Physical Therapist Student Readiness for Entrance Into the First Full-Time Clinical Experience: A Delphi Study (original) (raw)
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Physical Therapy, 2007
Background and Purpose The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore clinical instructors’ (CIs) perceptions of students’ behaviors that comprise entry-level clinical performance, as well as how those perceptions were integrated into their decision making. Subjects The participants were 21 physical therapists who were CIs for physical therapist students. Methods Using a grounded theory approach, we conducted interviews, asking the question, “What is it about students’ performance that makes you see them as entry-level therapists?” We determined common themes among the interviews and developed a schema to explain the decision-making process. Results Participants identified 7 attributes that, when demonstrated to a sufficient degree, illustrated to them students’ ability to practice at the entry level. Those attributes were knowledge, clinical skills, safety, clinical decision making, self-directed learning, interpersonal communication, and professional demeanor. Participants...
Physical Therapy, 2013
BackgroundTo prepare students for pediatric practice, the professional (entry-level) curriculum must reflect the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA) required for pediatric physical therapist practice.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to develop consensus concerning the pediatric-specific KSA that should be expected of doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students at various points in the curriculum: prior to a pediatric clinical education experience, after a pediatric clinical education experience, and at the end of a DPT program.Design and MethodsThe study was conducted using the Delphi method. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit pediatric academic faculty and pediatric clinical instructors. Three Web-based survey rounds were used to achieve consensus, defined as agreement among ≥70% of informants. The first round identified pediatric-specific KSA that were essential for DPT students to demonstrate at the identified points in the curriculum. In the secon...
Context: Students in health care often describe their feelings of self-inadequacy in clinical skills and report these feelings abate with experience. Objective: To determine whether early contextual learning experiences can improve entry-level student physical therapists' self-perceived level of clinical preparedness. Design: A pair-wise comparison of pre vs. post intervention. Survey of students self-perceived level of clinical preparedness before and after a series of three planned small group contextual learning experiences involving the assessment of actual hospital patients. Setting: Academic institution and associated medical center Participants: Thirty-nine first-year student cohort in the 10th month of a 36-month entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program who had not yet received clinical experience utilizing subjects other than classmates or program associated faculty. Results: Thirty-three (33) subjects completed the pre and post-survey (33/39) for a response rate of 84.6%. Subjects rated both their own personal abilities (p< .001) and the clinical abilities of their classmates (p<.001) as higher following the intervention, indicating that students in an entry-level DPT program have improved perception of their own and of their classmates' clinical preparedness when employing hospital patients prior to their first clinical affiliation. Conclusions: Early curriculum contextual learning in physical therapist education is valuable in improving student ratings of clinical self-preparedness and of fellow classmates' readiness to enter the clinic. Additionally, students recognize the benefits provided by contextual learning.
BMC Medical Education, 2018
Background: The evaluation of competencies in the clinical field is essential for health professionals, as it allows the acquisition of these competencies to be tracked. The objective of this study was to create and evaluate the validity and reliability of a tool for measuring clinical competencies in physical therapy (PT) students to assess the quality of their performance in a professional context. Methods: A descriptive study was designed. The Measurement Tool for Clinical Competencies in PT (MTCCP) was developed based on the evaluation of 39 experts: 15 clinicians and 24 instructors. The content validity was evaluated using the Content Validity Index (CVI). Three professors were invited to apply the tool to 10 students. Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis, and the intraclass correlation coefficient were used to determine the reliability and validity of the scale. Results: The CVI was positive-higher than 0.8. Principal component analysis confirmed the construct validity of the tool for two main factors: clinical reasoning (first factor) and professional behavior (second factor). With regard to reliability, the MTCCP achieved an internal congruence of 0.982. The inter-evaluator reproducibility for clinical reasoning, professional behavior, and the total MTCCP score was almost perfect; the ICCs were 0.984, 0.930, and 0.983, respectively. Conclusions: The MTCCP is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the performance of PT students in hospital settings and can be used to determine what skills students feel less confident using and what additional training/ learning opportunities could be provided. Further research is needed to determine whether the MTCCP has similar validity and reproducibility in other Spanish-speaking national and international PT programs.
