The demand for speech pathology in Australia has result in a subsequent increase in the number of universities in Australia offering speech pathology programs. An associated consequence has been a shortage of traditional clinical placements, particularly in adult-focused hospital settings. Practice education is a core component of speech pathology university curriculum, providing the foundation for students to develop professional and occupational competencies and ensure workforce readiness. New models of practice education are required to provide an increased number of students with quality clinical experiences, not limited by the capacity of the existing workforce. A growing number of universities are incorporating simulation as a component of, or an alternative to traditional clinical placements. Simulated clinical experiences have been demonstrated to provide valued learning experiences for students, resulting in equivalent clinical competencies and increased confidence at various stages of learning across a range of speech pathology contexts.

This session will focus on the use of simulation for students participating in their Novice adult-focused practice placement. Thirty-seven students enrolled in the Masters of Speech and Language Therapy at Charles Darwin University participated in a 4-day standardised, simulated Novice practice placement. Students worked with actors who simulated patients, family members, and healthcare professionals in acute, rehabilitation, and outpatient settings with experiences and patient caseload reflective of typical workplace encounters. Effectiveness of the placement was evaluated in two ways: pre and post-data collection using the Standardised Patient Clinic Student Survey (Hill et al., 2013) which measured students’ perception of their development of knowledge, competencies, and confidence; and students' development of skills required to meet Novice level competency, as measured by the Foundation Clinical Competency Assessment (adapted with permission from Hill et al., 2014). Outcomes of the placement will be discussed in addition to key learnings moving forward with simulated learning experiences.

Key messages for attendees:
1. Simulated placements can be a viable alternative and addition to traditional clinical placements
2. Students highly value the learning experiences possible during simulation
3. Students are able to develop key knowledge, skills, and competencies through the use of simulated learning experiences in speech pathology