Experiential Learning Placements Guide for Students

Preparing for Remote Experiential Learning Placements

Housekeeping Please switch off your microphones. Please respect confidentiality of any issues raised - in the chat box or during discussions. Questions in chat box will be answered at the end of each section of the presentation.

Objectives for Todays Meeting: To provide you with the relevant information regarding: 4thYear Placement Schedule 2021 Remote experiential placements Feedback and Advice from 2020 COVID-19 student preparation placement commencing HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical Placements Students restricting their movements or self-isolating Supports available throughout the placement period in advance of the

APPEL Placement Schedule 2021 /2022 Placement Dates August 30thto December 17th2021 (16 weeks duration). No Placement on October Bank Holiday Monday Competency Assessment Dates Formative Competency Assessment: October 3rd, 2021 Summative Competency Assessment: November 21st2021 Students are required to complete 30 hours of placement time each week. This time on placement can be completed from Monday Friday between 8 am and 6 pm. Students must be provided with at least one-half day each week comprising no less than 4hrs to allow them to complete their online academic modules. Placement Hours

APPEL Placement Schedule 2021/2022 The placement timetable should be agreed between the student and Preceptor: o Ideally, the student would be given the same timetable each week; however we acknowledge that this may not always be possible. o The student must be given adequate notice of the timetabled placement hours. o The placement hours must occur over one continuous period on any given day. o The student must be provided with appropriate breaks in accordance with legislation.

Travel outside Ireland as part of the 4th year Placement In the past, some placement providers incorporated attendance at international conferences and some overseas travel for students as part of their placements. APPEL is very grateful opportunities provided to students. Where COVID-19 remains a concern and travel restrictions remain in place, any non-essential travel for the 4th-year placements should not be undertaken. Government guidelines must be adhered to at all times. If any travel is proposed, contact the APPEL Operations team as early as possible to discuss. for these experiences and

Moving between Training Establishments: The Training Establishment where a student is on placement must be accredited by APPEL. APPEL must also accredit the student s preceptor. Therefore, all movement between training establishments must be notified to APPEL. In circumstances where concern, moving between discouraged due to infection prevention and control reasons. If this is unavoidable, contact your Practice Educator or APPEL Operations in advance to discuss. COVID-19 Training remains a is Establishments

Remote Experiential Learning Placements Remote experiential learning accommodated for the 4thyear placement for 2021 in part or in full. APPEL, together with the PSI, have drafted guidelines which encompass the parameters of remote working. These guidelines were approved by PSI Council on 22 April 2021 and can be found on the resources page of the APPEL website. placements will be

Some additional considerations if your student is on placement remotely Two documents to review: PSI approved Guidelines for Remote Experiential Placements in the 4thyear of the Pharmacy MPharm Programme . APPEL Guidance for Supporting a Remote Experiential Learning Placement . Areas to consider in advance of a remote placement: Appropriate student support systems. Consideration given to induction and ongoing communication between the student and the Preceptor/On-site Supervisor. Appropriate remote learning environment for the student experiential learning placement.

Induction for a remote placement You may need to consider how the induction programme planned at the outset of the placement may be impacted by the student being on placement remotely. COVID-19 has introduced many changes to the workplace environment, which the student will be unfamiliar with and which should be included in the induction plan, for example: Ways of working, e.g. how handover occurs between teams on remote placement. Hints and tips on how student can fit into a new team; team meetings, team communication, etc.

Induction for a remote placement Induction and ongoing communication between the student and the Preceptor/On-site Supervisor. Are there online resources that students could complete as part of their induction, and can these be accessed remotely? Plan the time and date to complete the induction and consider other staff who may be able to support you. Outline of the activities/projects that students will be completing. Do you have a dress code that the student must adhere to when on placement remotely?

Appropriate student supervision & support systems A student on placement remotely may require more support than if they were in the Training Establishment. Does the student know who to contact for support, further assistance or training? Aside from the Preceptor or On-Site Supervisor is there a team member that the student can buddy-up with for support over the placement period? How will the student be introduced to the other team members? Consider including the student in team chats/group emails so that they feel a part of the team.

Appropriate student supervision & support systems How would you like the student to communicate with you and other members of the team - email, phone call, virtual meetings? Encourage students to contribute regularly to team emails, MS teams messaging, virtual team meetings, chats and social events such as team quiz nights, remote team tea breaks, etc. Consider how you will dedicate time to the student under challenging circumstances (daily check-in with the buddy if on placement remotely, handover if splitting time between the office and home). Consider setting daily/weekly/monthly deliverables for students to ensure they are on track if not, check-in with them to see if they understand what they are doing.

Appropriate placement environment The student s home workstation and requirements does your Training Establishment have guidance to support your employees that you can share with students? Has the student access to an appropriate environment to facilitate a remote experiential learning placement? E.g. light, heating, quiet environment. Has the student an appropriate chair and table/desk? Is there a Health & Safety Officer that can support the student in setting up an appropriate workstation and placement environment?

Appropriate placement environment IT requirements Does the student have access to all the technology they require? Does the student have access to a company laptop or if necessary use of a personal laptop? Does the student have access to a reliable and secure internet connection? Does the student have remote access to the Training Establishment network? Does any training need to be completed prior to accessing the Training Establishment systems and can this training be done remotely? Does the student know who to contact for IT support?

