Trainee perceptions of the value of clinical placements

The aim of this study is to systematically explore the views of trainees on what makes a good clinical placement.

We are using Q methodology to examine the reasoning behind trainees placement preferences. In the first phase our participants were CT1 and CT2 trainees. In the second phase we focus on Foundation trainees.

Q sort methodology is a research tool designed to explore individual subjectivities. Participants are presented with a question (e.g. what are the things that you value most about your clinical placements?) and given a set of statements that are all possible answers to this question, for example:

• being close to friends and family
• a supportive supervision team
• a department/unit with a good reputation
• a flexible rota, access to social
• cultural and sporting activities in the vicinity
• a pro-active supervisor who seeks out opportunities for me.

They then arrange the statements into a normal distribution according to how important they think each one is.

From the analysis we identify not only what is important but also whether these priorities are different for different groups.