Development of Core Clinical Learning Competencies for Australian Exercise Physiology Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Raymond ◽  
Rebecca Sealey ◽  
Fiona Naumann ◽  
Kieron Rooney ◽  
Timothy English ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Physical Activity Intervention ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Clinical Learning ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Learning Competencies ◽  
Physiology Students

ABSTRACT Background: Clinical placements and assessment are an essential part of education to become a health professional. However, quality assessment in a clinical environment is challenging without a clear representation of what constitutes competence. The aim of this study was to establish core clinical learning competencies for Australian exercise physiology students. Methods: This study used a mixed-methods, multiphase approach. The competencies were developed following electronic surveys and focus groups, with additional refinement provided by the project team. Preliminary validation was conducted via electronic survey where (i) participants rated the importance of each unit of competency for entry-level practice, and (ii) participants who had recently graduated (n = 23) rated the extent to which they perceived they were competent in each unit. Results: The competencies are described as 19 elements organized into 6 units. The units are (i) communication, (ii) professionalism, (iii) assessment and interpretation, (iv) planning and delivery of an exercise and/or physical activity intervention, (v) lifestyle modification, and (vi) risk management. Of 126 survey participants, the majority (93%–98%) considered each unit as being important for entry-level practice. The majority (78%–95%) of recent graduates considered themselves competent in each unit, suggesting the competencies are articulated around the level of a new practitioner. Conclusion: The core clinical learning competencies resulted from an extensive, iterative process involving those with expertise in the area. The competencies have a range of applications, including informing the development of a student placement assessment tool for use in a clinical placement environment.

Clinic-as-Classroom Program: Preparing Students for the Transition to Clinical Placements

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 142-147
Author(s):  
Fiona Naumann ◽  
Robert Mullins ◽  
Justin Holland ◽  
Andrew McWilliam ◽  
Tania Best ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Educational Program ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Program Planning ◽  
Student Response ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Student Preparedness ◽  
Exercise Interventions ◽  
Exercise Environment ◽  
Novice Students

ABSTRACT Background: Clinical placements are invaluable for preparing students for their professional role and assisting the transition to practice. In order to thrive, it is the responsibility of universities to ensure students are prepared. The aim of this study was to examine the student response to learning within a university clinic-as-classroom educational program, for building self-perceived confidence to perform the competencies of clinical exercise physiology practice, prior to their first clinical placement. A secondary aim was to identify any learning areas that required further emphasis within the curriculum. Methods: This study was a prospective cohort study, assessing the change in confidence of 80 final year exercise physiology students to perform the competency of practice. Results: The study achieved an 87% response rate. Baseline data indicated students were confident to behave professionally, be reflective, work in teams, adapt to practice setting, ensure a safe exercise environment, and manage personal risk. Across the clinic-as-classroom program students reported a significant growth in confidence in 4 elements of competency: communication of data; placing the clinical exercise physiologist's role in the wider healthcare context; designing client centered exercise interventions; and integrating pathology into the program planning and delivery. Conclusion: The clinic-as-classroom educational program allowed novice students to become increasingly confident in the clinical environment in a low-risk, authentic, and supportive learning environment. A key recommendation was to embed the additional elements of clinical exercise physiology practice across the course and clinic-as-classroom curriculum to increase student preparedness for placement.

Physiotherapy Students’ Performance in Clinical Education: An Analysis of 1 Year of Canadian Cross-Sectional Data

2021 ◽  
pp. e20200018
Author(s):  
Sarah Wojkowski ◽  
Kathleen E. Norman ◽  
Paul Stratford ◽  
Brenda Mori
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Education ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Entry Level ◽  
Typical Performance ◽  
Performance Profiles ◽  
Assessment Of Clinical Performance ◽  
Physiotherapy Students

Purpose: This research examines 1 year of cross-sectional, Canada-wide ratings from clinical instructors using the Canadian Physiotherapy Assessment of Clinical Performance (ACP) and analyzes the performance profiles of physiotherapy students’ performance ratings over the course of their entry-to-practice clinical placements. Method: Canadian physiotherapy programmes that use the ACP were invited to submit anonymized, cross-sectional data for placements completed during 2018. Descriptive analyses and summary statistics were completed. Mixed-effects modelling was used to create typical performance profiles for each evaluation criterion in the ACP. Stepwise ordered logistic regression was also completed. Results: Ten programmes contributed data on 3,290 placements. Profiles were generated for each ACP evaluative item by means of mixed-effects modelling; three profiles are presented. In all cases, the predicted typical performance by the end of 24 months of study was approximately the rating corresponding to entry level. Subtle differences among profiles were identified, including the rate at which a student may be predicted to receive a rating of “entry level.” Conclusions: This analysis identified that, in 2018, the majority of Canadian physiotherapy students were successful on clinical placements and typically achieved a rating of “entry level” on ACP items at the end of 24 months.

