References
Student paramedic views of an international clinical and cultural learning experience
Abstract
Background:
Universities are now frequently exploring international placements and learning experiences for paramedicine students. This has given rise to questions about the quality and meaningfulness of overseas student experiences within the paramedic curriculum.
Aim:
This study investigates whether a university-organised overseas trip provided a useful clinical and cultural learning experience for undergraduate paramedicine students.
Methods:
A 60-question survey was administered to participants, with questions chiefly focusing on clinical and cultural experiences during the overseas trip. Statistical software was used to analyse continuous and categorical survey data.
Findings:
This international trip appears to have provided a very useful cultural learning experience, but a sub-optimal clinical learning experience for students (even despite child births, emergency room presentations and blood-draws).
Conclusions:
A validated survey instrument which builds upon current knowledge and literature could be used more widely to evaluate and better understand the dimensions of quality in overseas paramedic student placements.
The issue of high-quality student placements has received considerable attention across health professions in Australia over the past decade (Ferns and Pegden, 2012; Siggins Miller, 2012; Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council (AHMAC), 2017). This has coincided with an increasing interest from students and universities in exploring overseas student placements and other international learning experiences (Nash et al, 2015; Jones et al, 2016). Similar issues of quality have been explored within the paramedic profession, although researchers have noted the need for further collaborative actions and research (Michau et al, 2009; O'Meara et al, 2014; Hickson et al, 2015). Like other professions, paramedic students and universities are also more frequently exploring international placements and non-traditional (or non-frontline ambulance) overseas workplace learning experiences as part of undergraduate paramedicine courses (Ashton et al, 2013; Lord et al, 2013).
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