Get more of the good

Learn how to run high quality student placements in your workplace, including how to make placements more rewarding and enjoyable > for both you and your student(s)

  • Course duration

    5 hours (self-paced)

  • 100% online

    Complete this course when it suits you

  • Accredited

    5 CPD points

Designed for allied health

This course is for allied health professionals (like Exercise Physiologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Dietitians, Psychologists, Social Workers, Podiatrists and others) who want to supervise best practice student placements.

This course in a sentence: An evidence-based guide on the end-to-end process of hosting students on placement (from orientation to completion), with a focus on how supervisors can facilitate high quality work-integrated learning, without burning themselves out in the process.

What you'll get out of this course

After completing this course you will be:

  • Prepared with proven strategies that you can use to set-up well organised (lower stress) student placements

  • Up-to-date with the latest methods for facilitating high quality learning activities for students on placement

  • Equipped to support students who are struggling

  • In-the-know about how to help students work more independently (and reduce the time pressure that can come with hosting a student)

  • Ready to host your next placement, with a series of resources and 'practice plug-ins' that you can use in your workplace

Included in this course

Your placement supervision toolkit

  • Orientation and Getting Started

    Learn how to run an effective orientation for students coming on placement

  • Foundational Skills

    Learn the essential skills you need to supervise a good student placement

  • Keeping Students Engaged

    Learn how to keep students interested and build their autonomy

  • Scaling Your Placements

    Learn how to take more students on placement (without burning yourself out)

  • Supporting Struggling Students

    Learn how to support students to stay on track

  • Interprofessional Learning

    Learn how to run interprofessional learning activities for students on placement

Lead Instructor

Ned Jelbart

Ned is an award winning Allied Health Professional and Educator. He has over 20 years experience working across the health and education fields. Ned has worked as an allied health professional in private practice, and in education positions at the Australian Institute of Sport, the Canberra Hospital and the tertiary education sector. Ned is an allied health leader, passionate about the role of education in enabling allied health professionals to build capability and open career pathways.


The ESSA Professional Development Committee certifies that this Professional Development offering meets the criteria for 5 ESSA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Points.


This course may also be used to help meet continuing professional development requirements in other allied health professional groups as relevant - this course is 5 hours. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course you'll be able to:

  • Describe foundational skills for supervising successful student placements

  • Facilitate learning activities for students on placement

  • Identify strategies to support wellbeing for students on placement

  • Scale-up your placements, in both quality and quantity, using methods such as Peer Assisted Learning (PAL)

  • Oversee interprofessional learning activities for students in the workplace

What people who've completed this course are saying:

  • 'Clear, concise and easy to navigate'.

  • 'Great resources'.

  • 'Well thought out and presented course that provided insight, tools and skills'.

FAQs

  • What type of online course is this (and when can I access it)?

    This course is fully online and flexible. Once you log in you get access to the full course. It’s not limited to run on a certain date or time like some online course are – it’s always open (for 12 months after the date of purchase). Complete it all in one go or do it in parts when it suits you.

  • How is this course delivered?

    This course includes a combination of videos, along with downloadable resources called 'practice plug-ins'. The videos provide the evidence base underpinning each module, and the practice plug-ins give you tools, templates and how-to-guides for implementing good placement processes in your workplace.

  • How long does it take to complete this course?

    Around 5 hours (depending on the speed you like to learn at).

  • When will I get my completion certificate?

    Once you successfully complete the quiz at the end of the course you’ll get your electronic completion certificate straight away.

Preview this course

Brought to you by Applied 8

Applied 8 is an Australia business based in Canberra. We develop and deliver education and professional development courses. We specialise in courses relating to health and education.

For our amazing allied health workforce...

to complement your skills in your specific profession, including for:

Art Therapists
 Audiologists
Chiropractors Clinical Measurement Scientists
Dietitians
 Exercise Physiologists
Music Therapists
 Occupational Therapists
Optometrists
 Orthoptists
Orthotists / Prosthetists
 Osteopaths
Perfusionists
 Pharmacists
Physiotherapists
 Podiatrists
Psychologists
 Social Workers
Sonographers
 Speech Pathologists

Build in-demand skills, get CPD points (where relevant to your profession) and open up new career pathways for yourself while you're at it!

Course layout

Once you complete this course (including the quiz) you'll get your completion certificate straight away.

  • 1

    Welcome

    • My journey

    • Getting the most out of this course
  • 2

    Part 1: Preparation and orientation

    • Understanding the adult learner

    • Roles and responsibilities

    • Understanding supervision

    • Conducting a good orientation

    • Practice plug-in: Orientation checklist
  • 3

    Part 2: Hosting a student on placement - foundational skills

    • Setting learning objectives

    • Practice plug-in: Getting un-stuck

    • Giving effective explanations and demonstrations

    • Practice plug-in: 5 phase demonstration guide

    • Questioning

    • Practice plug-in: The placement pit

    • Giving feedback

    • Practice plug-in: Feedback checklist

    • Practice plug-in: Feedback accessibility builder (FAB)

    • Facilitating learning

    • Practice plug-in: Conveying v facilitating

    • Supporting wellbeing

    • Practice plug-in: Breaking the spiral

    • Practice plug-in: Cognitive load

    • Practice plug-in: 3 practical strategies for supporting wellbeing
  • 4

    Part 3: The mid-placement review

    • Specific criteria

    • Practice plug-in: Skill development tracker

    • Identifying themes

    • Setting an agenda

    • Practice plug-in: Mid-placement meeting agenda
  • 5

    Part 4: Keeping students engaged

    • Semi-structured learning activities

    • Practice plug-in: Clinical reasoning (learning activity for students)

    • Practice plug-in: Reflective practice (learning activity for students)

    • Quick winners

    • Practice plug-in: Balancing time while supporting learning

    • The CHANGE-IT method

    • Practice plug-in: Changing it up on placement
  • 6

    Part 5: Finishing a placement

    • Signing-off with confidence

    • The final meeting

    • Practice plug-in: End of placement meeting agenda

    • Evaluating placement

    • Practice plug-in: 5 questions to find out what students really think
  • 7

    Part 6: The struggling student (at risk of failing placement)

    • Underlying reasons why students can struggle on placement

    • Practice plug-in: Emotional intelligence on placement

    • Challenging behaviours

    • Practice plug-in: Challenge and support framework

    • Putting in place a support plan

    • Practice plug-in: Support plan-on-a-page

    • Practice plug-in: You've GOT this
  • 8

    Part 7: Scaling your placements (in number and quality)

    • PAL in theory

    • Practice plug-in: 4 big benefits of PAL

    • PAL in practice

    • Practice plug-in: PAL activity bank
  • 9

    Part 8: Interprofessional learning on placement

    • What is IPL? (and how to apply it to enhance the placement experience)

    • Practice plug-in: 3 back-pocket IPL activities

    • Practice plug-in: The IPL house
  • 10

    Wrapping Up

    • Thanks

    • Course reference list

    • Next Steps

    • Quiz

    • Survey