Implementing An External Student Placement Strategy Into an Undergraduate Chiropractic Curriculum in the United Kingdom: An Education Descriptive Report

Objective

The aim of this descriptive report is to describe the development and implementation of a placement strategy into an entry-level chiropractic course within the United Kingdom.

Methods

Placements are educational experiences during which students can observe or apply theory in real practice situations. For this study, the placement strategy was developed for the chiropractic program at Teesside University through an initial working group that generated its aims, objectives, and philosophy. Evaluation surveys were completed for each module containing placement hours. The median and interquartile range (IQR) were calculated for combined responses using a Likert scale (1 = strongly agree; 5 = strongly disagree). Students were allowed to provide comments.

Results

A total of 42 students participated. Placement hours were divided across all taught years (Academic Year 1: 11%; Year 2: 11%; Year 3: 26%; Year 4: 52%). Data were evaluated 2 years post-launch, with 40 students reporting to be satisfied overall with Year 1 (median 1, IQR 1-2) and Year 2 (1, IQR 1-2) placement modules. Participants perceived that placement experiences were applicable to the workplace and their future careers across modules in both Year 1 (1, IQR 1-2) and Year 2 (1, IQR 1-1.5) and that continuous feedback improved their clinical learning (Year 1 [1, IQR 1-2]; Year 2 [1, IQR 1-2]).

Conclusion

This report describes the strategy and student evaluation findings over its 2-year inception, exploring the principles of interprofessional learning, reflective practice, and authentic assessment. The strategy was implemented successfully following placement acquisition and auditing processes. Student feedback reported overall satisfaction with the strategy, which was associated with graduate-ready skills.