Clinical Handbook for Students

CLINICAL HANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS

MSc SPEECH AND LANGUAGE

THERAPY

2017-2019

DISCLAIMER

This is an informal guide for the convenience of students and staff. While accurate at the time of publication, aspects of the clinical programme and evaluation of students’ work may be subject to modification and revision. Information provided by the Department of Clinical Language Sciences at later stages of the course should be regarded, where appropriate, as superseding the information contained in this handbook.

Contents

Introduction

Summary of Clinical Sessions

General Overview of Clinical Practice 1 and 2

Preparation for Placements

University Staff and Support for Clinical Placements

Assessment Library and Therapy Materials

Clinical Placement Policies and Procedures

Professionalism

Infection Prevention and Control

Health and Safety

Personal Clinical Aims

Personal Clinical Profile

First day of placement:

Assessment and Monitoring of Placement

NHS Funding for Travelling Expenses – NHS Bursary

Clinical Placements – General Guidelines

Notes on Paediatric Placements

Community Clinics

Children’s Centres and other Early Years Settings

Child Development Centres

Drop-In Clinics

Mainstream Schools

Resource Bases

Special Schools (day / residential)

Specific Client Groups

Notes on Adult Placements

Acute Wards

Outpatient Settings

Adults with Learning Difficulties

Rehabilitation Hospital or Day Hospital

Domiciliary Service

Group Therapy

Types of Placement

Preparation Clinic Placements

Weekly Placement

Elderly Care Setting

Block Placements

First Year MSc Clinical Learning Outcomes

Second Year MSc Clinical Learning Outcomes

Clinical Skills

Clinical Experiences

Clinical Activities

Placement Evaluation

Linguistic Assessment Clinic (LAC)

Case Report

Clinical reasoning seminars

Clinical Practicum Examination

Failure of the Clinical Practice 2 Module

Appendices

Personal Profile

PERSONAL PLACEMENT AIMS

First day placement checklist

Record of Telephone Contact with Supervising Clinician

Actions to be taken when concerned about a student’s progress

Statement of Confidentiality

Session plan –assessment

Assessment Session Plan - Evidence of clinical reasoning

Session Plan – intervention

Placement Evaluation form

Guidelines for Clinical Diary

Five Moments for Hand Hygiene at the point of care

Remote Supervision to a Placement Student

Student Guidance Notes for Clinical Tutor Visits

Dysphagia clinical experience and clinical learning opportunities on placement

Summary of Clinical Placements

Video Consent Form

Introduction

The purpose of this handbook is to guide you through the various clinical placements you will attend at different stages in the programme, and to give you information on how the clinical components are assessed.

You should keep this handbook in a safe place, and bring it to all introductory meetings (at the start of each term), clinical placement briefings, case study briefings and clinical tutorials. You should also have it available for reference when you go to new placements.

Your clinical placements are an integral part of the Clinical Practice modules. Over the two years, these clinical placements will enable you to develop your clinical skills and integrate theoretical aspects from all modules into your clinical practice.

We are given high quality placements by local placement providers offering you an excellent environment in which to develop your clinical skills. Your clinical placements will be varied over the two years and although you may not see all client groups you will have broad experience with which to begin your clinical career.

Please read this handbook in conjunction with your academic handbook.

Mrs. Carol A. Fairfield MA; BSc; MRCSLT; RegHPC

Director of Clinical Studies/Lecturer in Clinical Practice/ Speech and Language Therapist

Mrs. Allison L. Biddle MSc; BSc; MRCSLT; RegHPC

Clinical Coordinator and Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist

Summary of Clinical Sessions

Throughout the clinical programme you will attend clinical placement briefings and clinical seminars. You will also engage in professional Blackboard discussions forums. These forums are monitored by the clinical staff for accuracy and professionalism.

Year / Autumn / Spring / Easter/May / Summer / Summer Vacation
block placement
1 / 10 sessions
paediatric
(University Clinic)
OBSERVATION and PARTICIPATION
Child Development Visits / 10 sessions
adult
(University Clinic)
OBSERVATION and PARTICIPATION
Child Development Visits / TUES; WEDS: THURS: FRI
8 days
Adult/Paediatric
(external)
PARTICIPATION
5 days Elderly Care setting / 4 weeks (20 days)
Adult/Paediatric
(external)
PARTICIPATION
*2 / TUES, WEDS,
10 or 20 days
Adult/Paediatric
(external)
PARTICIPATION / TUES, WEDS,
10 or 20 days
Adult/Paediatric
(external)
PARTICIPATION / Block Placement
2 weeks (10 days)
Adult/Paediatric
(external)
PARTICIPATION / Clinical exams
*Students complete 3 placements across the Autumn and Spring terms. Each student must complete one adult and one paediatric placement at MSc 2 level. The other weekly placement and the block placement will be determined by their overall placement profile

A session is half a day.

