Learning through service user involvement in allied health education: A qualitative investigation of the student experience

The value of service user involvement (SUI) is gaining recognition within healthcare education. As stakeholders in the education process, exploring the student experience with SUI is critical to ensuring effective andragogical practices. Within this, an appreciation of both what and how students learn is needed to underpin the wider adoption of SUI across healthcare education. A qualitative research design was employed to explore allied health students’ experiences with and learning from SUI, and its alignment with relevant learning theories. Semi-structured interviews with eleven students generated five themes. Students reported variable satisfaction and differing levels of SUI in their education, noting ethical and logistical concerns with its adoption. Despite these reservations, students emphasised that SUI prompted key learning in the enhancement of empathy and consideration of a holistic, patient-centred approach to practice. Storytelling was identified as an effective andragogical tool, with SUI recognised as a memorable and impactful learning strategy. When service users contributed in a classroom setting, students reported perceived changes in power dynamics, facilitating interaction and knowledge construction. Learning was characterised as patient-centred, experiential and transformative, with students describing shifts in attitudes and practice resulting from their engagement with service users. By exploring the student experience, through relevant learning theories, this research offers a deeper understanding of how students engage with and derive meaning from SUI in education. Students acknowledged the unique capabilities of SUI in learning, and its capacity to foster patient-centred practice, a critical insight which lends support to service users' formal and sustained involvement in healthcare education.