Dr Michelle Kaminski1, Mrs Janet Golder1,2, Dr Abby Foster1,2,3
1Monash Health – Melbourne, Victoria, Cheltenham, Australia, 2Monash University, Frankston, Australia, 3La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
Biography:
Sharon is the Allied Health Education Lead at Monash Health. She has worked as an occupational therapist in the UK and Australia, across the private and public sectors. She found her passion for education when she took on the Occupational therapy student coordinator role in 2012 and has since expanded her knowledge and skills to workforce education and completed her master’s in clinical education.
Abstract:
Background and Objectives:
Workplace education is essential for staff development and high-quality patient care. Access to workplace education can positively impact employee engagement and satisfaction. High workloads, complex caseloads, and rapid patient turnover often allied health clinical supervisors' ability to offer this support to junior staff. To mitigate this, alternative models of workplace education require exploration. This project aimed to: (a) explore the impact of the introduction of allied health workforce clinical educators (WCEs) on employee job satisfaction, burnout, and retention, and (b) understand the experiences of allied health professionals (AHPs) with workforce clinical educators.
Methods:
Set in large metropolitan health service, a sequential mixed methods design was used. Phase 1 gathered quantitative data via pre- and post-implementation surveys and allied health retention data, analysed using descriptive statistics. Phase 2 involved focus groups to generate qualitative data, analysed using inductive content analysis.
Results:
Findings quantify the magnitude and direction of the impact of the implementation of WCE on the job satisfaction, burnout, and retention levels of senior AHPs, who previously bore the responsibility for workplace education of AHPs. Focus group findings provide a deep understanding of the experiences of AHPs who engaged with WCEs, including both the benefits and tensions experienced.
Discussion and conclusion:
WCEs are an emerging educational model in allied health. Evaluation findings will be used to inform clinical education provided to AHPs and shape WCE roles in the future.