Additional Clinical Activities

TERM / ACTIVITY / No. of sessions
Pre Sessional week, Autumn 1 / Introduction to clinics / 1
Autumn, Spring, Summer 1 / CDA visits / 5
Autumn 2, Spring 2 / Clinical seminars / 4
Autumn OR Spring 2 / Linguistic Assessment Clinic / 4
Summer 2 / Dissertation contact / 3

The above is a guide, as there are a range of placement models made available to us. Each student will have their own individual placement portfolio across a range of settings, client groups, and models of service delivery.

General Overview of Clinical Practice 1 and 2

The aims of the clinical component are:

To introduce students to principles and practice of speech and language therapy
To provide opportunities to observe a range of clients and speech and language therapists
To provide experience in assessment, treatment and evaluation of therapy with a wide range of clients
To enable students to integrate their theoretical knowledge in structured and coherent models of treatment
to enable students to develop into reflective practitioners

The emphasis of this programme will be on the assessment/treatment and management of communication and swallowing disorders across the lifespan. This will be achieved by utilising your linguistic, medical, psychological, psycho-social knowledge and applying this within an individuals’ sociocultural environment as well as within the education system and the modern NHS.

Students will achieve some experience of each major communication disorder and more extensive experience with the more common disorders. From the Easter of year 1 each student has an individual placement profile collated for them. Selection of clinical experience for each student will be arranged to allow students contact with a wide variety of client groups including disorders of voice; fluency; articulation; language and disorders of eating, drinking and swallowing.

Assessment comprises termly clinical reports from your placement educator, oral presentations, written case studies and a final clinical examinations in the Summer Term year 2. You will also have a tutorial visit to one of your placements by a Clinical Tutor.

Programme Learning outcomes

When you have completed this programme you should be able to:

Plan appropriate assessment procedures for a wide range of clients based on sound theoretical principles
Plan intervention/clinical management programmes tailored for each client’s needs
Base the programmes on thorough and appropriate assessments the analysis of which will result in hypotheses
Base your hypotheses on a firm theoretical knowledge of normal and abnormal speech and language as well as the individual communication needs of each client within their communicative context demonstrating clear skills in clinical reasoning and clinical decision making
Be aware of the limitations of your knowledge and expertise and understand how to seek further knowledge, help and guidance as needed
Maintain clinical records, statistics and other relevant administration
Demonstrate time management skills appropriate to your level of experience
Take professional responsibility for your work in accordance with your level of experience
Show an understanding of the need to work with statutory and voluntary bodies, educational, health and social service providers
Demonstrate awareness of the professional standards of the profession and those of employing authorities;
Understand and be committed to the need to maintain your knowledge and skills through continued professional development
Demonstrate professional awareness of issues such as confidentiality and ethics, including understanding and adherence to the relevant HPC standards of ethics, conduct and performance and standards of proficiency

Your clinical learning experience includes:

Structured observation of a range of cases seen in the University Speech and Language Therapy Clinic; these sessions include tutorials before and/or after each session
Observation and participation in the regular service clinics held within the University Speech and Language Therapy Clinic; with tutorials
Attending weekly sessions in SLT services
Some sessions in schools or centres for specialist client groups
Weekly sessions with adults in hospitals/community centres and/or rehabilitation centres.
Home visits
Block placements
Attending clinical reasoning sessions
Learning via electronic access to information and clinical discussion boards, monitored and contributed to by clinical tutors and academic staff

Clinical Placements - General Comments

You will have a number of different types of clinical placements over the two years of your degree course. The placements will vary in length, location, service delivery and client group. Placements will also vary between those that are attended weekly throughout term-time and the block placements during vacations. The placement administrator and clinical co-ordinator arrange all weekly and vacation placements.

Client contact in placements will vary, but you will always be learning from observing your supervising placement educator. You will see detailed in this handbook a comprehensive range of suggested activities whilst on placement encompassing direct client contact, multidisciplinary working and administration.

Clinical Placement Details

You will be given contact details for your placement educator at the end of the term prior to the placement term if they have been made available to the University. The University reserves the right to change placements at short notice in accordance with placement availability. You will be given full details of your clinical placements at the clinical briefing session. It is essential that you make contact with your placement educator prior to the first session. If you have any further questions or difficulties in contacting your clinic, please talk to the Clinical Administrator (Justine Nicholls) or Clinical Placement Co-ordinator (Allie Biddle) as soon as possible – you MUST be able to attend the first clinic of term.

Attendance and Punctuality

Before the start of the placement, contact the placement educator to agree a starting time and to exchange contact details
Please always arrive promptly at the agreed time
Ensure that your placement educator has a telephone number where you may be contacted or a message may be left for you in the event of last minute cancellation of a clinic
If you are unable to attend clinic for any reason, you must notify your placement educator and your placement educator tutor at the University.
You should keep a record of each clinic visit, noting the initials and diagnosis of each client seen, with a brief outline of assessments and treatment carried out, together with any personal observations. Later this logbook must be brought to clinical tutorials.

