COVID-19: Planning and preparation for the safe commencement and progression of the placements 2021 - 5th-Year experiential learning

COVID-19:
 Planning and preparation for the safe
commencement and progression of the
     5th-Year experiential learning
           placements 2021

Meeting Housekeeping

• Introductions.
• Microphones will be switched off.
• Please respect confidentiality of any issues raised, in the chat
  box or in discussions.
• Questions in chat box will be answered at the end of each
  section of the presentation.

Objectives for Today’s Meeting:

To provide you with the relevant information regarding:
• What has changed in the 5th-Year placement for 2021?
• COVID-19 student preparation in advance of the
  placement commencing.
• HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
  Placements.
• Students restricting their movements or self-isolating.
• Supports available throughout the placement period.

What has changed in the 5th-Year Placement
for 2021?
• Placement Schedule.
• Declarations of Satisfactory Attendance and Student
  Behaviour.
• Additional Pre -Placement Preparation.
• COVID-19 Supplemental Student Declaration & Personal
  Support Plan.
• Placement Travel*/Movement of students between
  pharmacies.

APPEL Placement Schedule 2021
Placement Dates    January 4th to August 27th 2021 (34 weeks duration).

Competency         Formative Competency Assessment: Week 12
Assessment Dates   Opens on March 1st and closes March 31st .
                   Summative Competency Assessment: Week 30
                   Opens on July 1st and closes on July 30th .
Placement Hours    Students are required to complete 30 hours of
                   placement time each week.
                   This time on placement can be completed from
                   Monday – Friday between 8 am and 6 pm.
                   Students must be provided with at least one-half day
                   each week comprising no less than 4hrs to allow
                   them to complete their online academic modules.

APPEL Placement Schedule 2021
• There is no requirement for students to be off-placement on a Wednesday (as
  was the case for previous placements).
• The placement timetable should be agreed between the student and Senior
  Preceptor:
   o Ideally, the student would be given the same timetable each week; however;
     due to the impact of COVID-19, we acknowledge that this may not always be
     possible.
   o The student must be given adequate notice of the timetabled placement
     hours.
   o The placement hours must occur over one continuous period on any given
     day.
   o Remote placements are not part of the eight-month placement; the student
     must be on –site at the hospital or community pharmacy.
   o The student must be provided with appropriate breaks in accordance with
     legislation.

Declarations of Satisfactory Attendance and
Student Behaviour
• In order for students to meet the statutory requirements of
  the 5th year placements 100% Attendance is required.
• Senior Preceptors will be required to complete two
  “Declarations of Satisfactory Attendance and Student
  Behaviour”.
• One is completed after the first (formative) competency
  assessment and one is completed after the second
  (summative) competency assessment.
• Please don’t wait. Flag any issues early with APPEL/Practice
  Educators.

Travel as part of the 5th-Year Placement
• In the past, some placement providers incorporated attendance at
  international conferences and some overseas travel for students as part of
  their placements.
• APPEL is very grateful for these experiences and opportunities provided to
  students.
• Due to current restrictions related to COVID-19, it is unlikely that any non-
  essential placement-related travel can occur. If you were considering
  asking your student to undertake any travel, please contact the APPEL
  Operations team at ops@appel.ie as early as possible to discuss.
• All students travelling from a country, not on the COVID-19 Green List will
  be required to restrict movements for two weeks following their return to
  Ireland from abroad.

Travel as part of the 5th-Year Placement
• For infection prevention and control reasons, travel between Training
  Establishments (TE), is discouraged.
• In addition, only placement hours that are completed in an APPEL-
  accredited Training Establishment will be recognised.
• If this is unavoidable, due to a need for the student to move to a different
  location/branch, on a temporary or permanent basis, placement providers
  should engage with APPEL regarding the accreditation status of the
  proposed new TE in advance.

Student Preparation in advance of
  their placement
Completion of online courses in IPC - www.hseland.ie.
  – Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control
  – Breaking the Chain of Infection
  – Hand Hygiene for Clinical Staff
  – Putting on and Taking off PPE in Acute Healthcare Settings
  – Putting on and Taking off PPE in Community Healthcare Settings
  – Infection Prevention and Control
  – What is Corona Virus

Student Preparation in advance of
  their placement

Review of the following videos:
• Review of videos on correct donning and doffing of PPE on the HPSC
  website www.hpsc.ie
• Review of the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidance,
  including IPC COVID-19 Guidance and educational videos on
  www.HPSC.ie/infection control/

Student Preparation in advance of
their placement
Read, understand and comply with:
• Guidance to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19 infection
  in pharmacies https://www.hpsc.ie/a-
  z/respiratory/coronavirus/novelcoronavirus/guidance/pharmacygui
  dance/
• Information provided by their HEI on COVID-19
   – https://www.ucc.ie/en/studenthealth/flu/
   – https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/coronavirus/students,
   – https://www.tcd.ie/about/coronavirus/

Student Preparation in advance of
their placement
• Download the “COVID Tracker Ireland” and to log in and
  update this tracker daily.
• Log into the APPEL VLE (or RCSI moodle) daily and record the
  following information:
  – Record that they had no symptoms of COVID-19 before they go
    on placement
  – Where the student is on placement at a HSE site, e.g. hospital,
    and they must record where they were on-site throughout their
    placement day: e.g. Dispensary, Ward X, etc.

