Melbourne audiologist and audiology lecturer Ms Renee Garuccio is exploring how audiology educators support and assess clinical competence of student audiologists in university and clinical placement settings in Australia.
She hopes her research will generate evidence to support the development of a unified, profession-appropriate assessment framework for audiology students, informed directly by the lived experiences of supervisors and educators across the sector.
This national evidence-based assessment framework would provide clearer guidance, greater alignment, and a more transparent system for assessing clinical competence in audiology students, she said.
The study, which is underway, is part of Garuccio’s PhD with the University of Queensland and she is currently seeking external clinical educators across all sectors including public hospitals, community health and private practices to participate in interviews.
“I chose this topic because clinical education in audiology is highly variable across Australia, yet clinical placement is central to forming competent graduates,” she told HPA.
“I wanted to understand this variation from the educator’s perspective rather than the system level alone.
“Educators carry significant responsibility in shaping student learning and judging competence, but their perspectives, challenges and decision-making processes are largely undocumented in the literature.”
Assessment practices inconsistent
Garuccio said assessment practices across programs were inconsistent, and the profession lacked a shared, evidence-based assessment framework to guide clinical educators.
“My goal is to centre educators’ voices – internal clinic staff, placement coordinators and external clinical educators – to understand how they view their role in supporting and judging student competence,” she said.
“Ultimately, this work aims to address a sector-wide need: clearer guidance, greater alignment, and a more transparent system for assessing clinical competence in audiology students.”
The study is entitled; Understanding clinical competence decision-making in audiology: Exploring current practices and informing a national framework.
She hopes it will reveal:
- How audiology educators conceptualise their role in supporting students’ development of clinical competence.
- How educators make competency judgements in real-world conditions, including what informs their decisions and where uncertainties arise.
- What barriers and enablers shape effective supervision and assessment, particularly across different placement settings (public, private, university-run clinics).
- Where the biggest gaps, inconsistencies or pressures lie within current placement and assessment practices.
- What educators feel they need to carry out their role more confidently and consistently.
- Evidence to inform the future co-design of a national assessment framework or tool that reflects the educator experience and the complexities of audiology practice.
Study aims
The study aims to explore how audiology educators understand and approach their role in supporting the clinical competence of student audiologists and forming judgements of their clinical competence.
It also aims to determine barriers and enablers educators identify in supporting and judging clinical competence.
Call to hear from external clinical educators
The study has heard from academic educators and university-based internal clinical educators.
Garuccio now wants to hear from external clinical educators across all sectors – public hospitals, community health and private practices.
“Your perspectives are essential to understanding the full picture of student supervision and assessment across the profession,” she said.
“External educators often work in diverse, time-pressured settings, and their insights into real-world challenges and supports are crucial for designing a practical, workable assessment framework.
“If you supervise audiology students as part of your role, your experience and reflections would be highly valued.”
Garuccio is a sessional lecturer at Victoria University and practice manager at Northern Therapy Solutions, an allied health provider which specialises in mental health and supporting individuals through the NDIS.
She has previously worked in independent audiology clinics, hospitals, in newborn hearing screening, community health and was a lecturer and audiology course coordinator at La Trobe University where she continues to teach on a casual basis in the Master of Clinical Audiology course.
Participation involves a 60 minute online semi-structured interview to share professional experiences and perspectives. Participants are eligible if they are or have within the past five years been involved in audiology student education or supervision.
Garuccio’s supervisor is Associate Professor Wayne Wilson from the University of Queensland’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
People interested in taking part can contact her on r.garuccio@student.uq.edu.au
