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Placement or work-integrated-learning is an essential part of nutrition and dietetics training. International students however often find interactions with patients on placement challenging and may need additional support in navigating the workplace culture in Australia.
Pre-placement
Pre-placement
Pre-placement workshop
Pre-placement workshop
Every year Tammie runs a series of international-students-tailored pre-placement workshops for placement students of international backgrounds and clinician-educators taking on international students. During the workshops, Tammie leads discussion of how cultural values influence behaviours as dietitians, how cultural norms and prior exposure to a more hierarchical healthcare system could impact on their interactions with patients and with others in the multidisciplinary team, and what strategies to employ to optimise the placement experience for both our students and clinician-educators. These workshops facilitate self-reflection of own biases, open discussion of cultural practices and reduce assumptions that could have caused misunderstanding in the fast-pace clinical or public health environment. Besides, Tammie always takes the opportunity to introduce Australian foods to the students, e.g. vegemite, fairy bread, tim tam, liquorice, etc.!
Support during placement
Support during placement
Navigating placement challenges can be nerve-wracking, and being away from university—especially for students who have temporarily relocated to regional areas—makes a strong support network essential. A proactive approach is in place to ensure accessible support for all international students.
To ensure timely communication and support, students are also encouraged to use channels, such as emails, text messages, and WhatsApp groups, to raise any placement-related issues.
Individual support
Individual support
Tammie provides one-on-one support to students facing cross-cultural challenges, such as communication issues with patients or clinical educators and difficulties in addressing feedback. When the clinical placement coordinator checks in with respective placement educators regarding a student’s performance, this information is also shared with Tammie, who will then reframe the issue with a cross cultural lens and discuss practical strategies with the student and their supervisors for optimal learning experience.
Mid-placement catch up
Mid-placement catch up
A catch-up session is scheduled halfway through the clinical placements, allowing students to return from their respective clinical sites and share their placement journeys. This group gathering aligns with collectivistic orientation, promotes peer learning by facilitating discussions around placement challenges and strategy brainstorming. Employability topics are also explored to allow students to make the most out of their placement experiences.
COHPE
COHPE
The Communication in Health Professions Education Unit (COHPE) is an academic department within the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences. COHPE offers tailored communication programs, individually and in groups, to support students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds throughout their studies. Before placement, COHPE educators facilitate a workshop for international students focused on clinical and professional communication in placement settings. Tammie and placement educators also refer students facing communication challenges to COHPE as remediation, where they receive targeted support and simulation practice tailored to their learning goals from educators with linguistic expertise.
ACE Program
ACE Program
The Alumni as Cultural Educator (ACE) program is a pilot initiative designed to provide acculturation support to international students during placement, using a strengths-based approach to assist both students and educators.
Cultural mentors—former international dietetics students who are now clinicians—lead weekly mentoring sessions, focusing on addressing cross-cultural concerns and optimising placement learning, drawing from their own lived experiences. The shared cultural background of these near-peer mentors is thought to enhance the approachability and accessibility of support, enabling real-time teaching and early intervention.
The program also extends support to placement educators working with international students who have culturally specific learning needs, providing them with strategies for effective supervision.
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