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In Aotearoa New Zealand, approximately 3000 people are enrolled in a recognized social work education programme at any one time.A collaboration between researchers at two social work education providers sought to understand the experiences of student financial hardship, and its impact on wellbeing, amongst current social work students and recent graduates.In total, 346 students and recent graduates participated in a survey that gathered information Glossary of te reo Māori terms regarding financial circumstances, caring responsibilities, mental health and social wellbeing.As social work qualifications require a significant component of unpaid field education, this study reflects growing interest in the financial impact of studying for a social work qualification.This article explores some of the findings with particular focus on the impact of financial hardship on mental and social wellbeing.In particular, the study found that nearly one in four respondents reported experiencing moderate or severe financial hardship while studying, and that this had a significant impact on their mental and social wellbeing.In addition, those with caring responsibilities, especially accumulative caring responsibilities for children and others, were more likely to experience financial hardship.These results add weight to the call for greater support for those preparing to enter the social work workforce.

While there is growing evidence about the financial burden of completing long, compulsory (mostly unpaid) placements for social work students, this Australian study contemporizes existing research by exploring this issue in the current context (2020–2022), during which time we have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the related economic problems, and modified ASWEAS standards. The data is drawn from 372 undergraduate and Masters (qualifying) students across four universities in different states and explores their experiences of financial stress associated with current placement arrangements; their sources of income and employment arrangements; and how they navigated balancing paid work around placement, or how they supported themselves if they did not work alongside placement. The study evidences no improvement in the situation facing social work students in Australia despite modest ASWEAS modifications that offered limited flexibility around placement requirements during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings contribute to an expanding body of research that indicates the current model of field education is unsustainable for both social work students and the profession and confirms that urgent changes are required for the social work profession to consider our student population in its social justice mandate.

While significant research has been undertaken exploring the pedagogical benefits of undertaking lengthy social work and human services field placements, there has been very little consideration regarding the potential financial stress involved for students. This study has addressed this knowledge gap. Research was conducted in 2014 using quantitative and qualitative methods with students, academic and professional staff from six Queensland Universities. The findings show a significant relationship between unpaid placements and financial hardship creating considerable stress for students and at times a compromised learning experience whilst on placement. The limited flexibility in the requirements of professional bodies and universities for how placements are undertaken has been identified as a key contributor to financial hardship. Addressing the complexities inherent in this issue requires a collaborative effort from multiple stakeholders and should not be regarded as a problem for students to endure and manage.

BACKGROUND: Investing in allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing undergraduate and postgraduate qualifying education is critical to meet a growing demand on global health care systems. Clinical placements are an integral component of qualifying training and are conventionally unpaid. Widespread economic challenges, attributed to a post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery era and global unrest, have led to growing economic hardship for populations, even in high-income countries like Australia. Allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking unpaid clinical placements are not immune from these stressors, which has implications for education providers, ageing populations, the future health care system, and policy-makers. The purpose of this review was to better understand these stressors by scoping the financial implications of unpaid clinical placements for allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing students in Australian research. METHODS: The Joanna Briggs Institute's scoping review methodology was used. This involved a search of academic databases and an extensive search of grey literature sources. Literature published from 1 January 2014 was included. Citations were independently screened by two reviewers. RESULTS: Thirty-three research studies were included. Most studies focused on allied health students (n = 12), followed by nursing (n = 11), and medical students (n = 5), with an additional five studies focused on multiple disciplines, including dentistry. One study had an interventional component. Findings were grouped around four concepts: reliance on self-reported measures of financial implications, costs of unpaid clinical placements for students, implications of costs for students, and an urgent need for targeted strategies to redress. CONCLUSIONS: The financial implications of unpaid clinical placements for allied health, dentistry, medical, and nursing students in Australia are well-established in research. Impacts are significant for the future of Australia's health workforce and health system. Research findings have been consistent over the past decade in advocating for greater financial support for students undertaking unpaid clinical placements and flexibility of placement models to mitigate the indirect costs of placements. Collaboration between state and federal government, universities, peak professional bodies, and placement host organisations is imperative to implement a suite of strategies to redress the financial burden experienced by students and secure the future of Australia's health workforce.

