There have been numerous times this year when I (and other students) have been supervised by new graduate physiotherapists with little more experience than 4th year physio students. 4th year for me is a time to put in practice what we’ve learnt from 3 years at Curtin and to soak up as much information from experienced clinicians as possible. But how can we do this when our clinician has nothing outside of our course to offer?
I certainly mean no disrespect to the new graduates out there, in fact I feel for them and fear I’ll be in the same situation next year! Imagine it’s your first day on the job as a new graduate at a major tertiary hospital in Perth and you are responsible for an entire (busy) ward, and you now also have a student on their first day of placement. Towards the end of a fourth year placement it may be a blessing having a student that can work independently and share your caseload, but I know personally that I can be more of a burden than a blessing in the first week!
Currently in WA/ Curtin, there is no rule to say that a qualified physiotherapist must have x amount of experience in a field before they can supervise a student, nor do they need a teaching/ supervision qualification. My understanding is that Curtin runs courses (I believe level 1 and level 2 in clinical supervision) available to physiotherapists working in facilities which offer student placements, however these courses often fill up quickly and those that need them may miss out.
After discussing the situation with one of my new graduate friends I realised there are however some positives for both parties. As the student, you may find that a new graduate physiotherapist will know exactly what is expected of you from the universities point of view (eg. to be “competent”). They may also remember what aspects of that particular placement they found difficult/ unclear. From the supervisors perspective they often feel it challenges them to remember the theory behind various forms of treatment which may have slipped away since their university days!
You may only have one or two placements left and may not come across this situation as a student, but if you plan on working in a facility which supervises students you may need to think back to this! From my point of view if I was to be in this situation in the future I would:
· Admit to the student that I didn’t have a whole lot of experience but that I would offer them everything I can, look up answers to questions together, and suggest a senior or other physiotherapist they may like to speak to.
· “Use” the student wisely. Eg re-think the theory and reasons behind what we do, rather than becoming autonomous with treatment.
· Do the clinical supervision course!
· Remember that I was in their position and slightly annoyed that I was paying to be supervised by a “glorified student”.
· Put in the hard yards with your student in the early days so they can help you out when you’ve got a large caseload.
If you have any other suggestions I’d be glad to hear them!
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2 comments:
I recently had a supervisor for my cardiopulmonary placement who had only been working as a physio for one year. Initially, I was a bit worried as to how much knowledge they would have and whether they would be an effective supervisor. In the end, however, this supervisor turned out to be one of my best. She was always really honest if she didn't know answers to any of my queries and would chase up an answer from her seniour. I also found her very approachable and not as intimidating as past supervisors I have had who are "gurus" in their area.
Talking to my friends who were new grads this year, almost all of them were in charge of supervising a student. With the number of physio students on the rise chances are those of us moving into the hospital system will be supervisors next year.
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