Perceptions of the Ideal Clinical Educator in Physiotherapy Education

doi:10.1016/S0031-9406(05)66680-1

Physiotherapy

Volume 81, Issue 9, September 1995, Pages 506-513

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9406(05)66680-1 Get rights and content

Summary

There is evidence from nursing and other health disciplines that discrepant perceptions of roles and behaviours in clinical education may have an adverse effect on student learning. In this study the degree of matching of the perceptions of clinical educators, academic tutors and students as to what constitutes an ideal clinical educator in physiotherapy was investigated. Twenty-one clinical educators, 14 academic tutors and 96 students from a bachelor of physiotherapy honours course were asked to select and rank six characteristics, from a choice of 12, which they considered to be most descriptive of a good or ideal clinical educator.

Using an extended chi-square test and the Kendall coefficient of concordance to analyse the data, the results were found to be significant in terms of the level of agreement within each group (P < 0.0005). The results were not found to be significant in terms of the agreement between the groups. The implications of the findings are discussed with respect to the effect of conflicting aims and opinions on the quality of clinical education and students' learning outcomes.

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Characteristics of an ideal practice educator: Perspectives from undergraduate students in diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and radiation therapy
2016, Radiography
Citation Excerpt :
This finding is supported by earlier studies.1,7,18–20 The inclusion of clarity, describes the ability to “answer questions clearly and definitively, summarises teaching points, able to explain difficult topics” as a preferred characteristic also supports findings from earlier studies.9,19 There were slight differences between students in that students older than 30 years considered this more important than younger students.
Practice education is a core component of undergraduate health programs, with the characteristics of the practice educator reported to have an influence on student experience during practical. This study analyses Australian student perceptions from six allied health professional undergraduate programs, to identify the characteristics of the ideal practice educator leading to successful placement experiences.
An existing survey developed for medical students was modified to incorporate both quantitative and qualitative responses. Participants included all students enrolled in six undergraduate health professions in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Newcastle, Australia (n = 1485). Students were invited to complete the survey via hard copy or online.
There was a 54% response rate. The most valued characteristics were non-judgemental, clarity and feedback. The three least valued characteristics were scholarly activity, role model and practices evidence base practice. Students identified the importance of their relationship (respectful, inspirational and supportive) with the practice educator as being fundamental to a productive placement.
The characteristics identified by respondents were common to all six professions, with little differences between gender, year of program or number of placements completed. This study suggests that the attitude of the practice educator towards the student is one of the key factors that underpin the success of practice experience across allied health professions.
Characteristics of an ideal practice educator: Perspectives from practice educators in diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy and physiotherapy and radiation therapy
2016, Radiography
Citation Excerpt :
For this study, the term practice education was selected to describe work-integrated learning embedded into tertiary healthcare programs. Various professionally-based descriptors have been used to define this component of the curricula including fieldwork supervision, clinical education and professional placement.2–7 Practice education was selected for its ability to transcend multiple health disciplines and enable inter-professional comprehensibility.5
Practice education is a compulsory component of health programs with practice educators playing a critical role in the education of students. Practice educator characteristics may positively or negatively affect student learning in practice settings. This study aimed to identify characteristics of the ideal practice educator that lead to successful practical experiences as perceived by current practice educators working in the Australian context of diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine, nutrition and dietetics, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and radiation therapy.
All practice educators (n = 1063) on the University of Newcastle Practice Educator Database were invited to participate in this prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study via online link or paper format.
There was a 52% response rate. The five most valued characteristics were feedback skills, non-judgemental, professionalism, clarity and listening skills. The five least valued characteristics were scholarly activity, respect for students' autonomy, well-prepared, availability and being a role model. Comparisons between disciplines, genders, ages, years in practice and levels of supervisory experience indicated some statistically significant differences, though actual differences were small.
Overall there was a high degree of agreement within and between disciplines on the characteristics of the ideal practice educator. The top five skills could be classed as generic skills and not specific clinical and practice skills, thus formal training and certification schemes may enhance practice educator competence.
Clinical education in the osteopathy program at Victoria University
2014, International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine
Health professionals typically undertake some form of clinical training prior to graduation from a pre-professional education program. This can take place in a variety of settings including hospitals, out-patient clinics and in private healthcare facilities. Whilst there is a substantial body of literature that describes clinical education in areas such as medicine and nursing, there is very little in osteopathy. The purpose of this paper is to present an overview of clinical education in the osteopathy program at Victoria University. It is anticipated this will provide a basis for further discussion and research into an area that has limited coverage in the literature.
