Survey of Current Curriculum Practices within Australian Postgraduate Clinical Training Programmes: Students' and Programme Directors' Perspectives

Abstract

The aim of the study described was to capture student experiences in postgraduate clinical programmes across Australian universities. The data collected from the Directors of clinical programmes was used to further illustrate the training practices and constraints within the current Australian context. The data were collected through two survey instruments and were analysed by deriving themes via Leximancer as well as quantitative content analysis of percentage response to direct questions. The results indicate that while many students are happy with the training received, there are also many areas open to significant improvement both in the teaching and assessment of clinical skills and course content more generally. Students overwhelmingly prefer practical, interactive, and competency‐based teaching and assessment to didactic, written and exam‐based alternatives that are still used in most programmes. The responses from programme Directors further illustrate the concerns currently faced by clinical staff engaged in training programmes, with insufficient training places available in the community, fewer clients accessing training clinics, and concerns related to adequate supervision and the competency of students exited from programmes. The findings are discussed in light of limitations to the study and suggestions for future research directions.

Key words:

• clinical psychology
• curriculum
• Leximancer
• profession
• teaching methods
• training

Acknowledgements

Support for this work has been provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (Award PP8‐900 to N.A. Pachana, K. Sofronoff). The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council.