About this resource
A good orientation sets placements up for success. This checklist covers welcome and introductions, key policies, safety, documentation, learning goals, supervision arrangements, expectations and student wellbeing.
Purpose
To give students a consistent, welcoming and safe start.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Allied health and multidisciplinary teams. Also relevant for social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists.
Client or participant group: Allied health placement supervisors.
Practice setting: Clinical and community placements.
Suggested uses
- First day of placement
- Supervisor training
- Placement quality reviews
- Team orientation
Instructions for practitioners
- Plan orientation before the student arrives.
- Agree learning goals in the first week.
- Set regular supervision times.
- Check in on student wellbeing.
Accessibility considerations
Ask students about adjustments they need.
Scope and limitations
An orientation checklist. Follow your university and organisation's placement requirements.
Research basis
Clinical supervision and structured reflection support learning, safe practice and professional development.
- Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. https://thoughtsmostlyaboutlearning.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/learning-by-doing-graham-gibbs.pdf
- Milne, D. (2007). An empirical definition of clinical supervision. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 46(4), 437–447. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466507x197415
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced.
