COVID-19 vaccination requirements for Ireland's healthcare students

International debate on COVID-19 policy issues, notably negative social consequences, is vital when grappling with the pandemic legacy. Drawing from the second author's experiences in the Irish healthcare and higher education sectors, this commentary scrutinises measures that discriminated against students who declined novel COVID-19 pharmaceuticals. In so doing, it serves as a point of contrast to fear-based interventions. Connections are made with relevant literature when urging those in authority to ensure that policies intended to maximise vaccine coverage are seen to be fair and convincing. The commentary concludes with some reflections that could underpin more defensible policymaking and inform future research. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Critical Social Policy is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The impact of pandemic disruptions on clinical skills learning for pre-clinical medical students: implications for future educational designs.

BACKGROUND: Pandemic disruptions to medical education worldwide resulted in rapid adaptations to clinical skills learning. These adaptations included moving most teaching to the online environment, decreasing the accepted "hands-on" methods of teaching and learning. While studies have shown significant impacts on student confidence in skills acquisition, there is a paucity of assessment outcome studies which would contribute a valuable perspective on whether measurable deficits were incurred. Here, a preclinical (Year 2) cohort was investigated for clinical skills learning impacts that could influence their transition to hospital-based placements. METHODS: A sequential mixed methods approach was used on the Year 2 Medicine cohort, including: focus group discussions with thematic analysis; a survey derived from the themes observed; and a cohort comparison of the clinical skills examination results of the disrupted Year 2 cohort, compared to pre-pandemic cohorts. RESULTS: Students reported experiencing benefits and disadvantages of the shift to online learning, including a decrease in confidence in their skills acquisition. End of year summative clinical assessments showed non-inferior outcomes when compared to previous cohorts for the majority of clinical skills. However, for procedural skills (venepuncture) the disrupted cohort had significantly lower scores compared to a pre-pandemic cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic provided the opportunity to compare online asynchronous hybrid clinical skills learning with the usual practice of face-to-face synchronous experiential learning. In this study, students' reported perceptions and assessment performance data indicate that careful selection of skills suitable for online teaching, supported by timetabled "hands-on" sessions and ample practice opportunities, is likely to provide non-inferior outcomes for clinical skills learning in students about to transition to clinical placements. The findings can be used to inform clinical skills curriculum designs that incorporate the virtual environment, and assist with future-proofing skills teaching in the case of further catastrophic disruptions.

Radiographers' perceptions of first year diagnostic radiography students' performance following implementation of a simulation-based education model.

INTRODUCTION: Simulation-based education (SBE) partially replaced the clinical placement learning for a cohort of first year students on a BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography programme. This was in response to the pressures on hospital-based training caused by increasing student numbers and following increased capability and positive outcomes for student learning in delivering SBE as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A survey was distributed to diagnostic radiographers, across five NHS Trusts, involved in the clinical education of first year diagnostic radiography students at one UK university. The survey sought radiographers' perception of student performance in undertaking radiographic examinations, safety procedures, knowledge of anatomy, professionalism, and the impact of embedding simulation-based education through multichoice and free text questions. Descriptive and thematic analysis of the survey data was undertaken. RESULTS: Twelve survey responses from radiographers across four Trusts were collated. Responses indicated the majority of radiographers perceived students to require the expected level of assistance in undertaking appendicular examinations, applying infection control and radiation safety measures, and had the expected level of radiographic anatomy knowledge. Students also interacted appropriately with service users, demonstrated increased confidence in coming into the clinical environment and were receptive to feedback. Some variation was noted, particularly in professionalism and engagement, though not always attributed to SBE. CONCLUSION: Replacement of clinical placement with SBE was perceived to have provided appropriate learning opportunities and some additional benefits, however it was felt by some radiographers that SBE could not replace the experience of the real imaging environment. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Embedding simulated-based education requires a holistic approach and close collaboration with placement partners to ensure complimentary learning experiences in the clinical placement setting, and support achievement of the learning outcomes.