Case Reports

You will be required to submit a case report at a specified time whilst on placement (please refer to your academic handbook). It is your responsibility to inform your placement educator about this at the start of the placement.

Video Recordings

You will be required to make a recording for your final clinical exam whilst on placement. It is your responsibility to:

inform your placement educator at the start of the placement of any recordings you need to make for the purpose of the clinical exams
gain informed consent from the client and the placement educator and the client will need to complete a consent form. (The University will provide consent forms but you may also be required to gain consent on a form specific to your placement location). Informed consent means explaining clearly to the client the purpose of the recording
Ensure that the recording is kept safe and that only the client’s first name can be ascertained from the recording
You will need to follow the guidelines for making and storing video given separately

Clinical briefing sessions are given at the beginning of each term. You attend clinical tutorials in the first and second years.

The following two documents need to be read and adhered to:

HCPC Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students

NHS Constitution for England (March 2013)

Preparation for Placements

These guidelines apply to all placements during your degree programme.

Pre Placement Preparation

Prior to each placement we expect you do the following as minimum professional preparation:

To have read the relevant parts of your clinical handbook relating to your current year of study and placement
To be familiar with the clinical learning outcomes for your year as identified in this handbook
To have considered types of clinical activities in order to meet the placement aims (this is also looked at in seminars as a group activity)
To have completed your personal aims form and student profile and sent them to your placement educator beforethe start of the placement
To have carried out pre placement reading as requested by the placement educator
To have made contact with the placement educator prior to the start of the placement and provided him/her with a contact phone number.
To identify a phone number for your educator for someone to contact in case of emergency and who could collect your from placement
To be regular and punctual in attendance
To inform the placement educator of expected absence in a timely fashion
To dress appropriately for the placement
To adhere to confidentiality regulations
Students are not permitted to take case notes off the premises
All confidential information must be deleted from photocopies of reports/assessments/correspondence
Respect client confidentiality in discussion away from the placement
Adhere to the confidentiality statement given by the department
To remember that the welfare of clients comes first
To wear your University photo ID badge at all times in clinic
To adhere to the HCPC standards of conduct, ethics and performance.

Responsibility for your Own Learning

It is your responsibility to manage your learning and professional relationships. This includes alerting your Placement Educator and The University of Reading via your Clinical Tutor in a timely manner to any problems with the placement which might prevent progress or satisfactory completion of the placement.
It is expected that you will take responsibility for understanding the assessment process and criteria for the placement, and will use that knowledge when seeking guidance on progress and self-reflection.
It is your responsibility to make your Placement Educator aware of your individual learning outcomes and for negotiating how these might best be achieved during the placement
It is expected that you will take responsibility for reflecting on your anticipated learning outcomes for the placement, using previous feedback, personal reflection, and the course’s expectations for the stage you are at on the programme.
It is expected that you will engage actively in learning in order to develop your integration of theory to practice
It is expected that you will be responsible at all times for your own and your patients/clients’ health and safety within the placement and should not compromise the health and safety of the patients/clients.
It is expected that you will recognise that the needs of the patient/client will take priority at all times
It is expected that you will arrange a “mid placement” and “end of placement” review with your Placement Educator(s) to review the learning and assess future learning needs.
It is expected that you will take responsibility for alerting the Placement Educator and your clinical tutor if the agreed feedback and monitoring does not take place.
It is expected that you will be familiar with and adhere to the RCSLT speech and language therapy professional standards

University Staff and Support for Clinical Placements

Clinical Tutors

The role of your identified clinical tutor is to support students and their placement educators, to ensure that the best learning opportunities are offered from the placements. If you have any worries or concerns about your clinic placements, please come and talk in confidence as soon as possible to your identified clinical tutor-details below. The clinical tutors also run daily drop-ins for placement support and ideas. These are scheduled on your academic timetables.

NAME / TELEPHONE / EMAIL / AVAILABILTY
Allison Biddle (Allie)
Clinical Coordinator / 0118 3784687 / / All week
Fiona Baillie / / Tuesday
Wednesday
Linda Chitty / / Monday
Alison Cox / / All week
Sarah Fincham-Majumdar / / Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Helen Marlow / / Tuesday
Thursday
Kate Munro / / Monday,
Tuesday
Wednesday pm
Emma Pilkington(maternity cover for Melissa Loucas) / / Monday am
Wednesday - Friday all day
Katherine Pritchard / / Monday
Wednesday
Thursday am
Theo Read / / Monday
Tuesday
Friday

Placement Administrator’s Contact Details and Availability

Justine Nicholls / 0118 378 3784696 / / All week

Assessment Library and Therapy Materials

Next to the undergraduate common room (room 157 Psychology Building) is a reference library. The library contains a wide range of assessments used in speech and language therapy. Throughout your degree you will be accessing the assessment library on a regular basis to complete your assessment logs and to prepare for clinical placements. Assessment library rules are on display in the assessment library.