Use of concept mapping in an undergraduate introductory exercise physiology course

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Henige
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Acute Response ◽  
Acute Increase ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Endurance ◽  
Physiology Students

Physiology is often considered a challenging course for students. It is up to teachers to structure courses and create learning opportunities that will increase the chance of student success. In an undergraduate exercise physiology course, concept maps are assigned to help students actively process and organize information into manageable and meaningful chunks and to teach them to recognize the patterns and regularities of physiology. Students are first introduced to concept mapping with a commonly relatable nonphysiology concept and are then assigned a series of maps that become more and more complex. Students map the acute response to a drop in blood pressure, the causes of the acute increase in stroke volume during cardiorespiratory exercise, and the factors contributing to an increase in maximal O2 consumption with cardiorespiratory endurance training. In the process, students draw the integrative nature of physiology, identify causal relationships, and learn about general models and core principles of physiology.

Student satisfaction level, clinical learning environment, and tutor participation in primary care clinical placements: An observational study

2021 ◽  
pp. 105156
Author(s):  
Agueda Cervera-Gasch ◽  
Víctor M. González-Chordá ◽  
Víctor Ortiz-Mallasen ◽  
Laura Andreu-Pejo ◽  
Desiree Mena-Tudela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Clinical Learning ◽  
Satisfaction Level ◽  
Clinical Learning Environment ◽  
Clinical Placements

Abstract 245: Demonstrating the Effectiveness of an Outpatient Occupational Therapy Program for Individuals with Heart Failure

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Carroll ◽  
Kristin Nxumalo ◽  
Amber Bennett ◽  
Whitney Pike
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Lifestyle Modification ◽  
Self Care ◽  
The Self ◽  
Lifestyle Modifications ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Therapy Program

Objective: To demonstrate the effectiveness of an outpatient occupational therapy program on improving self-care for individuals with heart failure. Background: Hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) are the largest Medicare expenditure, and 12% of these admissions are considered preventable. Effective self-management of the debilitating symptoms associated with HF (shortness of breath, fatigue, fluid retention, cognitive decline) helps keep patients out of the hospital. Individuals often experience difficulty incorporating self-care management activities into their daily lives. Occupational therapy (OT) is well suited to address the self-care needs of people with HF by increasing patient self-efficacy and facilitating lifestyle modification through the incorporation of new habits, roles, and routines. Methods: Participants with HF (n=11, ages 40-86) enrolled in an outpatient OT program focusing on self-care management. Participants received weekly, bi-weekly or monthly one-hour treatments over a six-month period. Sessions addressed the following topics: low sodium diet adherence, medication management, activity tolerance, symptom monitoring and psychosocial coping strategies. The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index (SCHFI) was administered at evaluation and upon completion of the program. The SCHFI is a reliable and valid assessment tool that measures self-care maintenance, management and confidence in people with HF. Results: All participants who received two or more treatments demonstrated 33.33% (16.67 of 49.99) to 190.01% (63.33 of 33.33) improvement in maintenance of self-care routines based on pre and post SCHFI scores. Additionally, half of these participants demonstrated 28.47% (22.16 of 77.84) to 85.33% (38.4 of 45) improvement in confidence with self-care management based on pre and post SCHFI scores. Conclusion: Participation in an outpatient OT program that focused on incorporating lifestyle modifications into daily routines was effective at improving self-care for people with HF, specifically maintenance of self-care routines and confidence with ability to self-manage their chronic condition.

scholarly journals Influence of Cardiorespiratory Clinical Placements on the Specialty Interest of Physiotherapy Students

Healthcare ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 148
Author(s):  
Irene Torres Sánchez ◽  
Laura López López ◽  
Janet Rodríguez Torres ◽  
Esther Prados Román ◽  
María Granados Santiago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Clinical Placement ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Physiotherapy Students

