More than another pair of hands? The impact of medical student placements on the healthcare service

Abstract

Background: Clinical placements are key to developing work-ready graduates. To date, the literature on workplace learning has focussed on learner-as-consumer, rather than learner-as-contributor. This study aimed to identify the impact of medical student clinical placements for multiple stakeholders in healthcare services. Method: This study was conducted at a large outer metropolitan healthcare service. Qualitative data collection included: observation of students on placement; activity profiling of supervisors and students; student and supervisor focus groups; and interviews with clinicians, academic and hospital leaders, and patient advocates. The data were analysed using Braun and Clark..