Exploring the experiences of novice clinical instructors in physical therapy clinical education: a phenomenological study

Action research (AR) has an important role to play in educating physical therapists. Increasing efforts should be encouraged to instigate AR programs in physical therapy practice and clinical education. Such programs commonly require considerable effort and understanding by clinical instructors, and require adoption of new educational methods. AR programs can lead physical therapists and clinicians to be more questioning and reflective in evaluating practical questions regarding patient therapy and education. The purpose of this article is to educate the readers on the importance of AR and to provide a few relevant references on that topic. A specific study is described in this paper in which physical therapy clinical instructors participated in a structured workshop designed to demonstrate the values of AR and how such values can be incorporated in teaching their students. AR can lead to improved therapist-patient interaction and help solve specific practical problems arising during therapy sessions.

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Influence that Service in a Pro Bono Clinic has on a First Full-Time Physical Therapy Clinical Education Experience

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice ◽

10.46743/1540-580x/2017.1624 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Daria Porretta ◽

Jill Black ◽

Kerstin Palombaro ◽

Ellen Erdman

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Focus Group ◽

Clinical Experience ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Full Time ◽

Clinical Instructors ◽

Clinical Experiences ◽

Education Experience ◽

Pro Bono ◽

The Impact

Purpose: Physical therapist education programs strive to prepare their students for full-time clinical experiences in a variety of ways. Experiential and service learning in authentic contexts reportedly help students make connections between the classroom and the clinic. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences that service in a physical therapy pro bono clinic has on a first full-time clinical education experience. Methods: Participants were all third year doctoral physical therapy students at Widener University who were entering their first full-time clinical education experience. Sixteen participants kept journals throughout their first full-time clinical experience regarding the impact of their previous pro bono experience. Upon completion of the 10-week full-time clinical experience, the sixteen participants answered a Likert-scale survey to further delineate the influence of the pro bono experience, and fifteen of the participants participated in focus group discussions to further explore themes that emerged from the journal and survey data. Data from the focus group and journals were analyzed qualitatively. The responses from the surveys provided quantitative data. In addition, the researchers looked at the Clinical Instructors (CI) midterm comments on the APTA’s Clinical Performance Instrument (APTA PT CPI WEB) to further corroborate or disconfirm the findings. Results: Triangulation of the data points revealed 9 categories of positive impact that the pro bono experience had on their first full-time clinical experience. The strongest three categories in order were client interaction, clinical instructor interaction, and professional communication. The next five categories were of relative equal strength and related to specifics areas of competency. They were competency in documentation, evaluation, intervention, clinical reasoning and cultural competency. A final overarching category was increased confidence. CI comments on the midterm CPI corroborated these findings. Participants also shared ways in which the pro bono experience could have better prepared them for their full-time clinical experience. Conclusions: Regular participation in a pro bono clinic throughout the didactic portion of the physical therapy curriculum contributed to student confidence and competence in their first full-time clinical experience. Future research should include interviews with the clinical instructors to further corroborate the student perceptions. The findings of this study also serve to inform how the pro bono clinical experience can be enhanced to further contribute positively to the students’ first full-time clinical experiences.

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Physical Therapy Clinical Instructor Self-Reported Evidence-Based Practice Use

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice ◽

10.46743/1540-580x/2015.1537 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Debra Bierwas ◽

Joan Leafman ◽

Lisa Wallace ◽

Donald Shaw ◽

Steven Fehrer

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Evidence Based Practice ◽

Physical Therapists ◽

Physical Therapist ◽

The United States ◽

Clinical Instructor ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Clinical Instructors ◽

Professional Characteristics

Introduction: Evidence-based practice is a required component of student physical therapist education. Practice applying the five steps of evidence-based practice to patient care (formulate question, retrieve evidence, appraise evidence, integrate evidence, evaluate outcomes), most effectively performed during clinical education, must occur for students to become proficient. Clinical instructor use of evidence-based practice is essential to assure that student physical therapist practice occurs during clinical education. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess self-reported evidence-based practice use by physical therapy clinical instructors and examine whether an association exists between professional characteristics and evidence-based practice use. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive study using an electronic survey to collect data on clinical instructor professional characteristics and evidence-based practice use. Results: Respondents included 376 physical therapists who were clinical instructors in the United States. Participant responses for frequency evidence-based practice steps use ranged from never to frequently. Specifically, respondents reported integrating evidence into clinical instruction: never 2.1% (n = 8); rarely 6.4% (n = 24); occasionally 13.3% (n = 50); sometimes 28.7% (n = 108); and frequently 49.5% (n = 186). There was no difference in evidence-based practice use as the result of age or highest degree. Respondents who were American Physical Therapy Association members or held an American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties certification reported using some of the evidence-based practice steps more frequently than those who were not. Discussion and Conclusion: Although the majority of respondents in this study reported using evidence-based practice to some extent, there was great variability. Student physical therapists may be exposed to evidence-based practice during clinical education since the majority of respondents, considering their role as clinical instructors, reported evidence-based practice use. However, exposure cannot be guaranteed for every student because some respondents reported never using evidence-based practice. Educational program use of supplemental learning activities during clinical experiences may facilitate student practice of all five steps of evidence-based practice during clinical education.

