International allied health student placements: A meta-synthesis

Background Increasingly universities are offering international student placements as part of the global internationalisation movement. This review sought to synthesize the findings of studies to further understand the learning outcomes described by allied health students. Aims/Objectives To contribute to the understanding of the learning outcomes described by allied health students who have undertaken an international placement. Methods A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted. From six databases, twenty-one studies were identified and critically appraised. Data were meta-aggregated, integrated and interpreted to develop new themes, with the experiences of over 259 allied health students synthesized. Results Themes include: the intertwined personal and professional development experienced by the students; confidence and independence, relationship building, insight into culture, service provision and differences in socio-economic and political contexts. Conclusion Universities offering students international placements provide their students with opportunities to achieve unique learning outcomes with significant personal and professional transformational development that cannot be replicated by local placements.

Automated summary

Through synthesizing the learning outcomes described by allied health students who have undertaken international placements, it is found that international placements lead to intertwined personal and professional development, confidence and independence, insights into different cultures, among other impacts. International placements provide students with unique learning opportunities, resulting in significant personal and professional transformational development that cannot be replicated by local placements.