Placement Educators

Placement Educators

Quick Reference Booklet

2014/15

B.Sc. (Hons) SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY

CARDIFF SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
Structure of the Cardiff Metropolitan SLT placements
Content of teaching the students have received prior to placement
Core Cardiff Metropolitan requirements of the placement
Grading criteria from the report form
Core expectations of student performance
Core expectations of PEs
CONCLUSION
APPENDICES – available in separate folder
SLP5050 – Clinical Practice 1 Module Descriptor / 1
SLP6050 – Clinical Practice 2 Module Descriptor / 2
SLP6090 – Clinical Practice 3 Module Descriptor / 3
Timetable and Content of Clinical Tutorials (all years) / 4
Year 2 Weekly Placement Report Form / 5
Year 3&4 Weekly Placement Report Form / 6
Year 3 Paediatric Dysphagia Placement Report Form / 7
Year 3 Adult Dysphagia Competency Checklist / 8
Year 3 Block Portfolio
(these are printed for the students prior to the block placement, it is THEIR responsibility to ensure they are completed by PEs) / 9

INTRODUCTION

This quick reference booklet has been compiled at the request of Placement Educators (PEs). It provides brief information relating to the structure of the Cardiff Metropolitan SLT placements, content of the academic teaching the students have received prior to their placements, core Cardiff Metropolitan requirements, core expectations of student performance, core expectations of PEs, and report forms. The aim is to afford PEs quick access to pertinent materials. It does not however contain the comprehensive guidelines and requirements for student Clinical Education within the Cardiff Met SLT undergraduate programme and as such PEs are required to use this supplement alongside the complete Clinical Placement (available on the Cardiff Met website) and attendance at the New PE Days and Experienced PE Day training offered by Cardiff Met SLT Staff.

In the event of any placement or placement assessment queries or concerns PEs are asked to contact the Director of Clinical Education or the Placement Administrators office for advice and support.

Joint Clinical Directors

Ria Bayliss Hannah Plumpton

Direct line: 029 20205749 Direct line: 029 20417287

E-mail: Email:

Placement Administrator

B Bev Reed

Direct line: 029 20417234

E-mail:

Structure of the Cardiff Metropolitan SLT placements

The tables below offer a view of the nature of the placements within the Cardiff Met SLT course, their timing and the associated assessments within the Clinical practice modules. Module descriptors are available in Appendices 1 - 3

YEAR TWO – ClinicalPractice 1: SLP5050(Placement days Monday or Wednesday)

This is a double module worth 20 of the years 120 credits (1/6th of the year)

Clinical Practice/Assessment / Length / Weighting / Assessed by
Term 1 paediatric or adult placement / 8 days / Pass / fail / PE
Term 2 paediatric or adult placement / 8 days / Pass / fail / PE
Term 3 Clinical appraisal / 2,500 words / 100% / Cardiff Met tutor

YEAR THREE – ClinicalPractice 2: SLP6050(Placement days Monday or Thursday)

This is a quadruple module worth 40 of the years 120 credits (1/3rd of the year)

Clinical Practice/Assessment / Length / Weighting / Assessed by
Term 1 Paediatric placement
Video Tutorial in Cardiff Met (agreed grade) / 8 days / 20% / PE
Cardiff Met/external tutor
Term 1 case report / 4,000 words / 30% / Cardiff Met tutor
Term 2 Dysphagia Placement / 8 days / Pass/fail / PE
Term 3 block placement (adult & paeds)
Clinic moderation visit (agreed grade) / 30 days / 50% / PEs
Cardiff Met tutor

YEAR FOUR – Clinical Practice 3: SLP6090 (Placement days Tues, Thurs or Friday term 1 plus Monday term 2

This is a quadruple module worth 40 of the years 120 credits (1/3rd of the year). .Three placements are offered, 1 paediatric, 1 adult and one other (paediatric or adult). Students are offered two placements in one term and one in the other.

Weighting of the year 4 clinical placements and assessments

Assessment / Length / Weighting / Assessed by
Adult placement / 8 days / 15% / PE
Paediatric placement / 8 days / 15% / PE
Third placement (adult or paediatric) / 8 days / 15% / PE
Term 1 Reflective tutorial in Cardiff Met / N/A / 15% / Cardiff Met tutor
Term 2 Adult case report / 2,500 words / 20% / Cardiff Met tutor
Term 3 Viva (paediatric) / N/A / 20% / Cardiff Met tutor and external tutor

Content of teaching the students have received prior to placement

The following table is a broad overview of the modules taught in each year. Module descriptors for each module (available via the Cardiff Met Web) offer more detailof content if required. PEs are however welcome to contact the Cardiff Met module leaders should they have any queries relating to teaching content prior to placement in the meantime. The timing and the content of the Clinical Tutorials which run alongside the placements in each year can be found in Appendix 4 on the web.