Students' experiences of moral challenges in clinical placement during the covid-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

Background: Care in a crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, might entail moral challenges for nursing students. Aim: The aim of this study was to gain knowledge of nursing students' experiences of moral challenges arising when caring for patients in clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study has a qualitative design with individual interviews of nine nursing students. Data were analysed using the six-step model of thematic analysis. Findings: The students' experienced moral challenges when caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three themes were defined: The double fear of infection, mixed feelings of being a "hero" and an "over-worked pushover" and compromising on basic knowledge and values. Conclusion: The findings described the students' experiences of morally challenging situations that arose when caring for patients during COVID-19 pandemic. The students were drawn between feelings of being appreciated and needed and feelings of being powerless.

Clinical support during covid-19: An opportunity for service and learning? A cross-sectional survey of UK medical students.

PURPOSE: Medical students providing support to clinical teams during Covid-19 may have been an opportunity for service and learning. We aimed to understand why the reported educational impact has been mixed to inform future placements. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of medical students at UK medical schools during the first Covid-19 'lockdown' period in the UK (March-July 2020). Analysis was informed by the conceptual framework of service and learning. RESULTS: 1245 medical students from 37 UK medical schools responded. 57% of respondents provided clinical support across a variety of roles and reported benefits including increased preparedness for foundation year one compared to those who did not (p < 0.0001). However, not every individual's experience was equal. For some, roles complemented the curriculum and provided opportunities for clinical skill development, reflection, and meaningful contribution to the health service. For others, the relevance of their role to their education was limited; these roles typically focused on service provision, with few opportunities to develop. CONCLUSION: The conceptual framework of service and learning can help explain why student experiences have been heterogeneous. We highlight how this conceptual framework can be used to inform clinical placements in the future, in particular the risks, benefits, and structures.[Box: see text].

Evaluating an undergraduate nursing student telehealth placement for community-dwelling frail older people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a rapid response student telehealth placement experience implementing interRAI assessments of community-dwelling frail older people during the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify lessons to inform future telehealth clinical placements. BACKGROUND: New Zealand undertakes assessment of older people with disabilities using the interRAI contact assessment tool for less complex conditions and home care assessment tool for complex needs. New Zealand entered lockdown in March 2020 in response to COVID-19. New Zealand's most vulnerable community members required urgent needs assessment. DESIGN: A clinical placement whereby 3rd year undergraduate nursing students trained by interRAI-NZ educators worked remotely from home delivering telehealth assessment for 'at risk' older people across the Waikato District, New Zealand. This represented the first telehealth experience within an undergraduate nursing program approved by the New Zealand Nursing Council. METHODS: A case study evaluation utilising mixed method questionnaire and qualitative techniques within an interpretive paradigm. 19 third year students in the fifth semester of a Bachelor of Nursing program and 5 nursing staff members engaged in delivery of the initiative completed pre- and post-placement short answer questionnaires. Reflective diaries were maintained by students on placement. Post-placement interviews and focus group discussions provided in-depth data. COREQ guidelines informed analysis and reporting. RESULTS: Student and tutor responses showed consistent themes: tackling COVID-19; implementation requirements; nursing competencies; provider relationships; and community insights. These provide insight and highlight lessons learnt from this initiative. CONCLUSIONS: Student confidence in therapeutic engagement and clinical assessment and interest in aged care was increased, confirming the viability and importance of this inaugural telehealth student placement initiative. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Graduate work readiness is enhanced through telehealth placement experience and interRAI assessor training. These are recommended as core components of future nursing education programs.

The mental health impact of COVID-19 on pre-registration nursing students in Australia: Findings from a national cross-sectional study.

