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How do I prepare for a PAL placement?

03

How do I prepare for a PAL placement?

Planning

When planning a PAL placement, consider:

Timetable


 

 

  • Create a timetable of where all students will be each day. They do not need to be together at all times and can be split for different activities based on service need.
  • Include time for 1:1 supervision in this timetable, as students must have individual time for feedback and evaluation. Group feedback and supervision can also be a good opportunity for students to learn from one another.
  • Schedule in time for discussion and reflection throughout, and allow time for students to be together to work on projects or group activities. Sharing the students with others where possible can reduce pressure on you and provide students with a wider range of experiences.

     

              

Space


 

When planning activities, consider:

  • Is there enough room in your clinic/office space for all learners?
  • If not, can their time be split or shared between clinicians or locations?

Think creatively how to maximise space and experiences to accommodate all learners, e.g.:

  • Can learners take turns in a clinic room?
  • Could one learner watch remotely whilst another carries out a task?
  • Could one student carry out an activity and feed back to the other(s)?
  • Could some of the placement be carried out remotely from home?

 

 

Activities


 
  • In a PAL placement, your role is facilitator, rather than teacher. Students work together, and the Practice Educator (PE)’s role is to support discussion and reflection.
  • PAL students can carry out a wider range of tasks whilst on placement. As well as the clinical and non-clinical activities common to all placements, PAL is an opportunity to develop additional skills.
  • Students do not need to be with you at all times, so prepare activities they can do as a group without you present. Examples could include problem-solving/clinical reasoning sessions, case reviews or planning sessions.
  • Consider also whether there are projects that would benefit both the students and your service, e.g. creating social media content, producing resources, creating student induction packs, carrying out literature reviews, etc

 

 

Assessment and Supervision


 
  • Though students are in a group, you will assess them individually. Their learning outcomes will be individual and they must be assessed based on the university learning objectives, not in competition with each other.
  • Facilitating peer supervision can support students to feed back on one another and develop their reflective practice skills.
  • Students must have 1:1 supervision time with you throughout placement.

How do I prepare for a PAL placement?