SUMMARY OF MODULES

Level 1: Year 1
SLP 4001 / Phonetic Transcription / Single module
SLP 4002 / Phonetic & Phonological Theory / Double module
SLP 4010 / Linguistics 1 / Double module
SLP 4041 / Clinical Foundations / Triple module
SLP 4050 / Biological Sciences / Single module
SLP 4061 / Lifespan Psychology and Language Development / Triple module
Level 2: Year 2
SLP 5000 / Phonetics & Linguistics / Double module
SLP 5010 / Linguistics 2 / Double module
SLP 5021 / Speech & Language Pathology 1 / Double module
SLP 5031 / Speech & Language Pathology 2 / Double module
SLP 5040 / Medical Sciences / Double module
SLP 5050 / Clinical Practice 1 / Double module
Level 3: Year 3
SLP 6001 / Communication Science and Technology / Single module
SLP 6011 / Speech & Language Pathology 3 / Double module
SLP 6020 / Bilingual & Bicultural Studies / Single module
SLP 6030 / Audiology / Double module
SLP 6040 / Psycholinguistics & Cognitive Neuropsychology / Double module
SLP 6050 / Clinical Practice 2 / Quadruple module
Level 3: Year 4
SLP 6061 / Speech and Language Pathology 4 / Double module
SLP 6071 / Advanced Clinical Studies / Double module
SLP 6080 / Project / Quadruple module
SLP 6090 / Clinical Practice 3 / Quadruple module

Core Cardiff Metropolitan requirements of the placement

Cardiff Metropolitan University requires the following progression and opportunities within the placements offered to its students throughout the programme. No client group or clinical setting is regarded as inappropriate at ANY STAGE of student’s learning within the course, what should vary from year to year is the expectation of the performance/ability of the student.The following table gives an example of what to expect and not expect from a student on a hearing impairment placement to illustrate the change in expectation over the years.

YEAR / DOEXPECT / DONOT EXPECT
YEAR 2 / Basic observations of a client’s difficulties when told what to look out for
To extract appropriate information from medical notes/files with significant direction
An ability to engage with clients and staff
An ability to undertake formal/informal assessments and therapy given the opportunity to first observe, discuss and with support offered throughout / Independent focussed observations with a basic ability to interpret what is being seen
To identify what information is salient within medical notes/files with minimal support
The ability to offer explanations or information to clients/staff given prior discussion with SLT and SLT back up in the event
To undertake assessment or therapy without prior discussion, guidance and supportto be offered during application
YEAR 3 / Independent focussed observations with a basic ability to interpret what is being seen
To extract appropriate information from medical notes/files with significant direction
The ability to offer explanations or information to clients/staff given prior discussion with SLT and SLT back up in the event
To undertake assessment or therapy with prior discussion. Guidance and support to be offered during application. / Independent focussed observations with a good rationale behind interpretations and hypotheses
To extract appropriate information from medical notes/files without significant direction
The ability to recognise when to offer explanations or information to clients/staff with little support required in the event
To devise assessment and therapy plans without prior discussion (amendments supported by SLT), with minimal support offered during application
YEAR 4 / Independent focussed observations with a good rationale behind interpretations and hypotheses
To extract appropriate information from medical notes/files without significant direction
The ability to recognise when to offer explanations or information to clients/staff with little support required in the event
To devise assessment and therapy plans without prior discussion (amendments supported by SLT), with minimal support offered during application / Unsupported hypotheses regarding a complex client’s presenting
At the level one would expect unsupported from an NQT given the nature of the client group and the requirement for additional post graduate training for that group/setting.
“
“

The differing expectations relate primarily to:

Level of ability through experience given the level of training

Level of knowledge given the level of training

Level of independence required given the level of training

There are no placement settings/client groups which cannot offer the appropriate learning

experience and assessment opportunities at an appropriate level for any year group. It is the

level of expectation required from the student which requires managing rather than the clients or setting.

