Placement models
In addition to traditional (apprenticeship-style) placements, Three Rivers Rural Health Education team coordinates several innovative placement models. Our team designed these placements in collaboration with your organisations’ staff and the local community to achieve mutual benefits. We also work closely with university academics to ensure these placements align with students’ learning objectives while offering a unique, rural experience.
Benefits of these placements include:
- activities or projects that add value to current services or enhance service capacity
- improved consumer or population health outcomes
- enhanced organisational learning culture
- improved relationships between universities and staff
- professional development for staff
- enhanced visibility of the organisation for recruitment of future health professionals.
If you are interested in hosting placements in a new or different way or would like to talk through some options with our team, please contact us.
The Rural Health Education team considers the core values of social accountability, quality learning and teaching, and rurality when developing, delivering, and evaluating placements.
This framework diagram demonstrates how we embed these values across the placement process, with consideration of different stakeholder groups. For more information or to discuss our approach, please contact us.
Service learning placements
These project or service-based placements focus on supporting students to use their critical thinking and clinical skills to address a health need in a community organisation.
Placements in Indigenous health settings
We co-design placement opportunities with First Nations peoples to provide students with rich cultural and clinical learning opportunities.
Interprofessional learning placements
Team work is an essential component of rural practice, and these placements are focused on learning as a team of professionals who will work together in future.
Shared placements
Some organisations may be interested in hosting a student across two sites or in two completely different services to allow for rich learning opportunities.
Placements working with older people
Clinical placements in aged care facilities can take different forms across health disciplines and be part of other placement models.
Mental health placements
Gaining practical experience in the mental health sector is increasingly essential for nursing, paramedicine, and social work students.