Abstract
Abstract
Background
Clinical placements are essential for developing competence and professional identity in health professions education. In Pakistan, many undergraduate students in Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, and Nursing complete unpaid clinical placements, which may impose financial, emotional, and educational challenges. Limited multidisciplinary qualitative research exists to understand these experiences.
Objective
To explore the perspectives of undergraduate allied health sciences, dentistry and nursing students regarding the unpaid clinical placements.
Methods
The qualitative study design involved semi-structured interviews with 22 undergraduate students of Dentistry, Nursing, and Allied Health Sciences programmes in various institutions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Interviews were held in the Urdu language, taped and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis of data was performed in six phases as developed by Braun and Clarke. The use of reflexive note-taking, member checking, and audit trail were strategies used to increase rigor. Informed consent was received and ethical approval granted by the Ethics Review Board KMU-IHPER. The study was carried out in secrecy and anonymity.
Results
Five major themes emerged:
1. Managing Daily Costs and Practical Challenges of Clinical Rotations.
2. Emotional and Psychological Strain During Clinical Placements
3. Gaps in Supervision and Professional Support
4. Challenges Within the Clinical Learning Environment and Workload
5. Shaping Professional Identity and Motivation Through Clinical Exposure
The results were subsequently explained through the Hierarchy of Needs invented by Abraham Maslow, which suggested that the physiological and safety needs that were not met, including financial strain and lack of support, inhibited the capacity of students to participate in higher-order learning, which consequently influenced their well-being and formation of professional identities.