AIM: The study aimed to measure and describe the mental health impact of COVID-19 on Australian pre-registration nursing students. BACKGROUND: The COVID -19 pandemic has had a swift and significant impact on nursing students across the globe. The pandemic was the catalyst for the closure of schools and universities across many countries. This necessary measure caused additional stressors for many students, including nursing students, leading to uncertainty and anxiety. There is limited evidence available to identify the mental health impact of COVID-19 on Australian pre-registration nursing students currently. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted across 12 Australian universities. METHODS: Using an anonymous, online survey students provided demographic data and self-reported their stress, anxiety, resilience, coping strategies, mental health and exposure to COVID-19. Students' stress, anxiety, resilience, coping strategies and mental health were assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Brief Resilience Scale, the Brief Cope and the DASS-21. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted to investigate whether stress, anxiety, resilience and coping strategies explained variance in mental health impact. Ethical Approval was obtained from the University of New England Human Research Ethics Committee (No: HE20-188). All participating universities obtained reciprocal approval. RESULTS: Of the 516 students who completed the survey over half (n = 300, 58.1%) reported mental health concerns and most students (n = 469, 90.9%) reported being impacted by COVID-19. Close to half of students (n = 255, 49.4%) reported signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Mental health impact was influenced by students' year level and history of mental health issues, where a history of mental health and a higher year level were both associated with greater mental health impacts. Students experienced considerable disruption to their learning due to COVID-19 restrictions which exacerbated students' distress and anxiety. Students coped with COVID-19 through focusing on their problems and using strategies to regulate their emotions and adapt to stressors. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted pre-registration nursing students' mental health. Strategies to support nursing students manage their mental health are vital to assist them through the ongoing pandemic and safeguard the recruitment and retention of the future nursing workforce. IMPACT STATEMENT: This study adds an Australian understanding to the international evidence that indicates student nurses experienced a range of negative psychosocial outcomes during COVID-19. In this study, we found that students with a pre-existing mental health issue and final-year students were most affected. The changes to education in Australian universities related to COVID-19 has caused distress for many nursing students. Australian nursing academics/educators and health service staff need to take heed of these results as these students prepare for entry into the nursing workforce. PATIENT OR PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: The study was designed to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of undergraduate nursing students in Australia. Educators from several universities were involved in the design and conduct of the study. However, the study did not include input from the public or the intended participants.

A qualitative analysis of radiography students' reflective essays regarding their experience of clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare services and clinical placement for healthcare students. There is a paucity of qualitative research into radiography students' experiences of clinical placement during the pandemic. METHOD: Students in stages three and four of a 4-year BSc Radiography degree in Ireland wrote reflective essays regarding their experience of clinical placement during the COVID-19 healthcare crisis. Permission was granted by 108 radiography students and recent graduates for their reflections to be analysed as part of this study. A thematic approach to data analysis was used, allowing themes to emerge from the reflective essays. Two researchers independently coded each reflective essay using the Braun and Clarke model. RESULTS: Four themes were highlighted; 1) Challenges associated with undertaking clinical placement during the pandemic, such as reduced patient throughput and PPE-related communication barriers; 2) Benefits of clinical placement during the pandemic, in terms of personal and professional development and completing degree requirements to graduate without delay; 3) Emotional impact and 4) Supporting students in clinical practice. Students recognised their resilience and felt proud of their contribution during this healthcare crisis but feared transmitting COVID-19 to family. Educational and emotional support provided by tutors, clinical staff and the university was deemed essential by students during this placement. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the pressure hospitals were under during the pandemic, students had positive clinical placement experiences and perceived these experiences to have contributed to their professional and personal growth. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This study supports the argument for clinical placements to continue throughout healthcare crisis periods, albeit with additional learning and emotional support in place. Clinical placement experiences during the pandemic prompted a deep sense of pride amongst radiography students in their profession and contributed to the development of professional identity.

The Benefits, Challenges and Impacts of Telehealth Student Clinical Placements for Accredited Health Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction: Despite the advantages of telehealth, there has been a reluctance in its widespread adoption. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services and related placements increased internationally. Yet, there is currently limited research on the use of telehealth for student clinical placements. Aim: To explore the perceived benefits, challenges, and impacts of telehealth placements for key stakeholders (clients, students, clinical educators, and placement co-ordinators) in allied health courses. Methods: Stakeholder experiences with telehealth placements, undertaken within an Australian Allied Health University Clinic, were explored in virtual focus groups held between November 2020 and March 2021. These discussions used semi-structured interview questions, were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. They were then thematically analyzed independently by two researchers, then cross-checked for consistency, using a qualitative descriptive approach, with reflexivity applied. Results: Twenty-six stakeholders from six allied health disciplines participated in seven homogeneous focus groups. Three themes were identified: (1) telehealth placements support competency development and graduate employability; (2) telehealth placements enable students to provide person centered-care; and (3) telehealth placements enabled innovation. Conclusion: Telehealth placements can make a valuable contribution as part of an overall placement program within accredited health courses and offer distinct advantages to student learning outcomes.

