scholarly journals Integrated Clinical Experiences in a Campus Onsite Clinic: A Self-Contained Model of Physical Therapy Clinical Education

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Wellness Program ◽  
Academic Knowledge

Purpose: This paper describes a self-contained model of integrated clinical experiences (ICEs) that take place during the academic portion of an entry-level physical therapist education program in a campus onsite clinic. Description of Model: Students participate in ICEs for three consecutive semesters. Students provide pro bono physical therapy services to individuals with impairments, functional limitations, or changes in physical function resulting from a variety of health conditions. In addition, students participate in an exercise/wellness program for individuals who wish to improve or maintain their current levels of fitness. The first ICE consists of second-year students observing/assisting third-year students in the onsite clinic with basic patient care skills and participation in an exercise/wellness program. Students in the second and third ICEs provide ongoing one-on-one skilled therapy for individuals with neurological or musculoskeletal diagnoses. Results: Feedback obtained from onsite clinical instructors, core academic faculty, students, and patients receiving care in the onsite clinic through group debriefings, questionnaires, and interviews is used to assess students’ readiness for full-time internships and effectiveness of the ICEs. The feedback reveals that the ICEs are meeting their intended goals. Category ratings in the “red flag” areas of the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) are consistently above expected levels for students completing their first full-time clinical internship. In addition, patients receiving care in the onsite clinic report a high level of satisfaction with the care provided. Conclusion/Possible Recommendations: This model provides students with an opportunity to gain clinical confidence in a realistic setting while reinforcing concepts presented in academic coursework. Providing ICEs on campus decreases reliance on clinical facilities and allows for academic program oversight of the quality of the learning experiences and early identification of students who have deficits in clinical skills and/or academic knowledge. The learning experiences provided in the onsite clinic give students a transitional experience that helps them benefit more fully from full-time internships. A potential challenge to this model is finding the space and financial resources needed to make it viable.

scholarly journals Impact of In-class Patient and Integrated Clinical Experiences on Physical Therapist Students’ Clinical Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Bayliss
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Education ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Cohort Analysis ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Final Assessment ◽  
Mesh Terms ◽  
Significant Difference

Rationale: A variety of clinical education (CE) exist. Models emphasizing full-time clinical experiences (FTCE) have higher number of full-time hours (high-hours) with less prior didactic preparation and integration with the curriculum. Models including integrated clinical experiences (ICE), part-time ICE (PTICE), and in-class patient experiences (IcPE) integrate experiences with didactic content but include a lower number of full-time hours (low-hours). The purpose of this study is to determine if a re-designed CE curricular model that emphasized IcPEs and ICE with low-hours better prepares students than a version that emphasized FTCEs with high-hours as measured by scores on the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on a data set of 183 Doctor of Physical Therapy students who participated in an initial and final terminal CE experience. Data included student pre-admission data, demographics, and evaluation type, period, and rating for all 18 CPI criteria for the initial and final terminal CE experiences. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between cohorts for the initial terminal CE experience midterm assessment. One CPI factor was significant on the initial terminal CE experience final assessment and the final terminal CE experience midterm assessment (p < .05). Within cohort analysis for all three CPI factors at all assessment periods were statistically significant. Conclusion: All students significantly improved from midterm to final assessment periods of the initial and final terminal CE experiences. Therefore, IcPE, allowing faculty to mentor and provide feedback to students should be considered an alternative to FTCE prior to students’ initial terminal CE experience. MeSH Terms: curriculum, education, students

scholarly journals Examining Diagnostic Tests: An Evidence-Based Perspective

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (9) ◽  
pp. 1546-1564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M Fritz ◽  
Robert S Wainner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Patient Management ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Evidence Based

Abstract Diagnosis is an important aspect of physical therapist practice. Selecting tests that will provide the most accurate information and evaluating the results appropriately are important clinical skills. Most of the discussion in physical therapy to date has centered on defining diagnosis, with considerably less attention paid to elucidating the diagnostic process. Determining the best diagnostic tests for use in clinical situations requires an ability to appraise evidence in the literature that describes the accuracy and interpretation of the results of testing. Important issues for judging studies of diagnostic tests are not widely disseminated or adhered to in the literature. Lack of awareness of these issues may lead to misinterpretation of the results. The application of evidence to clinical practice also requires an understanding of evidence and its use in decision making. The purpose of this article is to present an evidence-based perspective on the diagnostic process in physical therapy. Issues relevant to the appraisal of evidence regarding diagnostic tests and integration of the evidence into patient management are presented.

