Allied Health Student Placements in Residential Aged Care: Attitudes, Experiences and Impact

Despite clear needs to prepare allied health professionals to work in aged care to meet community needs, student placements in residential aged care are not commonplace. There is limited evidence that explores allied health students' attitudes to aged care placement learning experiences.

This work aims to examine the attitudes, experiences and impact of a residential aged care placement on allied health professional students.

The study employed an exploratory qualitative approach within an interpretative philosophy. Participants were 14 dietetics, occupational therapy and speech pathology students who had a placement experience in residential aged care in Australia. Students completed a demographics questionnaire, and either an online interview before and after their placement, or a group online interview after their placement. Verbatim transcripts were analysed thematically using an inductive approach.

Students acknowledged the usefulness of placement in 'Building Skills,' and proposed how they could translate these skills to future acute setting placements. However, the 'Legitimacy of the Learning Environment' was a concern given the limited in situ role modelling from their own profession. Students clearly identified how they had and could make a meaningful 'Contribution to Care' of the older person.

Placement experiences in residential aged care are a legitimate learning opportunity for allied health professional students to develop their capabilities to work with older people; however, the student sense of fit within the workplace was disconnected. Supporting effective student learning in the aged care setting is important to enable students to be prepared to enter the aged care workforce.