The crucible model as a tool for student preparation for clinical workplace learning

The Professional Development Crucible Model (as described in Chapter 11) opens up powerful opportunities to better prepare students to drive – not just receive – their workplace learning experiences. The understanding that workplace learning (WPL) is shaped by the context or crucible within which it occurs moves the pedagogical focus in WPL from acts of teaching within workplaces to student engagement with workplace activities. Clinical workplaces are powerful arenas for shaping student learning in very different ways from academic environments, therefore development of specific practice-based pedagogies is warranted. Re-imagining of professional and practice-based education pedagogy for both academic and WPL curricula is needed. These reimagined pedagogies would move the focus away from acts of teaching to developing students’ capability to participate in authentic workplace relationships and activities. The enhanced understanding of professional education in terms of development of professional practice capabilities and how these capabilities are fostered in clinical workplaces represented by the Crucible Model has significant implication for the design of both academic and WPL curricula. This is particularly important in current higher education contexts where workplace pressures and increasing numbers of students are generating increased demand for effective and sustainable clinical education models, and industry is increasingly demanding work/career ready graduates. In this chapter, the Crucible Model is explored as a powerful pedagogical strategy to enhance student agency and ability to access and engage with workplace activities. The Model is used as a solid platform on which to construct wise academic and clinical education practices that more deeply harness the power of workplace experiences and influences to holistically and authentically shape the development of students’ professional practice capabilities.