Student Preparation in advance of their
placement
• Complete a COVID-19 Supplemental Student Declaration
  which can be found on the resources section of the APPEL
  website
• Students are also asked to consider and review a “Personal
  Support Plan Questionnaire”

Personal Support Plan Questionnaire
We are conscious that you may be moving to accommodation away from support networks such as
family, relatives and friends for your placement. Support networks such as this would be vital to any
student who may become unwell as a result of a COVID-19 infection or who may be required to self-
isolate. In this context, you should consider your personal support plan while away from home
should you need to self-isolate.
What to Consider for Personal Support Plan
• Are you living alone at the moment or will you be living alone?
• If you are living alone at the moment or will shortly be living alone, have you identified a person
    nearby such as a friend, fellow student or relative, who may be contacted in case of emergency?
• Have you registered with a General Practitioner Doctor near your current location?
• Do you have any underlying medical conditions which require prescribed medication and if so,
    do you have a friend, fellow student or relative, who can collect medication on your behalf from
    a pharmacy should you be required to self-isolate?
• Should you be required to self-isolate, do you have the ability to order and make payment for
    food and provisions via online supermarket delivery?
• Do you have a mobile phone which can be used to seek help during any period of self-isolation
    or in case of an emergency and have you provided this number to your emergency contact
    person?

What if a student develops signs of COVID-19
during placement?
If the student is at home when they develop symptoms they
must:
• Not go into placement, and must not leave home.
• Self-isolate and phone their GP or Student Health Services
• Contact their Senior Preceptor and their Practice Educator.

What if a student develops signs of COVID-19
during placement?
If the student is on site at their placement when they
develop symptoms they must:
• Inform their Senior Preceptor
• Leave the site immediately
• Return home alone and not use public transport
• Self-isolate at home and contact their GP or Student Health
  Services, from home
• Contact their Practice Educator

Student Required to Restrict their Movements
• Where a student is required to restrict their movements and they
  are well, they must complete their online academic modules
  during this time.
• By completing the online academic modules during a period of
  restricted movement, students will free up time to be on
  placement in lieu of time spent on academic modules.
• Students may need to complete additional placement time (60
  hrs. = two weeks of restricted movement) over the remaining
  weeks of the placement. How this additional placement time is
  completed is to be agreed between the student and their Senior
  Preceptor.
• Students will need to keep their Practice Educator informed as to
  how and when this additional time is completed.

Student Required to Self-Isolate
• Where a student is required to self- isolate and they are well,
  they must complete their online academic modules during
  this time.
• Where a student is unwell; the college/HEI sick policies will
  apply in such circumstances.
• Students will need to keep their Practice Educator informed
  of any absence

Student Supports
• Practice Educators and the APPEL office will be available to
  respond to any questions or queries that you may have regarding
  the placement.
• The APPEL website has relevant information and resources and
  APPEL will email important updates and information as it arises.
• School of Pharmacy/HEI Support for Students.
   – Please note that all academic staff across all three HEIs are contactable
     via email.
   – Schools of Pharmacy / Higher Education Institution will remain in
     contact with the student throughout the placement period.
• University supports remain accessible to all students while on
  placement.

Student Supports
• All students are contacted by their Practice Educator on
  placement.
• Contact will take the form of emails, phone calls, meetings
  via MS Teams or other electronic platforms.
• Practice Educators will also get in contact with you to offer
  you support should they be contacting your student.

APPEL/HEI Responsibility & Student
  Responsibility
APPEL /HEI: Implement and Monitor                              Student: Action
Mandatory COVID-19 induction training provided by their HEI    Daily check in to HSE Contact Tracing App
Ensuring students have completed HSEland training in IPC       Log into the APPEL VLE/RCSI Moodle each day of placement
courses and videos from the HPSC in IPC COVID-19 guidance      and complete Daily Symptom Checking Log/ Health
and donning and doffing of PPE                                 Questionnaire and recording of contacts when on placement

Monitor: Daily Symptom Checking Log/ Health Questionnaire      Respiratory Hygiene/Cough Etiquette/Hand hygiene
and recording of contacts when on placement

Ensure students have returned the “COVID-19 Supplemental       Adhere to the requirements of the “COVID-19 Supplemental
Student Undertaking/Declaration”                               Student Undertaking/Declaration”
Provide Up to date advice on COVID-19                          Face coverings on campus if they attend campus while on
                                                               placement