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improve Head Tilt in Pediatric Torticollis Patients with the Use of Prism Glasses

2021 ◽  
pp. 235-244
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Manual Therapy ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Depth Perception ◽  
Physical Therapists ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Head Tilt ◽  
Head Position ◽  
Full Time

Background: Infants with head tilts are most often diagnosed with torticollis and are referred to a pediatric physical therapist for evaluation and treatment. Determining if the head position is muscular or non-muscular when assessing these infants is key in making the appropriate referrals to other specialists and determining the best treatment approach. Most pediatric physical therapists treat patients with head tilts with manual therapy (i.e. massage, myofascial release, and passive/active range of motion). Many physical therapists only consider a visual etiology as a possibility after other treatment options have been exhausted and the head tilt persists. Although the incidence of torticollis has increased, based on the author’s experience, the number of cases of non-muscular etiology has also increased. There is a lack of current research on the use of prism glasses for treating head tilts in young children and infants carrying a diagnosis of torticollis, especially those presenting without any active/passive motion limitations. Traditionally, these patients undergo years of treatment without resolution of the head tilt. Case Report: A two-year-old patient initially presented with a diagnosis of torticollis with an intermittent and alternating head tilt for physical therapy. After several months of manual therapy, with little improvement in her head posture, the patient’s physical therapist referred her to a behavioral optometrist for a comprehensive vision examination and to pursue alternative treatment options. The optometric evaluation revealed ocular misalignment causing poor depth perception skills and prism glasses were prescribed full-time with the recommendation of continuing physical therapy for gross motor development. Conclusion: Prism glasses are an appropriate treatment consideration for some pediatric patients with persistent head tilts because they can provide immediate improvement in head position and depth perception. It is important to include optometrists in the multi-disciplinary team when working with patients with head tilts. Pediatric physical therapists would benefit from training on how to properly screen visual skills when evaluating children with head tilts. With such training, an appropriate optometric referral could be initiated early on in treatment.

scholarly journals Behaviors That Cause Clinical Instructors to Question the Clinical Competence of Physical Therapist Students

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (7) ◽  
pp. 653-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen W Hayes ◽  
Gail Huber ◽  
Jean Rogers ◽  
Babette Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Student Behaviors ◽  
Clinical Instructors ◽  
Red Flags ◽  
Cognitive Behaviors ◽  
Inadequate Knowledge ◽  
Effective Delivery ◽  
Therapy Services

Abstract Background and Purpose. Clinical instructors (CIs) observe behavior to determine whether students have the skills assumed necessary for safe and effective delivery of physical therapy services. Studies have examined assumptions about necessary skills, but few studies have identified the types of student behaviors that are “red flags” for CIs. This study examined the student behaviors that negatively affect students' clinical performance, which can alert CIs to inadequate performance. Subjects. Twenty-eight female and 5 male CIs discussed the performance of 23 female and 17 male students who were anonymous. Methods. Using questionnaires and semistructured interviews that were taped and transcribed, CIs described demographics and incidents of unsafe and ineffective physical therapy. After reading the transcripts, investigators identified and classified the behaviors into categories and checked their classification for reliability (κ=.60–.75). Results. Behaviors in 3 categories emerged as red flags for CIs: 1 cognitive category—inadequate knowledge and psychomotor skill (43% of 134 behaviors)—and 2 noncognitive categories—unprofessional behavior (29.1%) and poor communication (27.6%). The CIs noticed and valued noncognitive behaviors but addressed cognitive behaviors more often with students. Students who did not receive feedback about their performance were unlikely to change their behavior. The CIs used cognitive behaviors often as reasons to recommend negative outcomes. Conclusion and Discussion. Clinical instructors need to identify unacceptable cognitive and noncognitive behaviors as early as possible in clinical experiences. Evidence suggests that they should discuss their concerns with students and expect students to change.

scholarly journals The influence of pre-professional curricula on components of the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Molly Goldwasser ◽  
Kyle Covington
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Professional Behavior ◽  
Quantitative Review ◽  
Arts And Sciences ◽  
Doctor Of Physical Therapy ◽  
Carnegie Classifications ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Clinical Performance Instrument

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate any association between pre-enrollment curricula and clinical performance in physical therapy professional schools. Specifically, does the type of undergraduate institution (as defined by Carnegie classification type) influence performance on components of the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument? Methods: The study methods include a retrospective quantitative review of student educational records from the Duke Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) classes of 2013 to present. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to determine significance of the dependent variables. Results: Results indicated that when the Carnegie Classifications were consolidated to five categories, there was only a significant difference in score for one of the 108 possible scales in the CPI (Professional Behavior, Final 3). Students who attended an undergraduate institution with a professional focus (category 5) scored significantly (p=.033) higher on this Professional Behavior scale than did students who attended an undergraduate institution with an arts and sciences focus (category 1). When the Carnegie Classifications were consolidated to four categories, two scales showed significant results (Professional Behavior, Final 3; Accountability, Final 3). Conclusions: The study fails to confirm the hypothesis that the type of undergraduate institution influences performance on components of the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument. There is virtually no difference on clinical performance based on undergraduate institution type.

