Table 2 Themes relating to “Joint Enterprise” (a shared domain of interest and a desire for proficiency)

Students appreciated the provision of theory and preparation provided prior to the actual facilitation activity

I really enjoyed it… …I liked how there were learning modules before we actually took part in a practical session. (Dentistry student)

I also found Module 2 on leadership really interesting, about transactional and transformational leadership. This knowledge will definitely shape how I view my experiences in future clinical settings and how I behave as a future clinical professional. (Medical student)

The modules were clear and the workload was manageable. It could be worked through asynchronously without interrupting clinical placements

I found that it was really easy to follow. So, you have some clear modules, you had clear things that you needed to do and I liked that you could work through them at your own pace. (Radiography student)

The program was really good. I liked that it is self-directed, that you can do it at your own pace. That was really helpful, especially when it is alongside the Masters course, which is quite intense. So it is good the onus is on us to do our own learning at our own pace, but the end goal and expectations are still there… (Nursing student)

A good thing about it is that with my requirements to study in medicine and to cover a lot of theory on a daily basis and study, I didn’t feel the program was content heavy, it was very doable, in a good amount of hours and it gave me a foundation for me to build on.. …without interrupting my education, or my daily number of hours of studying, or my placement. It was very doable. (Medical student)

Students felt it was valuable to have a way to formally engage in teaching & teacher training

I want to be more involved in teaching as I go through the healthcare system – and it is one thing you never get taught. They always say there are two things you are never taught. You will become a manger, but you are never taught how to manage people and as a doctor, and you are never really taught how to teach people. The same complaints you get from lecturers and faculty – you are rewarded for research, not for teaching. (Medical student)

It is nice to have something to formally engage in teaching. (Medical student)

Students valued developing feedback skills

The thing that really interests me the most is about giving feedback. That part was covered during the modules but also helped me to apply that knowledge or apply that theory in the practical sessions… which develop these techniques of what works for me in giving feedback, the certain words to use, the way a phrase might be taken on my reflection to others, it just it helps me perfect that small skill, but it has a huge impact for my experience or for my career at least. (Medical student)

Provided an opportunity to develop leadership skills, and consider themselves as role models and reflect on how they will practice in the future

I found the overall SIFT program very informative… it gave me an opportunity to really develop all of my leadership skills, but also it had a practical component that helped me facilitate that. (Speech pathology student)

With the leadership module…. the literature and also the discussion threads on people’s experiences with transformational and transactional leadership…that was really interesting…learning about that definitely makes me reflect on how I would want to practice as a clinician in my career. And my relationships with other people, how like my actions can have a positive impact on other people in terms of inspiring them and being a role model. Role modelling is really important as you progress through your career because in health care, you’re always training younger professionals. That’s how they learn and how you learn at a point and so in that sense transformational leadership is good to know about so that when you’re at that position you can be better to the next generation. (Radiography student)

Students were motivated to participate in the program because they had a desire to improve their skills in teaching based on their own learning experiences

What made me interested in this program specifically is that I spent a lot of time in clinical placements and engaging with mentors and supervisors and also engaging with students in the more junior years and I realised how important teaching and giving feedback is and how it can make a huge difference in someone’s experience on a daily basis. I saw the SIFT program as a great opportunity not only for me right now but also for the future years, just like the little moments of giving feedback, on the job on a daily basis, I thought this program would be extremely helpful to that and so far, I’ve already seen good results. (Medical student)

Peer teaching was considered a valuable method to improve one’s own knowledge and skills

I will be teaching in the future. Peer teaching is so useful. You can’t teach something if you don’t know it yourself – just like studying for an exam, you are learning off each other. (Nursing student)

…a valuable opportunity that was well run and I received valuable insight into my performance. (Medical student)