Northern Health Education, Northern Centre for Health Education and Research (NCHER), Northern Health, Epping, Vic., Australia. Email:
Workforce Innovation, Strategy, Education and Research Unit, Monash Health, Cheltenham, Vic., Australia; and School of Allied Health, Human Services and Sport, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic., Australia; and Corresponding author. Email:
Aust Health Rev. 2021 Dec;45(6):683-689. doi: 10.1071/AH21145.
Victoria was the Australian state most significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which caused significant disruption to Victorian health services. The aim of this case study is to describe the experience of the Victorian public health system in adapting to support allied health student education during the pandemic. Factors that affected student education were complex and dynamic, and included a decrease in traditional face-to-face learning opportunities due to a transition to telehealth, social distancing requirements, furlough of staff and travel restrictions. Impacts on placement capacity across allied health professions were highly variable. Strategies used to enable the continuation of student work-integrated learning (WIL) (also referred to as clinical placements or fieldwork) included an increase in remote placements and the use of technology. Enhanced communication between government and health service educators enabled rapid sharing of information and problem solving. At this time, the impacts on student preparedness for practice are unclear but may include deficits in interprofessional learning, clinical skills, increased levels of agility and enhanced resilience. This case study highlights the need for the health system to be adaptable and innovative to maintain the quality of student education, and the future allied health workforce, through the pandemic and beyond.
维多利亚州是 2020 年受 COVID-19 大流行影响最严重的澳大利亚州，这对维多利亚州的卫生服务造成了重大干扰。本案例研究的目的是描述维多利亚州公共卫生系统在大流行期间适应支持联合健康学生教育的经验。影响学生教育的因素复杂且动态，包括由于转向远程医疗、社交距离要求、员工休假和旅行限制，传统的面对面学习机会减少。对整个联合健康专业学生实习能力的影响差异很大。为了能够继续进行学生工作整合学习（WIL）（也称为临床实习或实地工作）而采用的策略包括增加远程实习和使用技术。政府和卫生服务教育者之间增强的沟通促进了信息的快速共享和问题的解决。目前，学生对实践的准备情况的影响尚不清楚，但可能包括在专业间学习、临床技能、敏捷度提高和复原力增强方面的不足。本案例研究强调了卫生系统需要具备适应性和创新性，以维持学生教育和未来联合健康劳动力的质量，这不仅在大流行期间如此，在大流行之后更是如此。