Active digital pedagogies as a substitute for clinical placement during the COVID-19 pandemic: the case of physiotherapy education.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, campuses at Norwegian academic institutions were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All in-person teaching had to be replaced by digital alternatives. The closure also affected clinical placements in physiotherapy programs, which in some cases had to be replaced by online alternatives without patient contact. The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits and challenges of using digital pedagogies to accomplish the learning outcomes of clinical placements. METHODS: Forty-four final-year physiotherapy students at Oslo Metropolitan University had their clinical placement substituted by an online alternative centered around two main educational activities conducted online in small groups: 1) clinical case seminars and 2) digital lectures followed by webinars where students discussed and solved tasks related to the lectures. Additionally, as a part of this alternative placement, students had to conduct a physiotherapy assessment of a family member/housemate and summarize the findings in an anonymized medical record. At the end of the placement, all students wrote a short essay reflecting on their learning process. Students' written reflections were anonymized and subjected to a qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Forty-three out of 44 participating students completed their essays. Although students expressed disappointment in missing out on clinical placement, they were surprised by how much learning the online alternative provided. The most valued activities were clinical case seminars where clinical cases previously experienced by the students were discussed. The seminars appeared to facilitate students' engagement in professional discussions and to enhance their clinical reasoning skills. Seminars also seemed to strengthen students' belief in their own and their fellow students' capabilities. Group discussions focusing on topics related to digital lectures were also appreciated. Interestingly, the activity that most closely mimicked a clinical setting - physiotherapy assessment of family member/housemate - was rarely mentioned in the students' essays. As expected, students most regret not meeting real patients and missing out on the new clinical experiences such encounters would provide. CONCLUSIONS: Despite lack of direct patient contact, students in physiotherapy education evaluated that an online alternative placement was highly clinically relevant. Peer-to-peer discussions of clinical cases appeared to be especially valued. The fact that students themselves had to take the main responsibility for preparing the seminars and leading the discussions was an important pedagogical aspect of the online alternative. The findings indicate that in learning of clinical skills, physiotherapy students take benefit of autonomous, student-centered interventions. Further research should investigate how digital technology-enhanced learning can be used to improve quality of ordinary clinical placement, in physiotherapy- and health education.

Evaluation of the Early Impact of COVID-19 on Physiotherapy Clinical Placement Learning Models and Client Case-Mix

Clinical placements are fundamental to entry-level physiotherapy education and provide an opportunity for students to translate theory into practice within authentic clinical environments. Student success during clinical placement is a core requirement of physiotherapy programs and a critical component of the pathway to graduation, registration, and then employment. The registration of a physiotherapist confirms that as a student, they have met the profession's rigorous accreditation requirements. COVID-19 has significantly disrupted physiotherapy clinical placements across Australia, with many placements postponed or cancelled in the early public health response. These placement disruptions may preclude students from demonstrating mandatory pre-registration accreditation requirements, ultimately reducing the number of eligible new-graduate physiotherapists. Creating sustainable clinical placements whilst upholding the professional standard of entry level graduates during the pandemic, calls for innovative solutions to monitor student placement experiences. A Clinical Portfolio was implemented to improve monitoring processes and enable dynamic responses to potentially altered student learning experiences as COVID-19 public health measures evolved. In doing so, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on physiotherapy student placements between May and June 2020 through examining client case-mix, demographics and learning model documented in each student's Clinical Portfolio. These data sets allowed for comparison of learning model and case-mix during the pandemic with previous literature monitoring typical physiotherapy clinical placement experience, and providing support for ensuring the registration of the cohort impacted. © 2022 Andrea Hams & Taryn Jones. This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Attribution-Non-Commercial No Derivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is unaltered.