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Cost of Clinical Instructors' Time in Clinical Education—Physical Therapy Students

Physical Therapy ◽

10.1093/ptj/67.2.238 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 238-243 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Gordon G. Page ◽

Joyce R. MacKinnon

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Physical Therapy Students ◽

Clinical Instructors

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The Theory-Practice Gap in Physical Therapy Education in the Philippines

IAMURE International Journal of Education ◽

10.7718/iamure.ije.v16i1.1120 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cheryll Didi Nellie N. Obra

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Clinical Education ◽

The Philippines ◽

Physical Therapy Education ◽

Clinical Instructors ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Practice Gap ◽

Theory Practice Gap ◽

Therapy Education ◽

Education Process

The study determined the presence of theory-practice gap in physical therapy education in the Philippines from the perspectives of three different groups: interns, clinical instructors, and internship coordinators. It utilized both quantitative and qualitative research designs using survey, interviews and focus group discussions in collecting data. The Clinical Internship Evaluation Tool was used as the primary data gathering instrument to measure the actual competencies of the interns. A survey questionnaire and interview guide was used to ascertain perceptions of the stakeholders on the clinical education process. Focus group discussions and interviews were audiotaped, and verbatim transcripts were produced. Descriptive statistics and t-test was used for data analysis. The result of t test revealed that the interns’ actual competencies are significantly different from the standards of competence expected of a competent clinician. Moreover, identified as the most problematic professional behavior and patient management skills were initiative and patient evaluation, respectively. Further, there were a pronounced gap between what they learned in school and what they are expected to do at the clinical sites. The highlighted gaps can contribute to quality appraisal, conformance to standards and enrichment of physical therapy education. Schools must facilitate better teaching-learning by more didactic instruction, laboratory skill mastery, and modification of academic contents. Clinical instructors in affiliation centers should have adequate education and preparation for their supervisory and teaching roles to enhance the clinical education process effectively.

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Self-Reported Measurement of Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in Patients by Physical Therapy Clinical Instructors

Physical Therapy ◽

10.1093/ptj/82.12.1192 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 82 (12) ◽

pp. 1192-1200 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Ethel M Frese ◽

Randy R Richter ◽

Tamara V Burlis

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Clinical Practice ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Clinical Education ◽

Physical Therapists ◽

Physical Therapist ◽

Practice Setting ◽

Clinical Instructors ◽

Strongly Agree

Abstract Background and Purpose. The Guide to Physical Therapist Practice (Guide) recommends that heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measurement be included in the examination of new patients. The purpose of this study was to survey physical therapy clinical instructors to determine the frequency of HR and BP measurement in new patients and in patients already on the physical therapists' caseload. The use of information obtained from HR and BP measures in decision making for patient care and the effects of practice setting and academic preparation on the measurement and use of HR and BP also were examined. Subjects and Methods. A sample of 597 subjects was selected from a list of 2,663 clinical instructors at the clinical education sites of the 2 participating universities. Clinical instructors from a variety of practice settings were surveyed. A 26-item survey questionnaire was mailed to the clinical instructors. Results. Usable survey questionnaires were received from 387 respondents (64.8%); 43.4% reported working in an outpatient facility. The majority of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed (59.5%) that measurement of HR and BP should be included in physical therapy screening. When asked if routinely measuring HR and BP during clinical practice is essential, opinions were nearly split (strongly agree or agree=45.0%, strongly disagree or disagree=43.7%, no opinion=11.3%). More than one third (38.0%) of the respondents reported never measuring HR in the week before the survey as part of their examination of new patients. A slightly larger percentage (43.0%) reported never measuring BP of new patients in the week before the survey. Conversely, 6.0% and 4.4% of the respondents reported always measuring HR and BP, respectively, of new patients in the week before the survey. When given a list of reasons why HR and BP were not routinely measured in their clinical practice, respondents most frequently chose “not important for my patient population” (52.3%). Relationships were found between practice setting and frequency of HR and BP measurement in new patients. Discussion and Conclusion. Practices related to HR and BP measurement reported by this sample of clinical instructors do not meet the recommendations for physical therapy care described in the Guide.

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