Student placement in Palliative Care Presented by Jahnvi Singh 4 th Year Social Work Student The University of Sydney Braeside Hospital

Study in Context The challenges and anxieties students face in a placement in PC Anxiety is built around: communication, coping with physical suffering, type of death and personal experience around death and dying. (Parker, 2005; McDonald, 2007). Good learning practice should change the learner in some way The World Health Organisation defines PC as: An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.

Case Study Mary was a 51year old patient admitted to the palliative care ward at Braeside Hospital in 2011 diagnosed with Sigmoid Cancer. She was an Australian citizen of Argentinean decent and a single mother of two children Jane 22 and Ben 18. Her daughter had suffered a stroke at the age of 18 and though she regained physical mobility was left mentally impaired needing full time care. Mary’s sister Maria came to Australia on a bridging visa to look after the children but the bridging visa didn’t enable her to work or be eligible for social supports. The family experienced severe financial and emotional stresses. Mary’s ex husband didn’t provide the children with support – financial or emotional. Mary’s son found it very difficult to see his mother at the hospital and would see her when she returned home for overnight visits when possible. How could I (as a student) positively impact Mary and her family? How could I (as a student) positively impact Mary and her family?

Practice Learning in End-of-Life Care Practice Learning in End-of-Life Care Care through understanding psychosocial issues Care through understanding psychosocial issues Understanding that anxiety often stems from fear of caring rather than fear of death (Cooper & Barnett, 2005) Re-shape attitudes about ‘skills deficit’ (McDonald, 2007)

Practice Learning in End-of-Life Care Practice Learning in End-of-Life Care There is an increasing tendency for people to die at an old age of chronic illness and in a hospital or institution (Gomes and Higgins, 2008) Work with communities and carers can often help in easing anxiety: builds awareness of how a patient is affected within an ecological model of work builds awareness of how a patient is affected within an ecological model of work Broadens perspective to influence holistic / psychosocial frameworks of care Broadens perspective to influence holistic / psychosocial frameworks of care Allows for work that delivers immediate results Allows for work that delivers immediate results Community development allows result driven work to be carried out Community development allows result driven work to be carried out

Conclusion A successful placement is thus dependent on: Supportive clinical environment and team Supportive clinical environment and team The relationship between field supervisor and student The relationship between field supervisor and student Supervision structures Supervision structures Models for placement learning Models for placement learning Broad range of learning opportunities Broad range of learning opportunities (Parker, 2007)

References Barbato, M. (2010) Caring for the Living and the Dying. Adelaide: Griffin Press. Blevins, D. and Werth, L. J. (2006) Psychosocial Issues near the End of Life: a Resource for Professional Care Providers. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. Buckley, J. (2008) Palliative Care: An Integrated Approach. Chichester UK: Wiley- Blackwell. Clare, B. (2007) ‘Promoting Deep Learning: A Teaching, Learning and Assessment Endeavor’, Social Work Education: The International Journal 26(5) Cooper, J. and Barnett, M. (2005) ‘Aspects of Caring for the Dying Patients Which Cause Anxiety to First Year Student Nurses’, International Journal of Palliative Nursing 11(8) Curtis, K. (2012, January - February). Positive Ageing: The Positive Picture. Australian Ageing Agenda, pp Gomes, B. and Higginson, I. (2008) ‘Where People Die ( ) Past Trends, Future Projections and Implications for Care’, Palliative Medicine 22: Giles, R., Irwin, J., Lynch, D. and Waugh, F. (2010) In the Field: From Learning to Practice. Australian & New Zealand: Oxford University Press. Hall, S., Petkova, H., Tsouros, D. A., Costantini, M., and Higginson, J. (2011) Palliative Care for Older People: better practices. World Health Organisation Regional office for Europe, pp Hughes, M. and Heycox, K. (2006) ‘Brief Report: Knowledge and Interest in Ageing: a study of final-year social work students’, Australian Journal on Ageing 25(2)

References Lloyd-Williams, M. (2008) Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care. United States: Oxford University Press. MacLeod, R. (2007) Setting the context: What Do We Mean by Psychosocial Care in Palliative Care?. In Hughes, N. and Wee, B. (2007) Education in Palliative Care: Building a Culture of Learning. United States: Oxford University Press. McDonald, C. (2007) ‘This is Who We are and This is What We Do: Social Work Education and Self Efficacy’, Australian Social Work 60(1) Palliative Care Australia, Health System Reform and Care at the End of Life: A Guidance Document. May Parker, J. (2007) ‘Developing Effective Practice Learning for Tomorrow’s Social Workers’, Social Work Education 26(8) Parker, J. (2006) ‘Developing Perceptions of Competence During Practice Learning’, British Journal of Social Work 36: Steverink, N., Lindenberg, S. and Ormel, J. (1998) ‘Towards Understanding Successful Ageing: Patterned Change in Resources and Goals’, Ageing and Society 18(4) 441– 67. Simons, K. and Park-Lee, H. (2009) ‘Social Work Student Comfort with End of Life Care’, Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life Care and Palliative Care 5: Tanner, D. (2007) ‘Starting with Lives: Supporting Older People’s Strategies and Ways of Coping’, Journal of Social Work. 7(1) 7-30.