How do the attitudes of therapeutic radiographers affect students' learning during practice placement?

Practice placements are essential for radiotherapy students to learn and embed the necessary skills for practice; thus, each placement should afford an optimum learning experience. A key finding from the Phase 3 student arm of recent doctoral research suggests that for some students an optimum learning experience is not guaranteed. Using students' own words, this paper seeks to increase radiographers' awareness of how their behaviours can affect students' placement learning, and aims to help improve the placement learning experience for both.

A three-phase, U.K.-wide, mixed methods study was conducted. In the Phase 3 student arm, qualitative data were gathered via focus groups/interviews from volunteer student radiographers. Data were transcribed, manually coded, and analysed thematically by the Researcher using the applied research methodology Framework Analysis.

The analysed data were complimentary to radiographers, overall, but common themes were identified criticising certain of their attitudes and behaviours. Students exhibited fragility in response to perceived negative attitudes and behaviours, and failed to develop resilience in response to further similar experiences. This had a negative effect on their placement learning. Positive attitudes from radiographers enhanced students' placement learning. The placement experiences of radiotherapy students are consistent with those of other AHP and nursing students identified in the literature.

Increasing radiographers' awareness of the negative and positive effects of their behaviours and attitudes will help improve students' placement learning experience. Students' resilience may be improved by teaching them coping strategies to use on placement.

The retention of radiotherapy students is an urgent concern for the radiotherapy profession therefore it is important to take steps to improve it. Enhancing students' placement experience may contribute to increased retention.