Provide ongoing student support – Practice Educators, Head     Transport/Travel
of School, APPEL Operations Team. HEI supports are available
to all students while on placement
                                                               Keep up to date with emails and communications from SoP
Quality Assurance Contact with students on placement
                                                               and HEI

HSE REQUIREMENTS FOR
    RESUMPTION OF
 CLINICAL PLACEMENTS

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
IPC MOU & MOU Compliance Audits
• Infection Prevention Control Measures in the form of an
  MOU to be incorporated into existing agreements
  between training institutes and HSE
    • Handled centrally by each HEI

Infection Prevention and Control Requirements
• 15 control measures / requirements

                                                            25

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
What is allowed:
• Students can move from a placement in one institution to a
  placement in another without an interval of time subject to
  the following:
   • They have adhered to recommended Infection Prevention and
     Control Practice at all times with all individuals during clinical
     placement.
   • They do not have fever, cough, shortness of breath or other
     symptoms of communicable infectious disease

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
1. Provide an assurance that students have given a clear commitment that they will not
   present on clinical placement if they have any symptoms. Students have committed to this
   via their Supplemental Student Undertaking
2. Provide an assurance that a readily accessible record is retained of which clinical areas
   /services students have been assigned to and at when. This may be required in the event
   of an IPC incident such as an outbreak. Detailed logs will need to be kept by the student on
   placement at a HSE site. APPEL VLE/RCSI COVID-19 Logs
3. Provide an assurance that there is a pathway by which students can rapidly inform the
   training institute in the event that they develop an infectious disease (COVID-19 or other
   communicable infectious disease). Students have committed to this via their Supplemental
   Student Undertaking
4. Provide an assurance that clinical placements have been reviewed to ensure that
   student(s) presence in clinical areas is limited to events/time that have a specific focus on
   student education so that students are not present in clinical areas without a specific
   purpose.

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
5. Provide an assurance that unsupervised presence of students in clinical areas (for example
   unaccompanied students in a consultation area taking a patient’s BP) is avoided.
6. Provide an assurance that students will be “bare below the elbows/bare above the wrist”
   when in clinical areas. Students have committed to this via their Supplemental Student
   Undertaking. Please ensure your teams are aware and demonstrate this practice
7. Provide an assurance that all students have had appropriate infection prevention and
   control training in advance of their placement, to include Standard and Transmission-
   based Precautions. Students have committed to this via their Supplemental Student
   Undertaking and have also completed a number of HSElanD training courses. Certificates
   have been forwarded to APPEL and records maintained
8. Provide an assurance that all students have been assessed and certified as competent in
   performance of hand hygiene in advance of clinical placement and have competence re-
   assessed at least once in each academic year. Students have committed to this via their
   Supplemental Student Undertaking and have also completed a number of HSElanD
   training courses. Certificates have been forwarded to APPEL and records maintained

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
9.    Provide an assurance that all students will comply with IPC direction given by
      HSE staff when they are in HSE clinical areas. Students have committed to this
      via their Supplemental Student Undertaking.
10. Provide an assurance that students have been assessed to ensure that they have
    been immunised and where appropriate tested to ensure immunity to relevant
    infectious disease. All students are immunised prior to commencement of
    placement.
11. Provide an assurance that students undertake to cooperate with requirements
    for management of outbreaks or other incidents of infection including providing
    samples for testing where required. Students have committed to this via their
    Supplemental Student Undertaking.
12. Provide an assurance that where relevant PPE training has been completed to
    ensure correct donning and doffing and that IPC Guidance including IPC COVID-
    19 Guidance and educational videos have been viewed. Students have committed
    to this via their Supplemental Student Undertaking and have also completed a
    number of HSElanD training courses. Certificates have been forwarded to APPEL
    and records maintained.

HSE Requirements for Resumption of Clinical
Placements
13. Provide an assurance that a process is in place for students to declare to
    a designated person that they are free of key symptom of COVID-19
    each day before they present for placement. Students have committed
    to this via their Supplemental Student Undertaking and students will be
    required to log in and record this daily on the APPEL VLE/RCSI website.
14. Provide an assurance that clinical placements have been reviewed to
    minimise students moving between different healthcare sites –
    placements should be limited to one institution at a time.
15. Every effort should be made to ensure there is an agreed maximum
    number of students for bedside teaching. For bedside teaching and
    similar situations, there should be no more than four people present at
    one time (including students, teachers/educators).

Reminders:
• If you have not completed your Senior Preceptor training
  that you would do so as soon as possible please
• Also, please send your accreditation documentation to
  Rachel at ops@appel.ie if you have not already done so
• Also, the Senior Preceptor Handbook and FAQs concerning
  COVID-19 are available on the resources page of our
  website: https://www.appel.ie/resources/
• We are holding a webinar next week on “Situational
  Leadership Skills”. You can register for this event on our
  website https://www.appel.ie/events/the-appel-network/

Q&A