Australian universities are under increasing pressure to support students to develop the graduate skills and knowledge required to transition from education into professional practice. The adoption of a range of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) approaches to achieve this aim represents an increasingly prevalent part of the tertiary education landscape. However, successes in increasing the participation of diverse groups in higher education challenge assumptions regarding students’ extra-study commitments and the potential impacts of these on students’ capacity to participate in WIL activities, particularly unpaid placements. Despite these shifts, there has been limited exploration of student experiences of WIL through a wellbeing lens or with an explicit focus on the equity considerations. Through the voices and experiences of WIL administrators and participants from the disciplines of health and social services, education and nursing this research identified the personal impacts of participation in WIL, beyond the impacts of professional development and in-situ learning. This research explored personal and other factors influencing students’ experiences of WIL placements and their coping strategies for managing the reciprocal impacts of participation on other commitments. Data for this study were collected using an online student survey, student focus groups, and staff focus groups. The survey and focus group data was analysed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. The analyses sought to identify the impact that personal and other factors can have on the practicum experience, the impact of the practicum experience on other parts of the student’s life such as paid work commitments and work-study-life conflicts, and the perceived impact of this on their wellbeing. In connecting WIL and wellbeing, the researchers introduce the concept of WIL wellbeing as a construct to identify the impacts of WIL on participants’ wellbeing within and beyond the learning context. Explicitly connecting WIL and wellbeing, and foregrounding the everyday life experiences of WIL participants, the research highlighted the contribution of personal coping strategies (many of which are taken into post-graduation professional practice) to managing a successful WIL experience. In the context of the broad scale adoption of WIL as a learning pedagogy, this research also considered how universities and WIL placement workplaces can better support students in preparation for, and during, their WIL experiences. The research finds that WIL students are seeking greater levels of support from universities to reflect the personal and financial stresses associated with their participation. Quantitative and qualitative data from surveys and focus groups—including students and administrators—identified the importance of institutional and community support to promote student wellbeing. The insights offered by this report informed recommendations for universities and registration/accreditation bodies to improve WIL student outcomes through the refinement of program policies and practices.

This report presents the findings from a study of the financial impact of work-integrated learning commonly referred to as 'placement' among social work and human services students. Based on a survey of 214 respondants, 14 in-depth interviews and two focus groups, the findings indicate that two thirds of the surveyed group felt tired and anxious about their experience of balancing paid work and placement, with 2 in 5 reporting their learning experience was compromised as a result. The significant implications and potential solutions are also discussed.

An increasing emphasis on embedding Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) in the curriculum has impacted on teaching and learning approaches in Australian higher education institutions (Higher Education Base Funding Review: Final Report, 2011). Yet whilst the benefits and costs of these approaches have been identified (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008; Patrick et al., 2009) insufficient attention has been paid to financial costs experienced by students studying subjects with a Work Integrated Learning component. In 2010 the Australian Collaborative Education Network (ACEN) responded to this issue by offering three modest student scholarships based on evidence of hardship. Data collected from over 1000 applicants between 2010 and 2012 indicate travel, accommodation, food, clothing, equipment and loss of income are of major concern especially for students on lengthy placements involving relocation. At the same time the Australian Federal Government’s review of base funding has recommended a detailed assessment of the costs of providing student placements across all disciplines - in particular health and education (DEEWR, 2011, p.94). This paper considers costs from the student perspective and highlights major concerns identified through ACEN scholarship applications over a three year period. The implications for ACEN are described and recommendations documented which outline ACEN’s role in ensuring that these issues are given greater consideration across the sector.

3 Rick Newman, 7 New Skills Every Worker