'I left feeling different about myself': What students learn on their first practice placement.
Terri Grant, Peter Gossman, Yvonne Thomas and 2 others
PMID 40337445WHAT IT FOUND
Students described their first placement as a personal journey, not just skill acquisition.
They learned to manage emotions and build professional identity alongside clinical tasks. Educators should expect this self-development and plan for it when designing simulated placements.
Key findings
01Participants identified four core categories of learning: about oneself, the profession, practices, and service users.
02Learning about oneself was the largest category, including emotional challenges, self-knowledge, and feeling like a therapist.
03Students reported that placement helped them link theory to practice and develop professional identity, which was not always captured in formal learning outcomes.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted by a single researcher who was also a lecturer at the institution, creating a power dynamic that may have influenced student participation or responses. Coding was performed solely by the lead author, lacking independent cross-checking. The sample size was small (15 participants) and drawn from a single UK university, limiting generalisability. The placement structures varied between undergraduate and postgraduate students, and undergraduate placements were altered due to the pandemic, which may have affected the learning experience.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest and received no financial support for the research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that simulated placements are equivalent to real ones. The study describes what students learn in traditional placements to inform future simulation design, but it does not test simulation effectiveness or show that simulations can replicate the 'hidden curriculum' of personal development.