An exploration of the experiences of health care professional students with dyslexia undertaking practice placement: a qualitative systematic review

Health care students with diagnosed dyslexia are supported within the university setting; support may include inclusive delivery and assessments around universal design and individualised support plans, which are standardised by the Specific Learning Disability Assessments Standards Committee (Ali et al., 2020). However, levels of support may differ during compulsory practice placements which often present more complex environments for students with dyslexia. Competence is a standard set by their professional, statutory, and regulatory body which must be met to qualify (Major and Tetley, 2019). Reasonable adjustments are legally binding in the university setting, however, may not be transferrable to the practice placement setting (SASC). Challenges in practice placement are that the mentor is not aware of what dyslexia is, how it effects the student, and how best to support the student (Evans, 2014). Disclosure of the disability is not required; it is documented that students feel prejudged by their disability and there is a social stigma towards dyslexia. To disclose, the environment must feel safe. Currently practice placement is an area that does not feel fully supportive for students to disclose, therefore coping and masking strategies are used (Major and Tetley, 2019).

There is limited research exploring health care professional students with dyslexia experiences in practice placement (Ali et al., 2020) . Therefore, the aim of this review, is to understand the experiences health care students face in practice placement.