Amanda Garrow & Samantha ShannPPDF Working group

Occupational therapy

Physiotherapy

Midwifery

Operating Department Practitioners

Nursing

A newly validated (2007) inter-professional suite of programmesat Northumbria University was introduced to the following pre- registration students;

Integral to these programmes was the development of the Personal and Professional Development File (PPDF) by an inter-professional working group consisting of academic and practice staff

Aims of the PPDFTo encourage students to become autonomous

life-long learners

Enable students to link theoretical and practical learning and provide a start towards continuing professional development (CPD)

Kenworthy & Redfern (1998)

Initial feedback from academic and practice staff:

Helps develop student’s reflective

skills

Raised student awareness of the

need for evidence of learning

Acknowledge value of timetabled sessions

Students felt more prepared for placement following pre-placement tutorial

Consistency of student experience across all programmes

Aims of Evaluation:

To examine the perceptions of pre-registration healthcare students on their experience of using the PPDF to support their personal and professional development during the first year of their programme.

To identify how the process of PPDF development influences the student’s learning.

Aims:

5 individual interviews with each discipline5 group interviews with each discipline1 multi-professional interview

InterviewsOne O.T. studentOne Midwifery student

One nursing group (n=3)One O.T. group (n=4)One O.D.P group (n=4)

ThemesWhat is evidence?

Preparation

Value & Level of Engagement

What is evidence?Best evidence (n= ):

“ What is your best evidence?” (R04)

Reflection:“ I find it easier to reflect when you don’t

actually think about reflecting” (R06)

PreparationFor Students:

“the seminars that we’ve had on the PPDF have been very useful” (R05)

“I don’t really think (the seminars) are beneficial” (R06)

“we’ve never been told what the purpose of the PPDF is” (R06, 1&2)

PreparationFor Guidance Tutors:

“we’ve been learning to use it at the same time as them” (R04)

“No-one really knew what we were doing, so it was like the blind leading the blind” (R06)

PreparationFor Mentors

“maybe haven’t got a full understanding of how they can use it as well” (R04)

“I don’t think they know about the PPDF… it never gets mentioned” (R08, 1&2)

Value & Level of EngagementFor Students

“used as a storage file” “back burner”

“no-one is checking it, you just don’t know if you are doing it right or wrong” (R06, 1&3)

“I think that the fact you knew your GT wanted to see it… would be enough for me to be doing a bit more work” (R07)

Value & Level of EngagementFor Staff

“we had lecturers saying; we don’t get the purpose of it either” (R06, 2)

“(the mentor says…) well what am I looking at?” (R04)

“a lot of people don’t see the PPDF as important” (R05)

Student Needs

More guidanceExercises on reflectionSmall group work to share best practicePeople to look at it!Examples of good CPD files

WE GOT IT RIGHT!

“We are actually doing our PPDF without realising we’re doing it” (R08,3)

Action Plan

Staff developmentIncrease awareness of practitioners as

mentors but also interviewers.Amend post-placement tutorial formConsider introducing element of assessment

linked to PPDF.

Final words…

“I think the file would be brilliant if we knew what to do with it” (R06,2)