give explicit "answers."
  • Error-Risk Learning: Students present their best work for a grade; failures or poor grades occur after submission.
  • Post-Assessment: Knowledge is often "parked" or set aside once an assignment is finished.
• Placement Learning (Practice-Based):
  • Structure: Iterative and cyclic ($\text{Plan} \rightarrow \text{Do} \rightarrow \text{Reflect} \rightarrow \text{Change}$).
  • Growth Mindset: Students must be comfortable with "safe mistakes" and showing errors in their thinking to learn.
  • The "It Depends" Principle: Knowledge must be adaptive. What works for one client might not work for the next due to context.
  • Vulnerability and Humility: Students are expected to "have a go" even without total confidence. This includes early participation like introducing oneself or performing parts of a standardized assessment.

Workplace Relations and Supervisor Expectations

• Patient-Centered Focus: The client/consumer and their well-being are the primary priority. Student learning is the secondary focus once in the work environment.
• Respecting Supervisor Workload: Supervisors maintain their own KPIs, existing workloads, and public service responsibilities.
  • Communication Protocol: Always seek permission before asking questions or requesting feedback (e.g., "I see you are working on a report; when would be an appropriate time to discuss my work?").
  • Appointments: Do not simply state you will be absent for a doctor’s appointment. Present it as a proposal: "I have an appointment scheduled for this time; my plan is to make up the hours by doing X. Is this okay?"
• Consumer Roles: In student-led settings like the UC Health Hub, consumers expect to work with students and be part of the education team. In public systems (e.g., Canberra Health Services), specific permissions are more rigid.

Learning Objectives and Professional Standards

• 1. Professionalism: Demonstrating ethical and safe practice. Includes punctuality, appropriate technology use (e.g., locking away phones in early childhood settings per legislation), and responding to feedback to change behaviors.
• 2. Theory and Knowledge: Discussing (rather than just applying) theories of occupation. Examples include referencing CanMOP or COTIIP and discussing how scientific or narrative reasoning explains a supervisor's actions.
• 3. Occupational Process and Practice: Carrying out practice tasks such as gathering information, running groups, or assisting with intervention circuits. Students are not expected to make final clinical decisions alone but should offer ideas based on professional reasoning.
• 4. Communication: Building partnerships with clients, families, and stakeholders through kind and ethical information gathering.
• 5. Master’s Students Only: Critically integrating existing life skills, previous degrees, and work experiences into an Occupational Therapy (OT) lens.

Assessment and Passing Requirements

• Holistic and Ungraded: Assessments are Pass/Fail. Tutors look at the "collective" body of work (Learning Plan, Portfolio, Supervision Notes, etc.).
• Moderation Process:
  • If a student receives a "developing" or "fail" grade on an item, a moderation discussion occurs.
  • Outcomes: A passing grade, a "Moderated Plan" (additional tasks to demonstrate skills), or a requirement to repeat the unit.
• Failure Statistics: The program has a global failure rate of approximately $5\%$, though this typically occurs in OTPP $2$ or $3$.
• "Surprise" Failures: $99\%$ of supervisors provide excellent feedback. In the $1\%$ instance of a "vicious surprise" failure where no prior warning was given, the University will intervene to review supervision notes and logs.

The ePortfolio (Mahara)

• Profile Page: Must include a professional image, current CV, and a "Professional Bio" describing values and ways of working for potential consumers.
• Artifact of Occupation: An image or artifact representing the student’s current understanding of occupation and health (e.g., a quote by Mary Riley or William Okupair).
• Context Piece: A creative artifact (video, image, Kahua River model, concentric circles) exploring how Micro, Meso, and Macro factors shape practice. Peer-placed students may submit a joint artifact.
• Supervision Notes: Documentation of the weekly $30$ to $60$-minute formal session. It is the student's responsibility to write these notes and return them to the supervisor to close the communication loop.
• Reflections: Two reflections over $5$ weeks focusing on learning/action rather than just feelings. Use of the "$4$ Fs" is common, but experimentation is encouraged.

Consumer Feedback (PEPPA Model)

• The PEPPA Model: Plan, Engage, Process, Action.
• Procedure:
  • Top and Tail: Introduce the goal of feedback at the start of a session and follow up at the end.
  • Open Dialogue: Ask "What do you think I could do to improve?" rather than "Is there anything to improve?"
  • Closing the Loop: Give the consumer a thank-you card that mentions what was learned and how it will be actioned.
• Myths: Research shows consumers are not "too sick" to provide feedback and are typically constructive and kind rather than overly critical.

Standardized Assessment Tool

• Tool Title: Evaluation of Foundations of Placement Competencies (replaces the longer SPEF tool).
• Criteria:
  • Adhering to AHPRA Code of Conduct and Australian ethics.
  • Active learner behaviors (washing dishes in the work kitchen, setting up, showing initiative).
  • Identifying risks and limitations without shame.
• Scoring: $\text{Scale of } 0 \text{ to } 4$.
  • Mostly $3$s and $4$s indicate readiness to progress.
  • Mostly $0$s and $1$s trigger the moderation process.
• Self-Assessment: Students MUST complete the form on themselves first before discussing the supervisor's ratings.

Questions & Discussion

• Question Regarding CHS Study Plans: Sya asked about a "study plan" request from CHS.
  • Response: CHS supervisors are being notified that for this entry-level placement, the requirement is waived. Students will develop a Learning Plan with their educator in Week $1$.
• Question Regarding Goals: Louisa noted her supervisor already emailed placement goals.
  • Response: This is acceptable for drafting the initial plan.
• Question Regarding Childcare/Strikes: Amy asked about upcoming childcare and school strikes during Sim/Prac weeks.
  • Response: This is "on notice." The University is aware and will provide guidance as they are in the same situation.
• Time Sheets: Calculations are automated once the start date is entered. Self-directed learning (SDL) includes pre-placement modules (e.g., ACT Health/New South Wales Health) or work assigned that is not directly supervised. CHS work hours are $9:00\text{ am}$ to $4:51\text{ pm}$; SDL can bridge the gap to reach the required $1000$ hours for the degree.