‘Not the last resort’: The impact of an interprofessional training care home initiative on students, staff, and residents

Reflections on an interprofessional student placement initiative in care homes

“…They found it challenging to accept that this could be as valuable experience as placements in faster-paced acute clinical se�ngs and that there are a range of health and social care se�ngs that offer rich learning opportuni�es. The weekly MDT mee�ngs changed students' percep�ons of working in care se�ngs for older people (Kelly et al 2023). Ensuring that students accept care homes as rich learning environments, and as an integral part of the health and social care system, will require educators to recognise and address misconcep�ons about the 'right' type of placements.…”

“…An evalua�on of the ini�a�ve, which incorporated the views of students, residents and care home staff, concluded that care homes are ideal learning environments and that the presence of students had numerous benefits for residents and care home staff as well as for the students themselves (Kelly et al 2023). Working collabora�vely as part of an interprofessional team enhanced students' knowledge of holis�c person-centred prac�ces; residents reported improvements in their physical, social and emo�onal health and appreciated being able to contribute to the students' educa�on; care home staff found that having various professional groups in the home enhanced their knowledge of the latest evidence-based prac�ce (Kelly et al 2023).…”