The progression of student involvement in placements is indicated in their titles offered by Cardiff Met e.g. ‘observation’, ‘treatment’and what we expect through developing experience. We do not cite specific examples at any stage, e.g. ‘opportunity to assess’ as each placement will offer different opportunities. The variation in placements and teaching offered throughout the course within Cardiff Met will offer the students the variety of knowledge/experience/practice to ultimately support the transferable skills and knowledge required of a NQT.The chart below indicates the titles of the Cardiff Met SLT placements by year:

YEAR 2: Observation and appropriate interaction (given level of training/client group)

⇓

YEAR 3: Assessment and treatment (given level of training/client group)

⇓

YEAR 4: Assessment, treatment and consultation (given level of training/client group)

The appropriate assessment of students within this system is however vital. The following table offers the markingcriterion for student assessment. What is expected in each year will relate to the information supplied above. The main issue is the utilisation of all marking bands. It is expected that all students, at whatever level of training,should be marked from a fail to Excellent. The ‘excellent’ band does not relate to student who always gives a flawless performance, a year 2 student for example is expected to make errors in what they do, this does not constitute a weakness but rather is deemed normal for the stage of training. It is the nature and number of errors which may prevent them achieving an ‘excellent’ mark. Each of the ‘comment descriptions’ relate to the mid point of each band and aim to guide the assessor in relation to their overall view of the student given their level of training. PEs are expected to offer students the opportunity to provide evidence of their ability within all areas of the report form. The half way report will allow both the PE and the student to identify any areas not assessed. If the placement/nature of theclient group does not lend itself to opportunities in specific areas e.g. ‘undertaking formal assessment’, this should be marked as ‘n/a’ on the report form with no grade offered. The student is then expected to seek opportunities to undertake assessments in subsequent placements.

Marking criteria from the report form

The comment descriptions in the following table relate to the midpoint mark for each band.

Cardiff Met Grading Criteria for Clinical Placements –Year 2

Please read the following descriptions alongside the report form when grading a student

Category / Range / Descriptor

Exceptional
Excellent / 100% - 70% / 1st / An outstanding student performing consistently at an exceptionally high standard in all areas

• Discussing relevant theory and relating it to client group, and current patients.
• Showing initiative and independent thinking within appropriate parameters
• Making pertinent observations, and accurate data recordings
• Able to undertake assessment under supervision where appropriate
• High level of professionalism
• Enthusiastic and motivated to learn
• Reflecting independently on their own performance

An excellent student who achieves a very high standard in all areas

• Identifying relevant theories related to client group and relating to current patients with guidance from PE
• Has undertaken some independent research.
• Making pertinent observations
• High level of reflection, little prompting needed
• High level of professionalism
• Enthusiastic and motivated to learn
• Able to reflect on performance with minimal support

Very Good / 60-69% / 2:1 / A very good student who consistently responds to prompts and achieves a high level of performance in most areas

• Demonstrating theoretical knowledge in the relevant clinical area
• Able to discuss a range of factors (but not all) effecting management
• Able to make relevant observations and record linguistic/phonetic data where appropriate
• Can undertake some assessment where appropriate under supervision of PE
• High level of professionalism
• Showing some reflection, and actively seeks and responds well to feedback

Good / 50-59% / 2:2 / A good student, achieving a solid performance in most areas.

• Able to discuss some relevant theory when prompted by the PE.
• Identifies some factors which would impact on client and progress.
• Able to make some relevant observations and record linguistic/phonetic data where appropriate with support, but may some have errors
• Can undertake part of an assessment /therapy activity jointly planned and supervised by PE
• Recognising 1-2 strengths and weaknesses

Threshold pass / 40-49% / 3rd / A competent student, requiring some support and guidance

• Has some awareness of typical development and beginning to identify more specific client presentation.
• May state broad facts but few links to the evidence base.
• Needs prompting to fully participate in placement.
• Can undertake part of an assessment /therapy activity but only when planned and supervised by PE
• May demonstrate inconsistent motivation and enthusiasm on placement
• Makes some observations with guidance, but may have errors.
• Will listen to feedback but finds it difficult to identify own strengths and weaknesses and ways to improve
• Will only liaise with professionals/carers with prompting
• May not adhere consistently to professional boundaries

Fail
Unable to meet threshold / 30-39% / Fail / A student who is not yet competent. Can only reach threshold with a significant level of support

• No apparent knowledge in clinical area despite information from PE and in lectures.
• Makes errors and has inconsistent application to practice
• Misinterpretation of clinical data
• Inconsistent response to feedback. May engage in the process but be unable to make amendments to practice.
• Ineffective liaison with others
• Little progress made throughout placement.
• Lack of professionalism is impacting on placement

Fail- Clearly below threshold / 0-29% / Clear fail / A student who is clearly below threshold.

