Exploring the expectations and experiences of ‘widening participation’ students admitted to health professional programmes Presenter: Alison Draper Lecturer in Physiotherapy School of Health Sciences Research Team: Dr Maria Flynn Angela Cross Alison Draper Dr Anna O’Connor Jo Sharp

Background School of Health Sciences 30-35% of students % of students with vocational qualifications 5% students from black and ethnic minority groups

Method Aim: To explore the expectations and real world experiences of students admitted to health professional degree programmes via a widening participation route. Review of the literature 10 final year Health Sciences students meeting one of the criteria an the university’s WP definition Semi structured 45 minute interview Transcribed Conceptual labels grouped into descriptive categories

Results Students Interviewed 1 male, 9 female All aged over 21 on entry to programme 5 of 6 the degree programmes represented Descriptive Categories Decision making Personal and social Expectations and Experiences

Decision Making Research into the Profession Experience of Profession Planning Required Consideration of Family Members Support with Application Process Limitations on their Decision Importance of Decision Importance of a Rewarding Career Age

Decision Making “...at the time I was 31 and thought ‘I don’t want to make a mistake and start a degree that I’m not going to be happy on’, so I went and done a shadow day at Clatterbridge and knew straight away that it was radiotherapy for me all the way”. [DR1] “ I would like to have done it younger for the reasons that I say and also the length of my career post qualification, but money isn’t anything to me, job satisfaction is 100% to me”. [RT1] “I’m sitting here thinking OK great job, pensions going to be out of this world, you know, I’ve got great benefits, maternity, everything else all there for me, but I could get struck down tomorrow and why would I be doing something that I don’t absolutely love, which is stupid; so I kind of had a change. [RT2]

Personal and Social Context Paid work during degree Previous employment Previous study Able to study Finances Change in finances Feeling prepared Family/Dependants Age Attitude

Personal and Social Context “Yeah it makes me feel so guilty every day coming out. I feel guilty when he wants me to take him to school or whatever. I feel guilty all the time. The only thing that keeps me going is that I know I’m doing it for our future”. [RT1] “I have got a good support network anyway with my mum – lucky she doesn’t work so things like picking the children up I can rely on her to do” [DR2]

Personal and Social Context “No I didn’t think it was a positive thing.... younger students you know concerned with things like technology are a lot wiser than we are. I only have to look at my own children“ [OT1] “There is a definite difference and I think it shows more with things like group work because again I’m aware I’m never going to have this opportunity again I’m not going to waste it whereas I think they don’t probably understand the opportunity that they have got or the gift they have been given” [RT2]

Personal and Social Context “I want to do well but I have come to the point where, if I pass I have achieved my goal, so it doesn’t matter if it is a 3 rd or a 1 st it is a pass. A pass is a pass”. [PT1] “It’s down to me whether I wanted to get the support and I didn’t want to go to my personal tutors to say I needed help because I wanted to see what I could achieve on my own” [DR1] “But I think, as I say, it’s because, for me I think being a little bit older as well, because once I’d started it there was no going back for me, so it’s commitment all the way to get through it, to get it to that goal.” [RT1] “I see no point in doing something unless a) you are going to do it properly and b) you are going to finish it.” [RT2]

Expectations and Experiences Expectations Experience of the Academic Programme Experience of the Clinical Placements

Expectations and Experiences “When I seen the timetable, nine to five, you know this was before it began, you know, I knew it was going to be hard, but I was focussed enough so I was prepared” [OT1] “I think I knew it would be a lot of contact hours but I just don’t think I was prepared for the amount of work as well as the contact hours.”[PT1] “It’s the actual volume and intensity of the work. It’s not the actual content, the content is fine, it’s the amount that gets thrown at you one after the other. You have got like maybe 4 or 5 things, trying to juggle them all at the same time. So that was hard” [DR2]

Expectations and Experiences “I think it has been very hard because it’s a course that is very demanding you are in uni all of the time and when you are in clinical you are in all of the time and you have all of these other things to do whilst you are on clinical, it is a lot to fit in.”[PT1] “Clinical placement wise... absolutely exhausted trying to meet the demands of clinical placements”[N1] “In clinical time it is full time you know, nine to five, so you do not have time to do anything else, you go to work in the rush hour traffic you come home in the rush hour traffic, it is harder I think, being on clinical placement”[RT3]

Expectations and Experiences “I just love my placement cos I’m in the same centre and I absolutely love it. I can’t say I’ve had one negative experience since I’ve been on placement, I love it.” [RT1] “I absolutely adore it. Every single bit of it. Just from the whole...patient contact, the technical side of it, with the special awareness it requires, absolutely everything i love with a passion” [RT2] “My first one was outpatients and I loved that and it was a really small centre and I just fitted in so well. So, yes my placements went really well and yes that just seemed like a really good time” [PT1]

Conclusions Do students on Health Professions programmes have a different experience? Clinical component is a key difference Inflexible Increases workload Rewarding