Ms Laura King1, Dr Marie March1,2, Ms Justine Dougherty2, Ms Sharmane Motuliki1, Prof Sarah Dennis1,2,3
1Physiotherapy Department, Bankstown Lidcombe Hospital, South Western Sydney LHD, Sydney, Australia, 2Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 3Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
Biography:
Laura King is the Physiotherapy Aged Care and Rehabilitation Team Leader at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital. She has over 15 years’ experience as a clinical physiotherapist specialising in neurological physiotherapy. Laura was awarded Allied Health Educator of the Year in South Western Sydney Local Health District in 2024, reflecting her commitment and experience in staff and student clinical education. Laura has been nominated as a Stroke Care Champion Finalist by the national Stroke Foundation twice and nominated for the Pride of Australia award. Laura is passionate about improving stroke recovery, clinical education and using research to implement high quality stroke care.
Abstract:
Purpose:
High quality clinical placements provide essential opportunities for physiotherapy students to develop clinical and professional skills. Our project aims to evaluate a collaborative co-supervision model of physiotherapy student placements delivered at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.
Nature:
Prospective mixed methods study. Physiotherapy clinical educators and students were invited to focus groups or interviews to explore their experiences of co-supervision, defined as senior and emerging educators working together to supervise students. Thematic analysis was used to analyse transcribed qualitative data.
Issue:
Increasing clinical and student demand on physiotherapy clinical educators impacts the sustainability of the workforce, and new models of clinical placements are required to address these issues. Co-supervised clinical placements provide opportunities for emerging educators to develop skills in student supervision while maintaining placement capacity.
Outcome:
Preliminary analysis indicates students value co-supervision models. Co-supervision provided increased opportunities for feedback and exposure to diverse clinical perspectives and clinical areas. Students identified emerging educators as relatable, approachable and as valuable role models for transitioning to graduates.
Some students reported varying expectations of co-supervisors to be challenging. Students expressed a need for regular communication between educators and student expectations to remain clear and consistent.
Clinical educators identified placement structure and open communication between educators as important in placement design. Both emerging and senior educators felt this model increased their skills and confidence, better preparing them for future student placements and professional advancement.
Intentional placement design and structure is required to ensure the co–supervision model is effective, sustainable and able to meet increasing demand for placements.