Assessing Physical Therapy Students' Performance during Clinical Practice
Physiotherapy Canada, 2014
Purpose: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) instrument to assess physiotherapy students' clinical competencies. Methods: A convenience sample of clinical educators (CEs) and students from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, completed the instrument currently in use, the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT-CPI), and the APP. A cross-sectional survey of CEs and physiotherapy students was conducted from 2011 to 2012; the survey included questions worded to elicit opinions about the two instruments when used in the clinical environment with students at different stages of training. Questions addressed various aspects of the instruments, including ease of use, provision of feedback, and completion time. Results: Data were analyzed from 63 CEs from a variety of settings; sufficient data were recorded on 71 student PT-CPI and APP forms. A grading comparison between the PT-CPI ...
Physiotherapy Canada, 2015
Purpose: To describe how often the 24 performance criteria of the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT-CPI) were not observed and how often they were rated exceptionally well for physical therapy (PT) students in relation to clinical placement descriptors. Methods: Indicators of ''not observed,'' performance ''with distinction,'' and ''significant concerns'' were tabulated from 1,460 clinical placements between 2008 and 2012. The rates for these indicators were evaluated with respect to catchment area, practice setting (hospital/institutional or community-based), practice area (musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, neurology, paediatrics, geriatrics, or variety), and level (junior to senior). Results: Of the 24 PT-CPI criteria, 15 had observation rates >95%. Of the other nine criteria, some showed significant differences in observation rates across level, practice setting, and practice area. Ratings of ''with distinction'' were awarded most often for criteria related to professionalism and communication and were awarded more often in community-based settings than in hospital/institutional settings. For some criteria, ''with distinction'' was awarded more often in paediatrics placements than in other areas. The ''significant concerns'' checkboxes were rarely used. Conclusions: The overall observation rates were very similar to those reported elsewhere. The findings related to performance ''with distinction'' and observation rates relative to setting and practice area are new contributions to physical therapy knowledge.
The Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy, 2021
Current issue: Clinical instructors (CIs) are instrumental in the development of competent, entry-level physical therapist graduates. Despite this key role, CIs are often deficient in formal knowledge of the learning sciences that influence quality of clinical education experiences. Clinical education stakeholders also lack a standardized and consistent approach to defining and assessing clinical teaching skills, resulting in an inability to provide adequate feedback and growth opportunities for CIs. Perspective: A gap exists between qualitative descriptions of clinical teaching behaviors and the ability to objectively assess those behaviors in CIs. Grounded in the Model of Excellence in Physical Therapist Education, this perspective calls attention to and proposes steps toward excellence in clinical education. Defining essential competencies of clinical teaching in the physical therapy profession requires a systematic approach. The competencies established through this approach the...
Physical Therapist Studentsʼ Perceptions
Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 2018
Introduction. is study examined physical therapist students' perceptions of their learning from a year-long, communitybased, client-focused, interprofessional education experience (IPE) involving nine disciplines. Methods. Sixty-nine Doctor of Physical erapy students (n = 69) completed a reflection paper at the end of an IPE, consisting of small group visits of students from four of the nine different health care disciplines, with families in their homes, larger structured group discussions with faculty, and a wellness project. e students participated in four home visits, and six discussion sessions were completed over two semesters. Two teams of two researchers reviewed and coded the papers to identify key words and phrases to reflect meaning. All researchers then reached a consensus on themes and subthemes. Triangulation of analysis occurred throughout the analysis, and quotes that reflected the important themes were identified. Results. emes included the following: 1) learning about differences in perspective, 2) importance of team communication, 3) value of seeing a patient in their own environment and realizing how this affects their health and health behaviors, 4) making a connection with a patient, and 5) realizing that the patient's goals can be different from the students' expectations. Discussion and Conclusions. is IPE was perceived as an effective and meaningful instructional strategy. e realistic situated learning methods resulted in students appreciating the need for individualized consideration of the patient as a whole person. e extended period of team-based requirements fostered a deeper understanding of communication across professions and with clients, along with insights into the perspectives of different health care professionals.