Making Integrated Clinical Education Work – It’s All about Consistency, Connections and Collaboration
Purpose:
An innovative model for integrated clinical education (ICE) was developed in conjunction with a DPT curriculum redesign. The aim was to facilitate concurrent application of classroom learning in a clinical setting using a collaborative clinical education model utilizing clinical faculty present in both academic and clinical settings.
Methods/Description:
Beginning in their fifth semester students are engaged in four modular case-based courses focusing on the patient/client management of individuals with neurological diagnoses that include a concurrent ICE. The classroom portion of the courses are delivered in a flipped classroom style utilizing a variety of active learning pedagogy. The ICE is comprised of 2 components: 4 sessions in pairs in an on-site pro bono outpatient center and 2 sessions in small groups at a local inpatient rehabilitation hospital clinical partner site with objectives relating directly back to classroom learning material. Clinical faculty serving as lab instructors also serve as clinical instructors (CI) in the ICE.
During the center component, student pairs are able to practice all aspects of client management with a consistent caseload and CI during four consecutive sessions. Students receive feedback from CIs, peer partners and clients. This center provides pro bono services for clients without insurance or whose benefits have been exhausted.
During the acute rehabilitation component, students participate in a group clinical experience on two evenings. Students are in groups of 4-6 with one CI who guides them through a patient examination during their 1st visit and an intervention session with a different patient during the 2nd visit.
Student performance is evaluated in each component of the ICE and students are provided with this feedback in various ways. During the pro bono center component, CIs provide in the moment verbal feedback and debrief following each session. Written feedback on student documentation is provided for each client. Each student receives summative feedback from their CI and completes a self-assessment electronically. During the inpatient rehab component, students receive verbal feedback as a group and summative written performance group feedback is provided to the program. Students complete an evaluation of the ICE electronically.
Items related to integration of classroom learning concepts to clinical care and benefits of peer collaboration were analyzed when evaluating the learning experience.
Results/Outcomes:
Both students and CIs found these collaborative experiences beneficial in integrating and applying didactic content to clinical situations. Evaluation of each component of the ICE was completed by each student. Means scores > 4.58 in a 5-point Likert Type Scale related to collaboratively working with peers, advancing learning, and ability to integrate classroom knowledge into clinical experiences suggest the value of the experience for student learning. Feedback from CIs related to student’s ability to apply didactic knowledge was also positive.
Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme:
This model for an Integrated Clinical Experience has been found to be successful from both the student and CI perspectives. Students demonstrate translation of didactic knowledge to true clinical situations. Optimal student learning was achieved by having clinical faculty who were able to provide consistent feedback to students in both the ICE and the classroom.