Clinical placements are an important part of health students’ training. Whilst much value is placed on the clinical environment as a place to learn, there is a paucity of direct evidence about its effectiveness. The aim of this study was to compare the competence, importance, and interest in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy of students before and after one month of clinical practice. A pre- and post-placement questionnaire about students’ interest in different physiotherapy subspecialties was used. The students with a cardiorespiratory clinical placement showed a significant change in their perception about the importance of the cardiorespiratory specialty (0.348 ± 1.01; p < 0.001), while no significant change was observed in the students without cardiorespiratory placement (−0.014 ± 0.825; p = 0.883). The presence or absence of clinical placements seems to have a definitive impact on students’ choice of a specialty. This implies the need for developing a set of clinical placements in all the subareas of physiotherapy in order to give undergraduate students the opportunity to make a better decision.

scholarly journals Simulated patient contributions to enhancing exercise physiology student clinical assessment skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan E. Reeves ◽  
Monique C. Waite ◽  
Neil Tuttle ◽  
Andrea Bialocerkowski
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
History Taking ◽  
Learning Modules ◽  
Motivation For Learning ◽  
Preparedness For Practice ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Two Parameters ◽  
Physiology Students

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate exercise physiology students’ perceptions of two simulation-based learning modules focused on communication and interpersonal skills during history taking. Methods A prospective, repeated-measures cohort study was conducted with 15 participants. The study evaluated two simulation-based learning modules in a 1-year Graduate Diploma of Exercise Science program. Surveys were administered at four time points: prior to each module and following each module. Students rated their confidence in communication and history taking, and perception of preparedness for practice, motivation for learning, and benefits of undertaking simulation-based learning. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and by using repeated measures tests. Qualitative data underwent thematic analyses. Results Students reported a significant improvement in their confidence in communication (P = 0.043) and in two parameters related to history taking (P = 0.034 and 0.035) following the completion of the two modules. There was 96% agreement that the simulation-based learning better prepared students for practice as an exercise physiologist. Significant changes occurred in all aspects of motivation for learning (P ranging from < 0.001 to 0.036) except for usefulness, where there was a ceiling effect (medians of 7 on a 7-point scale). Qualitative analysis demonstrated benefit to participants around themes of experiential learning, realism, opportunity to develop clinical skills, and debriefing. Students also made suggestions with respect to the activity structure of the simulation-based learning modules. Conclusions The results of this study indicated that simulation-based learning employing SPs increased the confidence and preparedness of exercise physiology students for conducting history taking, a requisite exercise physiology skill. Future studies should include behavioral measures of skill attainment and include follow-up evaluation to appraise the application of these skills into clinical practice.

scholarly journals Nursing students’ perception of the clinical learning environment and supervision in relation to two different supervision models – a comparative cross-sectional study

BMC Nursing ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjam Ekstedt ◽  
Marléne Lindblad ◽  
Anna Löfmark
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Peer Learning ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Clinical Learning ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Clinical Learning Environment ◽  
Clinical Placements ◽  
Supervision Models ◽  
Positive Experiences

Abstract Background Knowledge concerning nursing students’ experiences of the clinical learning environment and how supervision is carried out is largely lacking. This study compares nursing students’ perceptions of the clinical learning environment and supervision in two different supervision models: peer learning in student-dedicated units, with students working together in pairs and supervised by a “preceptor of the day” (model A), and traditional supervision, in which each student is assigned to a personal preceptor (model B). Methods The study was performed within the nursing programme at a university college in Sweden during students’ clinical placements (semesters 3 and 4) in medical and surgical departments at three different hospitals. Data was collected using the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher evaluation scale, CLES+T, an instrument tested for reliability and validity, and a second instrument developed for this study to obtain deeper information regarding how students experienced the organisation and content of the supervision. Independent t-tests were used for continuous variables, Mann-Whitney U-tests for ordinal variables, and the chi-square or Fischer’s exact tests for categorical variables. Results Overall, the students had positive experiences of the clinical learning environment and supervision in both supervision models. Students supervised in model A had more positive experiences of the cooperation and relationship between student, preceptor, and nurse teacher, and more often than students in model B felt that the ward had an explicit model for supervising students. Students in model A were more positive to having more than one preceptor and felt that this contributed to the assessment of their learning outcomes. Conclusions A good learning environment for students in clinical placements is dependent on an explicit structure for receiving students, a pedagogical atmosphere where staff take an interest in supervision of students and are easy to approach, and engagement among and collaboration between preceptors and nurse teachers. This study also indicates that supervision based on peer learning in student-dedicated rooms with many preceptors can be more satisfying for students than a model where each student is assigned to a single preceptor.

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