A cross-sectional student survey of the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on clinical placement in England.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical placement is an essential aspect of student radiographers' training. The Covid-19 pandemic proved challenging for diagnostic radiography students disrupting clinical placements. This study aims to explore the impact of Covid-19 on first and second year student diagnostic radiographers' in clinical practice during the Covid-19 lockdown periods and Covid-19 waves in England. METHOD: A cross-sectional online survey was used to attain quantitative attitudinal 5-point Likert and qualitative free-text response data. Descriptive and inferential statistics data analysis applied the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test. The qualitative data were thematically coded and analysed for patterns of reoccurring themes. RESULTS: There were n = 85 responses from n = 9 different counties within England. Students reported missing between n = 1-14 weeks of placement. There was a lack of (41%; n = 35) or limited radiography staff (21%; n = 18) in the clinical departments and a lack of a range of X-ray examinations available (67%; n = 57) during the Covid-19 lockdowns, which affected completing practice assessments. Negative effects included stress, anxiety and worry (68%; n = 58); positive effects included team working (16.4%; n = 14), learning to work under pressure (12.9%; n = 11), and preparation for qualifying (8.2%; n = 7). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified that students needed more support in this critical aspect of their training. There were both positive and negative responses; notably, the results highlight how the Covid-19 lockdowns have strained the National Health Service (NHS) and adversely affected radiography students. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings underscore the need for university educators and student liaison radiographers within hospitals to have an awareness of the mental health and practical learning needs of the students they are instructing post-Covid-19 lockdown.

Finding the right balance: student perceptions of using virtual simulation as a community placement.

OBJECTIVES: Finding appropriate community clinical placements has been challenging in recent years, most especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the 2020-2021 semesters, a university in the province of Alberta, Canada chose to use the community health virtual simulation program, Sentinel City®3.1, to provide clinical placements for three groups of undergraduate students. This expository paper, co-authored by students and faculty, sought to further explore how virtual simulation can be used to best support student learning by identifying practices that students find most helpful. METHOD: Jeffries' (2005) simulation framework was used to guide a quality improvement analysis which explored feedback received from 16 students regarding the use of Sentinel City®3.1 as a clinical placement, with additional contributions from the student co-authors. RESULTS: Students felt Sentinel City®3.1 was an effective tool to learn community and population health concepts, however, all students indicated that they would have preferred more opportunities to work with real communities. CONCLUSION: Virtual simulation programs like Sentinel City®3.1 might be best as a learning supplement rather than as students' sole clinical placement experience.

A descriptive case report of telesupervision and online case-based learning for speech and language therapy students in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND:  Vietnam's first speech and language therapy (SLT) degrees commenced in 2019 utilising international educators. Continuity of the degrees was impacted by travel restrictions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. OBJECTIVES:  This article presents a descriptive case report exploring the viability of online learning to continue clinical education (CE) of SLT students in Vietnam during the pandemic. METHOD:  Students were scheduled for face to face placements throughout 2021. International SLT educators were to travel to Vietnam and work with interpreters and locally trained certificate level therapists to provide placement supervision. When travel became impossible, tele-supervision by international therapists working remotely and in partnership with local therapists and interpreters was arranged. The second wave of Covid-19 excluded students from healthcare settings early in their placements. To conclude these placements, tele-supervisors led online case-based discussions with students. For subsequent placements, Vietnamese and international therapists facilitated two to three weeks of online case-based group discussions for students, using cases with videos or avatars. RESULTS:  Learning outcomes for students, as evidenced in written and oral assessments demonstrated attainment of many of the learning objectives of the placements. Satisfaction for all participants (students, tele-supervisors, online group facilitators) was high. Students will undertake face to face placements in the future; however they will commence these placements with heightened clinical reasoning and planning skills. CONCLUSION:  Online CE is possible in LMIC and, as part of a program which includes face to face placements, can support essential CE outcomes and enhance preparation for subsequent direct experiences with patients.