Assessment of Physical Therapy Students Performance during Clinical Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1906-1907
Author(s):  
Memoona Sarwar ◽  
Shoaib Waqas ◽  
Hafiz Muhammad Asim ◽  
Muhammad Tariq ◽  
Asifa Javaid
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Global Rating ◽  
Clinical Rotation ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional

Aim: To assess the clinical performance of (DPT) students in Lahore by using assessment of physical therapist practice questionnaire (APP). Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted by using simple random sampling technique. Total 91 students of final year DPT among Lahore were selected for this study. 60% of the students from each college were enrolled. The data was collected by using the standardized questionnaire named assessment of physical therapy questionnaire (APP). Whole information was kept confidential. The data was analyzed by SPSS 23. Results: Results showed that global rating score at APP questionnaire was 62.4% (57 out of 91) reflecting overall good performance during the clinical rotation, 18.68% (17 out of 91) students present satisfactory results ranges, 14.29% (13 out of 91) present acceptable performance and 4.40 % ( 4 out of 91) students showed inappreciable performance. There mean age of 91 students were 21.25 with standard deviation 0.9236. The Pearson chi square test p=0.948, p <0.005. It reveals that there is no significant variation between gender and overall performance of students during clinical rotation Conclusion: This study concluded that maximum final year DPT students showed good performance during clinical practice, indicated that curriculum for DPT students is good enough to make student professionally competent. Key words: Clinical practice, APP questionnaire and DPT students

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

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.

Who Gets Top Jobs of Physical Therapy in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashfaq Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Physical Therapist ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Worth Living ◽  
Life Worth Living ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Relationship

Physical Therapy is a healthcare profession, in which Physical Therapist provides treatment to individuals developing, maintaining and restoring the maximum functional capacity throughout life. Physical therapy is amongst one of the neglected health care elds in Pakistan due to lack of resources and absence of a professional regulatory body. Even after 60 years of inception of physical therapy, there is no regulatory council in Pakistan. However, some of the priva t e bodi e s had be en working for professional growth. Of these, Pakistan Physiotherapy Society (PPS), Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) of Pakistan and Pakistan Physical Therapy Association (PPTA) are worth 1 mentioning . Research on the relationship between education and employment has received signicant attention in recent years. It is now well recognized that there are many other factors intervene in the relationship between education and unemployment. From getting admission for higher education to getting a perfect job, substantial socio-economic differences are present at every stage. The evidence strongly suggests that, even after taking these factors into account, graduates from affuent families are more likely to obtain a professional job and to see higher earnings 2 growth in the labor market . To get jobs in physical therapy, along with getting excellence in graduation, knowledge level, clinical skills, some of graduates make themselves competent than others by means of research publications which really have a signicant impact on getting job. Continuing medical education also highlights candidates in a bunch of unemployed population for their distinctive certications and hence, for them, chances of being hired increase. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, graduates with less ma rks , poor knowl edge , no r e s e a r ch publications and post-graduation get better job status only with their political affliations on references basis. In contrast, many deserving graduates, not all, justifying the criteria for employment, remain empty handed with their degrees proving it correct that, "reference dominates merit".Sadly, the significance of this profession in Pakistan is yet to be recognized. Moreover, so far, the campaigns and initiatives which are being taken for the betterment of PT profession are at best poor. This situation is leading to brain drain as graduates are still having apprehensions about their future. They are hired at low remuneration. This is increasing further frustration& depression among fresh graduates. There is no job structure and no vacancies are announced. In Pakistan, things are moving towards the scenario where graduates are more grappling towards finding a strong reference rather than being competent physical therapists. This profession has a great importance in making life worth living. Need has been highlighted for the proper service structure in government as well as private institutions, research, development and training based on international standards. Jobs should be created by the federal and provincial governments. The struggle for the regulatory body is the best of advancement in the development of this profession. As the situation is worsening day by day, the government must take special measures to save this profession

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