Involvement and engagement in the community
To complete a rural or remote placement, a student has usually moved away from friends, family and university support networks. This can result in feelings of loneliness and may impact on their engagement in the placement. Webster et al. (2010) examined undergraduate nursing students’ experience in a rural placement and found that as students got involved in the community their feelings of social isolation and homesickness lessened.
There are many ways to make a student feel welcome and supported. If possible meet the student when they arrive and take them to their accommodation. Some other strategies are:
- take the student on a tour of the town so they know where the supermarket and other local facilities are
- an invitation to social functions with the staff and community
- introduce the student to other students on placement at the same time
- provide information about local facilities (e.g. pool, library, sporting groups)
- information about church services – times and social groups
- information about upcoming social events
Supervisor-student relationship
A rural or remote placement usually includes the additional dimension of social interface. It is quite common for Clinical Educators and their students to meet at functions outside of the workplace. It is important to be clear about your boundaries and maintain them. In the student tutorial, there is a section on ‘professional boundaries’ you may like your student to complete.
In this video, Sarah Jackson, Physiotherapist, Clinical Educator and North West Community Rehab Project Manager at the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health (MICRRH) has some suggestions on how to maintain a work-life balance when hosting students on placement in a rural and remote setting.
Reflection
From your past experience of providing clinical placements, reflect on the roles you may take on - learning facilitator, educator, professional role model, social support, pastoral support.
Do you feel comfortable with the roles you have identified?
Write down some strategies to ensure you set boundaries that work for you. This may include a frank and practical discussion with the student at the beginning of the placement (e.g. times that you can be contacted, places where cases can be discussed, set supervision sessions).
References
Webster, S., Lopez, V., Allnut, J.,Clague, L., Jones, D. & Bennet, P. (2010). Undergraduate nursing students’ experiences in a rural clinical placement. Australian Journal of rural Health, 18 (5), 194-198.