Student's perceptions of effective clinical teaching revisited
2007, Nurse Education Today
Despite a wealth of research on clinical teaching, the criteria for determining what constitutes effective clinical teaching remain poorly defined [Cholowski, K., 2002. Nursing students’ and clinical educators’ perceptions of characteristics of effective clinical educators in an Australian university school of nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing 39 (5), 412–420]. This paper reports on two studies exploring second and third year nursing student’s perceptions of effective clinical teaching over 14 years (1989–2003). The aim of the inquiry was to compare student’s perceptions in diploma and baccalaureate programs within existing clinical contexts. This research used a generative approach to elicit learner’s views of what teacher characteristics and contextual influences impact them in clinical settings.
A convenience sample of 30 students at the end of second and third years volunteered to be interviewed in-depth for each study. The first study was conducted in a diploma program, whereas in the second study all but a few students were elected to complete a four year baccalaureate nursing degree.
Findings from both studies are remarkably consistent. Students in both studies rated teacher knowledge as most important followed by feedback and communication skills. Teacher knowledge appeared critical in four areas: as it pertains to the clinical setting, the curriculum, the learner and teaching/learning theory. How well students perceived that they were accepted by staff, student–teacher ratios and peer support also appeared to impact student’s views of effective clinical teaching.
This research has implications for employment and evaluation practices for teachers in applied fields such as nursing. The study raises questions about the recent trend toward temporary employment of clinical teachers and in the separation of academic and clinical roles of nurse educators.
Clinical education: Perceived abilities/qualities of clinical educators and team supervision of students
2003, Physiotherapy
The profession needs to address ways of increasing the provision of clinical education placements in order to satisfy increased demand. To help resolve some of the difficulties in finding extra placements, this study aimed to identify qualities and abilities that clinical educators consider important to possess and to further identify the grade of physiotherapist considered best able to provide these to students. Exploration of this and of a team model of supervision could lead more physiotherapists to become clinical educators.
A survey research method used two questionnaires. An analysis of the results of the first questionnaire informed the design of the second questionnaire.
Clinical educators possess a wide range of abilities and qualities that demonstrate an understanding of teaching and learning. These include the approach and process of teaching and learning and their role in continuing professional development, and also the ability to manage and organise placements and to facilitate students' learning. Physiotherapists of all grades were considered able to demonstrate and use some of these.
Physiotherapists of all grades are thought capable of bringing to student education some of the abilities and qualities of clinical educators. Adopting a team approach to clinical supervision may help address some of the problems in placement availability and management. This could provide opportunities for more clinicians to benefit from the advantages of being clinical educators.
Comparing the importance of clinical competence criteria across specialties: Impact on undergraduate assessment
2001, Physiotherapy
Quality measurement in healthcare and higher education indicates the need for a systematic approach to developing undergraduate clinical competence assessment. Validity and reliability may be undermined by differences in assessors' interpretation of what is important. Differing contexts of undergraduates' clinical experience could result in assessors' ratings of activities being deemed less important, omitted or rendered meaningless. This study investigated the level of agreement across and within five clinical specialties in physiotherapy on the relative importance of 89 activities associated with clinical competence. One-way analysis of variance for each activity revealed 12 items differentially rated (p values = 0.05, 0.01 and 0.001). Kendall's coefficient of concordance demonstrated within-group agreement (p = < 0.000). Factor analysis of items upon which there was maximum agreement across specialties, combined with split half reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha) resulted in eight reliable factors. These included task-specific and generic transferable skills. It was concluded that the factors provided a basis for discussion about clinicians' and academics' contributions to assessment, and a starting point for development of a clinical assessment instrument that could optimise the validity and reliability of clinical assessment decisions.

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RESEARCH REPORTPerceptions of the Ideal Clinical Educator in Physiotherapy Education

Summary

Summary

Nurse Education Today

Physiotherapy

Australian Journal of Physiotherapy

Nurse Education Today

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy

‘Problems with curriculum implementation in in-service clinical education’

Medical Education

‘Project 2000: Clinical practice and continuing education’

Nursing Standard

‘The CSP's policy on degree courses’

Physiotherapy

‘Guidelines for good practice for the education of clinical educators’

Physiotherapy

‘The interpersonal dimension of physiotherapy: Implications for training’

Physiotherapy

‘Effectiveness of the clinical instructor: Students' perspective’

Physical Therapy

‘Preferred styles of clinical teaching: Measuring physician control over students in patient care encounters’

Medical Teacher

‘Changes in students’ perceptions of the professional role’

Physical Therapy

RESEARCH REPORT
Perceptions of the Ideal Clinical Educator in Physiotherapy Education