Development of a Consensus Statement on De-briefing Practice Educators Following Facilitation of a Failed Student Placement

Background: Practice education is a fundamental component of occupational therapy (OT) education with the Practice Educator (PE) playing a pivotal person in the overall education of the student occupational therapist (CORU,... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Practice education is a fundamental component of occupational therapy (OT) education with the Practice Educator (PE) playing a pivotal person in the overall education of the student occupational therapist (CORU, 2014). Not all practice placements are successful and when there are challenges it can have an impact on the PE. Little literature exists on the topic of debriefing or supporting Practice Educators following failed OT student placements although it is cited and widely used as a recognised component of learning (Bender & Walker, 2012), yet no process or structure is apparent. Thus the research aim was to develop a consensus statement on the content of debriefing in an Irish context.
Methodology & Results:
A mixed methods approach allowed for a multifaceted topic to be explored comprehensively within a single research project with ethical approval in place. A cross sectional survey (n=79) to ascertain current practice was conducted as Phase 1 of the research. Phase 2 consisted of a focus group using the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) (n=10), inclusion criteria applied, aiming to reach a consensus statement on the content of debriefing. Within the NGT approach aggregate ranking of participants’ scores is completed, making it non-hierarchical and representative of the sample (Kitzinger, 2006).
Application to Practice:
The conference session will discuss the findings of the NGT and their relationship to the literature in the area, which resulted in a consensus statement on the content of debriefing sessions.