Examining Consistency of Professional Behavior Ratings during Physical Therapist Student Clinical Simulation Experiences
Purpose/Hypothesis: The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the consistency of professional behavior ratings by comparing physical therapist (PT) student, academic faculty, and standardized patient (SP) assessments.
Number of Subjects: 55
Materials and Methods: Professional behavior was rated using the Modified Standardized Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSPSQ) which is adapted from medical student research and contains 14 individual scored items. Physical therapist students who were enrolled in a musculoskeletal Doctor of Physical Therapy course were videotaped while performing a simulated patient interview and examination. The students were randomly assigned to complete 1 of 5 orthopedic case scenarios and matched with a SP. After the simulated experience, the students self-rated their performance, were reviewed by the SP, and were rated by faculty members using the MSPSQ. Rater MSPSQ data was collected for 24 students, 24 SPs, and 7 academic faculty members. Medians and interquartile ranges were calculated for all individual items on the MSPSQ. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallace was performed on each individual item of the MSPSQ between raters with subsequent Mann-Whitney U for relevant items.
Results: In 6 of the 14 individual items of the MSPSQ, there were no significant differences between any rater. There were significant differences in the remaining 8 items of the MSPSQ. With further analysis, there were no significant differences between faculty and SP raters on 11 of the 14 MSPSQ items, between student and SP raters on 7 of 14 items, and between 10 of 14 items between students and faculty raters. Generalizability may be limited by a sample of convenience.
Conclusions: This research suggests that SPs and students can consistently assess PT student professional behavior using a standardized rubric with similar scores to academic faculty. This may be an advantage allowing faculty members to concentrate their educational efforts on clinical competencies of students during simulated experiences.
Clinical Relevance: N/A