Skip to main content

Table 2 Brief explanation of the clinical placement models

From: Clinical placement models for undergraduate health professions students: a scoping review

CLINICAL PLACEMENT MODEL

BRIEF EXPLANATION

Block

Block placement models integrate full-time clinical placements for periods of weeks within study periods or vacation breaks. Apprenticeship style of learning underpins block placement models. Students have to achieve specific objectives which are aligned to the placement site [16].

Collaborative

Collaborative placement models emphasise on the assignment of two or more students to a clinical facilitator namely, 1:1; 2:1; and 3:1 placement [25]. In this review, articles that further include clinical learning dyads, preceptor partnerships were included under collaborative placement models.

Combination

Some studies reported a combination of established clinical placement models to enhance specific outcomes. Combination models in this review, reflect an amalgamation of established clinical placement models [37].

Dedicated Education Unit

The dedicated education unit are models that reflect specific units or wards within a hospitals that are dedicated for the clinical placement of students [41].

Innovative models

Innovative models for clinical placements reflects non-conventional models for clinical placement that were perceived as new by the implementers in their setting such as clinical academies, alternative weekly placements, capacity development facility models and sandwich approaches [45,46,47,48,49,50]

Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships

Longitudinal integrated clerkships reflected a situations where students are engaged in comprehensive patient care for extended periods of up to a year, through relationships with clinicians aimed at acquiring core clinical competences across disciplines simultaneously [52].

Practice or project based

Practice or project based models encompassed community based placement approaches where students collaborated with the community in analysing, planning, implementing and evaluating participatory community practice projects [56].

Role- emerging

Role-emerging placements take place in non-conventional settings without the expected specific health professional employed, with supervision offered by onsite employees and also distant support from the health professional concerned [57]. For example placing Occupational therapy students in environments were Occupational therapists do not ordinarily work, and the students being supported through distance approaches by Occupational therapists from their University [57].

Spoke and hub

In spoke and hub models, students are allocate to a ‘hub’ for specific practice, and are further allocated to spoke placement which is associated with the speciality of the hub with an idea of enhancing understanding of the journey of the patient through healthcare setting [59].

Student led

Students lead service provision within their settings under the guidance of their clinical facilitators [61]