This unique multi-sector collaboration is intended to help education providers minimise the impact of COVID-19 on student education by enabling students to continue their studies and graduate during the pandemic.

Some student placements have been paused, cancelled or otherwise modified as health service providers respond to COVID-19. This has led to a change for some students progressing towards graduation as education providers, accreditation authorities, clinical supervisors and others explore alternative options to some clinical placements and learning opportunities.

One example of this might be of a student starting a clinical placement on site and then transitioning rapidly into delivering the clinical service online via telehealth.

The national clinical education principles for the pandemic aim to provide helpful guidance with consideration for the significant changes across the health and education sectors at this time.

Board chair Kim Gibson said the national principles provide a strong, yet flexible, framework for accreditation authorities, education providers and health services to make decisions about student clinical education during the pandemic response.

‘The guidance includes eight deliberately high-level principles to determine how placements can occur safely, and with a flexible, outcome-focused approach to clinical education that meets the established accreditation standards of the professions.

‘The national principles also address the importance of close communication and collaboration between all stakeholders— including resource sharing and innovation across sectors—to extend the effectiveness of clinical placements and increase the capacity for students to support the health workforce response to the pandemic,’ Kim said.

The Physiotherapy Board of Australia (the Board) is working with the Australian Physiotherapy Council and the Council of Physiotherapy Deans of Australia and New Zealand to support universities with student placement opportunities and education in line with the national principles and jurisdictional COVID-19 restrictions.

This will give all programs the opportunity to graduate the 2020 cohort and maintain accreditation standards. The Board acknowledges that this has been a very challenging time for all and has been actively supporting the profession as much as it can.

Kim said, ‘We know physiotherapists, education providers and students have all adapted to the changes necessary through the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank you for all your hard work and being nimble in this changing landscape.’

>> Visit the Board’s website for more information and useful tips to help you understand and meet your obligations.

Visit tinyurl.com/ybg8pnaw for more information on clinical education.

Content for this article was supplied.