Research

The MCSHE team has expertise across a broad range of research methodologies, used to examine the spectrum of learning within and about health professions practice. Our mission is to enhance the quality of multi-professional health education through research and scholarship, within Monash University and beyond.

Our current projects align with three overarching priority areas:

Preparedness for practice
Health professions workforce
Faculty development

We collaborate with leading researchers from MNHS and other faculties, as well as healthcare service providers and universities both nationally and internationally. MCSHE is dedicated to supporting the development of future health professions education researchers, offering opportunities for participation and learning in this dynamic field.

Current research projects

Preparedness for practice

Using design consultation methodology this project aims to develop a scalable, consumer-informed, curriculum assessment tool to evaluate integrated curricula in our faculty for essential elements to prepare graduates to work with older people to prioritise curricula improvement efforts.
Project lead - Melanie Farlie
This project aims to explore the attitudes, experiences and impact of a residential aged care placement on student dieticians, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists.
Project lead - Kristie Matthews
This project aims to work with older people living in residential aged care to develop and deliver innovative models of clinical placement experiences for health professions students that will add value to the health and wellbeing of the older person.
Project lead - Kristie Matthews
MCSHE is working in partnership with the Monash University Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Unit to research and evaluate Indigenous health equity curriculum across the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Project lead - Julia McCartan
This project explores healthcare students’ conceptualisations of preparedness for practice and transition, and their preparedness for practice experiences as they become new healthcare practitioners.
Project leads - Charlotte Rees, Ella Ottrey
A study exploring health professional student experiences observing non-evidence based or low-value care on clinical placement and how (or if) they initiated conversations with clinical educators about their observations, to inform future curriculum to prepare students for conversations about low value care in the clinical setting.
Project lead - Melanie Farlie
This Victorian Medical Radiation Practitioners Education Trust funded project aims to explore the transition to practice experiences of radiation therapists during their first 10 months of clinical practice.
Project lead - Kristie Matthews
The patient voice is frequently not prioritised in the training of health professionals. This project investigates student and educator experiences and perceptions of patient feedback.
Project lead - Simone Gibson

Health professions workforce

This project employs realist methodology to evaluate supervision training workshops delivered to health and human services professionals, informing what works, for whom, in what circumstances, how and why.
Project leads - Charlotte Rees, Ella Ottrey
MCSHE is working in partnership with the Monash University Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Unit to research and evaluate Indigenous health equity curriculum across the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Project lead - Julia McCartan
This project evaluates an OSCE assessment package for internationally-qualified nurses to establish validity, reliability, cost-effectiveness and acceptability for diverse stakeholder groups.
Project leads - Charlotte Rees, Ella Ottrey, Mahbub Sarkar

Faculty development

A number of projects seek to explore learning, networks and impacts of post graduate degrees and professional development in health professions education.
Project lead - Simone Gibson
This ANZAHPE- and MEA-funded project aims to investigate, capture and develop health professions educators’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and in doing so, examine whether this process improves participants’ professional practice for high-quality teaching.
Project lead - Mahbub Sarkar
MCSHE is working in partnership with the Monash University Gukwonderuk Indigenous Health Unit to research and evaluate Indigenous health equity curriculum across the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences.
Project lead - Julia McCartan
This project aims to investigate the impact (if any) this course has had on its participants' education research journeys.
Project leads - Mahbub Sarkar, Simone Gibson
This study aims to identify the trends in methodologies and research topics used in primary empirical studies published in reputable HPER journals over the past 20 years.
Project leads - Mahbub Sarkar, Charlotte Rees, Claire Palermo