Feedback from 2020 Placements Students "It was intended that placement would be in a laboratory setting. Regardless of working remotely, my Preceptor and supervisor consistently engaged with me. Thanks to them, I had a wide array of learning experiences. "I didn't enjoy the remote placement, but I am happy that the establishment went ahead with the placement. I understand it was the best of a bad situation, but overall I enjoyed the placement." "Although I was fully remote and would have preferred to be on-site more, I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. I learned so much about the different roles of a pharmacist in the industry, and it is definitely a career path I am considering after I graduate."

Key Learnings from Student Feedback Some students enjoyed when they were given daily goals at the start. Students benefited from this regular engagement, to help settle in. Preceptors organised teams meetings, giving various tasks to enable students to meet the team students found this very useful. Some students found it hard to stay motivated while working remotely. Students found it hard to separate working life from their personal lives. Students found the adjustment difficult.

Feedback from 2020 Placements- Preceptors "Students adapted very well to remote working." "Remote working was very helpful, enhanced learning and reduced travel costs for student and preceptor (time and money), enabling more 121 contact time with the student." "For us, it worked ok remotely due to the nature of the role. There was some opportunity to go on-site in Dec when lockdown opened and to do a particular project which needed on-site presence. Going forward for roles, e.g. industry where remote could work, there should be flexibility for this." "The remote placement worked well with the set training plan and weekly progress meeting by MS Teams." "A remote placement is more challenging for both the preceptor and the student as it requires more planning and limits the student's opportunities to interact and learn from others." "In future, would probably provide a partially remote placement, depending on the public health situation."

Key Learnings from Preceptor Feedback Preceptors found the most challenging aspects of a remote placement to be: integrating the students into the team, increased time commitment and the subsequent impact on the Preceptor work, and building a rapport with the student. Some Preceptors had issues with motivating the students while others said it was difficult to integrate them into the team. Some Preceptors found it hard to support and challenge their students as effectively as if they were on site.

Student Preparation in advance of their placement Student preparation requirements outlined in the FAQ on the APPEL website: https://www.appel.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/APPEL-Student- FAQ-and-Additional-Placement-Requirements-Year-4-2021.docx Online HSE Courses: AMRIC Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control AMRIC Basics of Infection Prevention and Control AMRIC Standard and Transmission Based Precautions AMRIC Hand Hygiene Putting on and Taking off PPE in Acute Healthcare Settings Putting on and Taking off PPE in Community Healthcare Settings

Student Preparation in advance of their placement Download the COVID Tracker Ireland and to log in and update this tracker daily. Log into the APPEL VLE (or RCSI/UCC moodle) daily and record the following information: Record that they had no symptoms of COVID-19 before they go on placement. Where the student is on placement at a HSE site, e.g. hospital, addiction services, they must record where they were on-site throughout their placement day: e.g. Dispensary, Ward X, etc.

Student Preparation in advance of their placement Complete a COVID-19 Supplemental Student Undertaking which can be found on the resources section of the APPEL website. Students are also asked to consider and review a Personal Support Plan Questionnaire .

What if a student develops signs of COVID-19 during placement? If the student is at home when they develop symptoms they must: Not go into placement, and must not leave home. Self-isolate and phone their GP or Student Health Services. Contact their Preceptor/On-site supervisor and their Practice Educator.

What if a student develops signs of COVID-19 during placement? If the student is on site at their placement when they develop symptoms they must: Inform their Preceptor or On-Site Supervisor. Leave the site immediately. Return home alone and not use public transport. Self-isolate at home and contact their GP or Student Health Services, from home. Contact their Practice Educator.

Student required to restrict their movements Where a student is required to restrict their movements and they are well, they can continue their placement activities (where remote) or complete their online academic modules (if on-site). By completing the online academic modules during a period of restricted movement, students will free up time to be on placement in lieu of time spent on academic modules. Students will need to complete additional placement time (60 hrs. = two weeks of restricted movement) over the remaining weeks of the placement. How this additional placement time is completed is to be agreed between the student and their Preceptor. Students will need to keep their Practice Educator informed as to how and when this additional time is completed.

Student required to Self-Isolate Where a student is required to self- isolate and they are well, they can continue their placement activities (where remote) or complete their online academic modules (if on- site). Where a student is unwell; the college/HEI sick policies will apply in such circumstances. Students will need to keep their Practice Educator informed of any absence.

Student Supports Practice Educators and the APPEL office will be available to respond to any questions or queries that you may have regarding the placement. The APPEL website has relevant information and resources and APPEL will email important updates and information as it arises. School of Pharmacy/HEI Support for Students Please note that all academic staff across all three HEIs are contactable via email. Schools of Pharmacy / Higher Education Institution will remain in contact with the student throughout the placement period. University supports remain accessible to all students while on placement.

Student Supports All students are contacted by their Practice Educator on placement. Contact will take the form of emails, phone calls, meetings via MS Teams or other electronic platform. Practice Educators will also get in contact with you to offer you support should they be contacting your student. Students on remote experiential placements will be prioritised for contact.

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