Exploring midwifery students' experiences of professional identity development during clinical placement: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Healthy China 2030 has proposed to strengthen the investment in midwifery education to prepare more qualified midwives to address the shortage of midwifery workforce in China. The formation of a strong professional identity has been demonstrated to be a vital enabler for successfully transitioning from university to work. As midwifery is a practice-based profession, clinical placement is a key period for midwifery students' professional identity development, where they can be part of the profession and exposed to professional behaviour and interaction in the real world. However, it has not yet been explored in terms of the professional identity development of midwifery students in China during clinical placement. AIM: To gain insight into the professional identity development experiences of midwifery students in China during clinical placement. DESIGN: A qualitative study using a descriptive phenomenological approach. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen final-year midwifery students who were undertaking clinical placement in four public hospitals in central China between March 2021 and May 2021. The transcribed data were analyzed following the Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis method. RESULTS: A total of one category, two theme clusters and seven themes emerged. The overarching category "conflicting experiences of professional identity development" was identified from the interaction of two theme clusters, "positive experiences motivating professional identity development" and "negative experiences impeding professional identity development". Four themes including "feeling the sense of accomplishment for facilitating smooth births", "developing professional competence", "positive role models of clinical mentors", and "cooperative inter-professional relationships" fell into the theme cluster of "positive experiences motivating professional identity development"; while the other three themes including "high-intensity working state", "emotional instability of birthing women", and "feeling insufficient in professional competence" fell into the theme cluster of "negative experiences impeding professional identity development". CONCLUSIONS: The conflicting experiences of professional identity development among midwifery students might lead to the emergence of confusion and further decrease their retention intention in the profession. Thus, intervention strategies should be adopted to promote midwifery students' professional identity development during clinical placement, so as to prepare confident and motivated midwives to provide high-quality maternal care and address the shortage of midwifery workforce in China.

Allied Health Student Engagement in Telehealth Clinical Placements: A Rapid Review

Purpose: The engagement of allied health students in telehealth consultations whilst on clinical placement has rapidly increased due to the disruption caused by COVID-19. While this is understandable given the circumstances, it has occurred on the largely unfounded assumption that utilising telehealth is pedagogically appropriate to supplement or replace assessed placements. Method: This rapid review used the Cochrane rapid review methodology to synthesise the literature relating to the perspectives of allied health students whilst on clinical placements utilising telehealth. Results: A systematic search and selection process found three studies. In summary, the combined findings of the research suggest that student perspectives were generally positive, and several important beneiiits were reported, including being able to improve knowledge and skills, and reduce anxiety for some consultations. However, students acknowledged that some consultations were considerably more difffiicult to undertake without being in the same physical space as clients. Conclusions: The methodological quality of these three papers was inconsistent, and collectively the area clearly needs more evidence to support the transition of face-to-face to telehealth environments. Recommendations: Based on broader telehealth literature, the authors propose several recommendations to meet the immediate challenge of insufffiicient guiding research evidence. These include deconstructing telehealth placements into discrete clinical placement elements, using education theory to support student clinicians to implement a proactive, integrated approach to adopting telehealth as a standard service modality, and investing in and developing infrastructure, policy, systems, education, and training in an explicit, systematic manner. The use of telehealth within allied health clinical placements is here to stay, but considerable work is needed to prepare students for this environment as well as triaging and progressively scaffolding their experiences.

The Impact of Covid-19 on First Year Undergraduate Nuclear Medicine Students' Practical Skills Training.

