Ms Judith Merritt1, Ms Jordana Maio1, Mr Michael Sharp1
1University Of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Biography:
Judith Merritt has a long career in clinical and academic occupational therapy. She pioneered the UniSA school-based OT service-learning placement and is dedicated to advancing allied health services within schools. Jordana Maio is a lecturer and practice education coordinator in speech pathology at the University of South Australia with a keen interest in developing and designing innovative interprofessional learning placements. Michael Sharp has over a decade of experience in paediatric occupational therapy settings. As a clinical educator, he has supervised over 100 allied health students during their university placements, focusing on innovative teaching methods that promote long lasting learning.
Abstract:
Traditional interprofessional learning (IPL) models often rely on simulation-based learning, limiting students' exposure to authentic interprofessional collaboration and real-client interactions. The UniSA Orion Allied Health Student Service (Orion) addresses this gap by embedding occupational therapy (OT) and speech pathology (SP) students in pre-school and school-based settings, bridging service-allied health gaps by providing hands-on experience in an authentic service-delivery context. It addresses common challenges in IPL design by balancing individual and discipline specific learning needs with shared interprofessional responsibilities as well as jointly collaborating with teachers in and out of the classroom.
Key features of Orion include a hybrid supervision approach and built-in collaboration between the professions for therapy planning and delivery. The hybrid supervision model balances discipline specific with cross-disciplinary supervision, ensuring both profession-specific and interprofessional competencies are developed. Collaborative communication and clinical reasoning are specifically modelled by supervisors during workshops and throughout service provision.
Formal evaluation via student industry projects and student surveys highlights increased student confidence in interprofessional collaboration, improved clinical reasoning, and enhanced ability to set and achieve collaborative therapy goals. Schools report greater efficiency, with fewer disruptions and a more cohesive approach to allied health service provision. Orion’s success demonstrates a replicable and impactful IPL model with applications beyond school-based services. This presentation will provide insights into its design, key challenges, and future opportunities for adaptation across allied health education.