• Unable to identify theoretical underpinnings
• Showing no initiative
• Little or no enthusiasm
• Ineffective practice despite extensive feedback
• Inappropriate behaviour
• Poor professional conduct and/or breaches of confidentiality
• No progress seen throughout
• May be deemed unsafe

Cardiff Met Grading Criteria for Clinical Placements –Year 3 & 4

Please read the following descriptions alongside the report form when grading a student

Category / Range % / Descriptor
Exceptional

Excellent / 100% - 70% / 1st / An outstanding student performing consistently at an exceptionally high standard in all areas exceeding expectations.
Examples:

• Independently applies relevant theory to practice
• Innovative and creative planning and therapy, based on own observations and literature
• Provides appropriate and timely assessment independently.
• Able to reflect and change behaviour ‘on the spot’ without prompts
• Regularly responding at the level of a NQT
• Assertive and effective member of the MDT
• High level of professionalism
• Enthusiastic and Motivated to learn

An excellent student who achieves a very high standard in all areas.
Examples:

• Identifying relevant theories for client group and applying with minimal prompts
• Plans and provides effective input for clients based on own observations and literature.

• Provides appropriate and timely assessment, with minimal prompts to accurately interpret the data.

• Able to reflect and change behaviour ‘on the spot’ for majority of time
• Independent liaison with other professionals/carers
• High level of professionalism
• Enthusiastic and motivated to learn

Very Good / 60-69% / 2:1 / A very good student who consistently responds to prompts and achieves a high level of performance in most areas.
Examples:

• Able to discuss a range of theories /evidence base to inform effective management (theories may be introduced by PE as well as student)
• Provides effective input based on own observations and literature, with minimal support

• Provides appropriate and timely assessment, with minimal prompts to accurately interpret the data.

• Can reflect on changes that need to be made during the session and can change behaviours ‘on the spot’ at times.
• Confident and effective liaison with other professionals and carers (occasional prompts from PE)
• High level of professionalism
• Enthusiastic and motivated to learn

Good / 50-59% / 2:2 / A good student, achieving a solid performance in most areas with some prompting needed.
Examples:

• Able to discuss some relevant theory and apply to clients to inform management with some guidance from PE.
• Provides effective input with some support based on own observations. Will also base on literature at times.
• Will provide appropriate assessment, and interpret both broad themes and specific detail with some support. Can then link this to next steps.
• Can reflect during and following a session, but unable/rarely able to modify ‘on the spot’.
• Able to liaise with professionals/carers effectively with little support
• Good level of professionalism, occasional prompts needed
• Overall enthusiastic and motivated, but may have occasional fluctuations

Threshold pass / 40-49% / 3rd / An adequately competent student, requiring some support and guidance.
Examples:

• Able to identify some broadly relevant theory but needs support from PE to add detail and apply to client group.
• Can make some pertinent observations and interpret key points from client data accurately but may miss detail/make small errors.
• Needs support to link findings to next steps.
• Able to reflect on performance following a session, and make some changes for the next session with support. No modifications ‘on the spot’ apparent.
• Able to liaise with professionals/carers with prompting but skill is inconsistent
• Has shown some progress throughout the placement though skills are emerging slowly.
• Overall acceptable level of professionalism but may need guidance in some areas.
• Shows some motivation and enthusiasm, although not consistently and as expected.

Fail- unable to meet threshold / 30-39% / Fail / A student who is not yet competent. Can only reach threshold with a significant level of support.
Examples:

• Limited theoretical knowledge with inconsistent/or inappropriate application to practice
• Misinterpretation of clinical data
• Unable to provide clear rationale for assessment or therapy decisions
• May offer some reflections on performance, but lacks full insight.
• Has inability to suggest appropriate ways to improve without significant support.
• Inconsistent level of liaison/professionalism, or significant prompting needed by PE.
• Lacks/shows inconsistent enthusiasm and motivation
• Little progress made throughout placement.

Fail- clearly below threshold / 0-29% / Clear fail / A student who is clearly below threshold.
Examples:

• Unable to identify theoretical underpinnings
• Poor professional conduct
• Ineffective practice despite extensive feedback
• Inappropriate behaviour
• No progress seen throughout placement
• May be deemed unsafe.

Copies of the report forms for each year group can be found in Appendices 5 - 9