Using visual representations to enhance clinical workplace learning

Clinical workplaces are complex, dynamic and uniquely experienced spaces that spark powerful and meaningful professional learning for students while undertaking clinical placements. These spaces shape student learning to such an extent and in such different ways from academic environments that re-imagining of practice-based education pedagogy and curricula is required to maximise the learning potential offered by these spaces. Visual representations are explored in this chapter as one such pedagogical practice that can be used to harness the power of clinical workplaces. In my doctoral research the use of photographs as a text construction strategy empowered the participants and engaged them in an enjoyable and meaningful research process. The use of photographs stimulated rich dialogue and the emergence of new understandings. Each of the participants developed a more explicit understanding of not only what they had learned but also how they learned during clinical placements. Visual information provided students and clinical educators a wellspring for the development of new understandings about their emerging practice(s) both as practitioners and educators.
In this chapter I extend the use of images beyond their application as a research strategy to explore how the power of images to explicate learning might be harnessed to enhance clinical workplace learning. The following four opportunities for incorporating visual learning strategies into practice-based education are identified and discussed:
1. Preparing for clinical workplace learning
2. Reflecting during clinical workplace learning
3. Debriefing after clinical workplace learning
4. Facilitating clinical educator professional development.