RATIONALE: Clinical placement is an important component of any undergraduate nuclear medicine program. For first year students, it is an introduction to clinical nuclear medicine which helps them better understand the profession as well as consolidate their learning to date. At The University of Newcastle, Australia part of the clinical placement course includes radiopharmacy laboratory sessions in a simulated environment to develop necessary skills and confidence. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions were put in place that meant that clinical placements for first year students were cancelled and time in the radiopharmacy laboratory was reduced from two hours to one hour per session. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a clinical alternative portfolio in lieu of clinical placement was effective in increasing the students' knowledge and skills in nuclear medicine practice and if specifically developed instructional videos for preparation of the radiopharmacy laboratories compensated for the reduced time. METHODS: A paper-based survey was given to the 50 students enrolled in the first-year professional practice course. This survey containing 56 questions consisted of both open questions and closed Likert-scale questions about the changes to the radiopharmacy laboratories and the clinical alternative portfolio in two separate sections. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the resulting data. RESULTS: There was a 94% response rate to the survey. The majority of students watched the preparatory radiopharmacy videos at least once and strongly agreeing that each video adequately prepared them for the associated lab session. Just over half (51%) of the students though the reduced time in the lab was sufficient to complete the required tasks. The majority of students agreed that the modules included in the clinical alternative portfolio increased their knowledge of nuclear medicine practice. CONCLUSION: In spite of the restrictions put in place due to Covid-19, the learning outcomes of the first-year nuclear medicine professional practice course were met. The preparatory videos for the radiopharmacy laboratories and the clinical alternative portfolio was positively received and gave the students a good introduction to clinical nuclear medicine.

COVID-19: A literature review of the impact on diagnostic radiography students.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral disease declared a global pandemic in March 2020. Throughout the pandemic, radiography students have been working in hospitals on the frontline. The review aimed to search for evidence of the impact COVID-19 has had on diagnostic radiography students and consider whether additional support and learning needs to be implemented. METHODS: A literature search strategy applied keywords, BOOLEAN search operators, and eligibility criteria on PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases. Cormack's (2000) critique framework was chosen to methodologically appraise the mixed-method studies to evaluate the quality, validity and rigour. RESULTS: The search decisions were displayed in a PRISMA flowchart to evidence the process to identify the found articles comprised of two surveys, two semi-structured interviews and one case study. The findings identified common and reoccurring themes of personal protective equipment, mental wellbeing, accommodation and travel, assessments and learning, and transitioning to registration. CONCLUSION: The literature suggests that students felt positive impacts of the pandemic, such as being prepared for registration. However, negative effects included the fear of contracting the virus, anxieties of working with ill patients, impracticalities of accommodation and travel during clinical placement, and the adaption to online learning. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Clinical staff and universities need to work together to ensure students are mentally and physically supported during the pandemic. Regular meetings and agreed channels of communication with students will allow any issues to be brought to attention and addressed. In addition, employers should recognise that newly qualified radiographers will need extra support.

Adapting to the challenges of the global pandemic on genetic counselor education: Evaluating students' satisfaction with virtual clinical experiences.

Travel restrictions, physical distancing, and limits to clinical placements due to the global pandemic raised enormous challenges for genetic counseling education in 2020. In response, we created authentic virtual clinical experiences in our Master of Genetic Counseling program, mimicking clinical practice: virtual simulation with standardized clients, and virtual clinical placements, including intake calls, triage, consultations, teamwork and time management, and genetic counseling with standardized clients. The virtual clinical experiences involved online pre-brief, simulation, and debrief. We aimed to evaluate students' satisfaction with this learning method. Between April and November 2020, we distributed an anonymous online survey to all participating students using a modified version of a validated satisfaction with simulation scale. We analyzed the combined responses from first- and second-year virtual clinical experiences using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The total number of possible responses was 120. The mean response rate was 68.36% (n = 82.03), with a mean of 16.41 participants responding to each survey from each year group. Of the first-year participants, 53% (n = 10) had not observed a genetic counseling consultation before attending the virtual clinical placement. Overall, 92.5% of responses indicated that students were satisfied with the virtual clinical experiences (SD = 0.05). 100% (n = 82) of responses indicated that working with standardized clients was beneficial to learning, encouraged reflection on clinical ability and was a valuable learning experience overall. However, 37.78% (n = 17) of those who participated in the virtual simulation found that the use of Zoom detracted from their clinical learning. The virtual clinical experiences increased first-year students' confidence about clinical placement and prepared second-year students for telehealth. In conclusion, the adaptation to virtual clinical experiences enhanced learning for most students, prepared them for practice, met the requirements of the accreditation body and enabled all of our final year students to graduate on time.