JCPSLP Vol 23 No 3

student questionnaire included only four free text questions and detailed student demographic information was not available. There was no opportunity to clarify the meaning of written responses from participants. This study only explores student and new graduate SLPs’ perceptions of learning, rather than directly assessing their learning under different placement conditions. Further exploration of how universities align their clinical education program within the academic curriculum, and balance student needs with placement opportunities and accreditation requirements may give further insights into a range of models that optimise student learning. Following students longitudinally through their clinical education program and their transition to the workplace would give richer insights into student learning during each stage of training. Conclusion Students and new graduate SLPs in this study identified the significant role of clinical education in their journey to becoming SLPs. They reflected on the complexities of universities providing quality clinical education opportunities and generated suggestions for future curriculum development. Consistent with previous literature, students and new graduate SLPs reflected on how their learning, confidence, competency and future employment pathways educators. Clinical placements were seen as integral to student learning with students expressing confidence that placement opportunities developed their skills. Overall, students reported a desire for more quality placement experiences within their university curriculum. Declaration of interest This research emerged from data collected as part of the Clinical Education in Australia project, funded by Speech Pathology Australia. References Bartimote-Aufflick, K., Bridgeman, A., Walker, R., Sharma, M., & Smith, L. (2016). The study, evaluation, and improvement of university student self-efficacy. Studies in Higher Education , 41 (11), 1918–1942. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1080/03075079.2014.999319 Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology , 3 (2), 77–101. http://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa Brewer, M., van Kessel, G., Sanderson, B., & Carter, A. (2021). Enhancing student resilience by targeting staff resilience, attitudes and practices. Higher Education Research & Development , 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0 7294360.2021.1877622 Brown, T., Yu, M. L., Hewitt, A. E., Isbel, S. T., Bevitt, T., & Etherington, J. (2020). Exploring the relationship between resilience and practice education placement success in occupational therapy students. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal , 67 (1), 49–61. https://doi. org/10.1111/1440-1630.12622 Daniels, J., & Brooker, J. (2014). Student identity development in higher education: implications for graduate attributes and work-readiness. Educational Research , 56 (1), 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2013.874157 Davenport, R., Hewat, S., Ferguson, A., McAllister, S., & Lincoln, M. (2018). Struggle and failure on clinical placement: A critical narrative review. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders , 53 (2), 218–227. https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12356 were positively impacted by authentic workplace experiences with skilled and approachable clinical

of Australia’s university SLP programs, SPA (2018) reported substantial variation in clinical education programs, including the number of placement days offered across the duration of the degree, ranging from 64 to 123. Previous research has also reported that universities use a mix of placement types (Sheepway et al., 2011) with no difference in competency outcomes between placement models (Sheepway et al., 2014). In this study, students preferred intensive, block placements, as they described feeling more immersed in the workplace context, part of the team, and experiencing more authentic client interactions. When developing or reviewing SLP curricula, the alignment of academic and clinical learning should be considered, along with inclusion of observation experiences and intensive block models. Theme 2 identified that placement preparation, support and the characteristics of the clinical educator were important to participants’ learning during placement and their perceptions of a quality experience. Effective clinical educator skills and qualities have been explored in a recent systematic review (Gibson et al., 2019). It is acknowledged that the clinical educator is crucial in facilitating optimal learning environments (Davenport et al., 2018) that promote development of student confidence, learning, success and professional identity. Recent literature also suggests that strong professional identity facilitates workplace performance, patient care and staff retention (O’Leary & Cantillon, 2020; Römgens et al., 2020). Student factors discussed by participants (theme 3) highlighted challenges and stressors related to managing workload during placement, such as balancing academic, placement and paid work requirements. Previous research has explored the link between resilience, stress management and coping strategies for a student’s successful performance on placement (Brewer et al., 2021; Brown et al., 2020). Similarly, the workplace for new graduate SLPs is also stressful, and O’Leary and Cantillon (2020) reported that graduates need to be self-sufficient, patient-centred and have a strong professional identity. Self-efficacy means having the belief and confidence in one’s own skills to achieve a desired goal and is linked to achievement, self-regulation, motivation and successful use of learning strategies (Bartimote-Aufflick et al., 2016). Therefore, strategies to enhance students’ self-efficacy, resilience and professional identity before, during and after placements, would support students to deal with placements and workplaces that students perceive to be challenging. Placing students in roles that require a degree of autonomy and involvement in decision-making would develop these skills. Findings from themes 4 and 5 highlight the concept of transition. Students reinforced that clinical education supports the transition from theory to practice, and new graduate SLPs discussed the difficulty of transitioning from university to work. Similar findings have been reported by O’Leary and Cantillon (2020) and Sturman et al. (2017). New graduate SLPs reported that placements influence where they apply for jobs and their confidence doing these roles. However, new graduate SLPs also requested assistance with resume writing and interview skills as well as a deeper exploration of transitioning to work. Future research should explore the influence of placement on transition to the workplace. Limitations and future directions The results should be interpreted cautiously given the small number of new graduate SLP participants. Further, the

149

JCPSLP Volume 23, Number 3 2021

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au