Last Updated on 16/05/2024
Introduction
Over the course of the programme, trainees are required to submit three pieces of work for Placement Assignment: Live Skills (PALS), in addition to one Placement Assignment: Service Evaluation (PASE).
Trainees in the 2021 cohort (and subsequent cohorts) will submit PALS #1 and #2 from work completed on their direct skills placement, and PALS #3 from their indirect skills placement.
Trainees from earlier cohorts will submit PALS #1 based on work from their first placement and PALS #2 and #3 from two different subsequent core practice placements.
The three PALS assignments each comprise a clinical recording from placement and a written component. The PALS assesses both the ‘live skills’ of the trainee and their ability to reflect on and critically appraise their work.
Domains actively assessed
This assignment actively assesses the following domains:
- ‘Analysing’ – Critical analysis & synthesis
- ‘Deciding’ – Strategy for application
- ‘Performing’ – Performance skills
- ‘Responding’ – Responsive to impact & learning from experiences
- ‘Interacting’ – Interpersonal skills & collaboration
Preparing for the assignment
Trainees are advised to familiarise themselves with the e-learning materials available on the programme handbook webpages.
On starting placement, trainees are advised to speak to their placement supervisor about which piece of work they might submit for a PALS. Trainees are required to obtain informed consent from clients to proceed with recording and using their personal/clinical information. Placement supervisors need to complete a supervisor declaration form at the end of the placement which indicates that informed consent has been obtained. Please refer to the PALS documentation on the programme handbook webpages for further information and to access supervisor declaration forms.
Trainees will received a draft read from a member of the programme team for the PALS #1.
Structure of the Assignment
- Clinical recording (30 minutes)
- Written component (4,500 words)
- Outline of work undertaken (up to 1,500 words)
- Transcription and commentary (no word count for transcript, up to 1,500 words for commentary)
- Critical appraisal reflections/evaluation of work undertaken (up to 1,500 words)
Process of Assessment
All submissions are assessed by two markers. Markers will use evidence from both the written submission and the clinical recording to individually determine grades (pass or fail) for each of the assessment domains, then confer and agree a final grade for each domain, which determines the outcome of the assignment submission.
Resubmissions following addendum fail
When PALS reports are resubmitted, they must be coherent and make sense. The trainee is asked to focus on the areas which fall under the domains which have failed in the resubmitted report. They can take out information which appeared in the first submission and the addendum to make way for information to address the remaining concerns of the markers. However the report must still make sense and be coherent. For example in section one background details to the piece of work will still be useful to include to set the context of the work. The amount of detail can be reduced – but an overview will still be useful to the markers.
The word count for the resubmission remains the same as for the first submission at 4500 words (broken down into 1500 words per section).
Markers are advised that domains which have passed prior to the resubmission stage remain as passed unless there is the introduction of something completely new which provides significant negative evidence for a previously passed domains which cannot be ignored. An example might be the introduction of new information about an aspect of an intervention which has been conducted in a highly unprofessional way.
Assessment guidance and forms
PALS – introductory teaching PowerPoint slides
PALS – preparation and recording clinical work guidance
PALS – written component guidance
PALS – client information and consent form
PALS – trainee feedback form
PALS – supervisor declaration form
PALS – transcript template
PALS – submission form
PALS – how to submit on OneDrive
PALS – addendum guidance