Practice educator’s perspectives on half way visits by university staff during student placements.

Background- The half way visit occurs when a university staff member visits the student and their practice educator half way through the student’s placement. Despite the many benefits of this visit, there is limited research on them. Objectives- This study investigated practice educator’s perspectives of the half way visits made by university staff in order to gather their perceptions of the purpose, benefits and limitations of the visit. The study also investigated suggestions for adapting and improving it. Methods- Mixed methods research containing both quantitative and qualitative was used. An existing self-rated web-based questionnaire containing multiple choice and open-ended questions was utilized. It was completed by practice educators in the 2015/16 academic year. They were registered with The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI) and had a University of Limerick student for placement. 59 participants responded and data was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Science using version 22.0 (IBM SPSS Inc, NY, USA, 2013). Results- From the perspective of practice educators, the visit supports both them and also students. The visit offered a means of communication between the University and the placement. Many of the practice educators have a firm understanding on the purpose of half way visits and their benefits. The study also highlighted potential adaptations and improvements which could enhance the half way visit. Conclusion- This study offers insight into the purpose of half way visits as well as the benefits and limitations of them. It generates suggestions on how the visit can be adapted and improved. Future research regarding half way visits can draw on this study to gather a greater understanding of their existence.