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What are the practical challenges associated with attending professional practice placements as a healthcare student
Tanya Capper1, Lynnelle Moran2, Meena Gupta2
1School of Nursing, Midwifery and Paramedicine Australian Catholic University, Australia; CQUniversity, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences, Brisbane, Australia.
Aim:
To identify and synthesise evidence on the non-clinical and non-educational challenges faced by healthcare students required to complete placements in Australia.
Background:
Countries worldwide are facing healthcare staffing shortages and Australia is no exception. Meeting the healthcare needs of current and future generations requires steady inflows of graduates to sustain and grow the workforce. However, the compulsory placements healthcare students must complete as part of their course pose challenges, contributing to course attrition. While extensive research has explored difficulties faced during placements, understanding of the non-clinical and non-educational challenges remains limited.
Design:
Integrative review.
Methods:
Whittemore and Knafl's five-stage framework was followed. ERIC, APA PsycInfo, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus databases were searched for literature published between January 2014 and February 2025. A manual search was conducted to identify other relevant literature. The quality of the included primary studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT).
Results:
Thirty-one papers met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis identified two intersecting themes; "financial challenges' and 'logistical challenges' which had micro, meso and macro level impacts.
Conclusions:
Significant changes to placement structures and requirements are required to grow the healthcare workforce in Australia. The onus can no longer be placed on students to 'find a way' of completing placements. Key stakeholders must collaborate to co-design entry to practice programs that support healthcare students from all backgrounds to complete placements and enter the workforce.
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