Usefulness of a Student Self-Assessment Check List to Aid Clinical Instructors in Development of On-Site Clinical Education Experiences
Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine if a student self-assessment check list is beneficial to clinical instructors of physical therapy in tailoring students’ needs during the first two weeks of a student’s clinical experience.Methods/Description: A self-assessment check list was developed for students to rate their exposure and competency in physical therapy examination, evaluation, diagnosis and prognosis skills. Upon agreeing to participate, clinical instructors received a completed self-assessment check list from the student. Clinical instructors were to utilize this information to help guide clinical teaching in the first two weeks of the clinical education experience. After two weeks, clinical instructors and students completed a survey regarding the usefulness of the tool. Measures of central tendency and relative frequencies of responses were computed. These metrics were utilized to evaluate usefulness of the self-assessment check list.Results/Outcomes: A total of 4 clinical instructors and 9 students completed the survey. Median data of survey questions rated on a 4-point scale from 1 – 4 (do not agree to completely agree) revealed a range of 2.5 – 3 out of 4 for clinical instructors and 3 out of 4 for students for all questions. Students and clinical instructors with 1-3 years of experience consistently reported the tool was useful; however, clinical instructors with 20+ years of experience indicated the tool may not have been as useful.Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme: Our Leadership Landscape: Perspectives from the Ground Level to 30,000 Feet: This research suggests that students and clinical instructors with fewer years of clinical experience felt the student self-assessment check list was useful in tailoring clinical experiences for learning physical therapy skills in relation to examination, evaluation, diagnosis and prognosis. Often times, clinical instructors are provided a list of classes and basic skills students have been exposed to during their didactic work. This list of didactic work is helpful for clinical instructors to know what clinical skills students have experienced to help guide skill development in the clinic. The student self-assessment check list provides a new approach to informing clinical instructors of student-specific information. By providing student-specific information on confidence and exposure, clinical instructors may have a better understanding of current capabilities and learning needs of the student. Therefore, the new tool may be more beneficial in tailoring clinical education experiences to guide skill acquisition and confidence development along the continuum of beginner to entry-level performance. Furthermore, the tool may be useful in encouraging both students and clinical instructors to think critically on how to address skill development during clinical experiences.References: 1. Guide to Physical Therapist Practice 3.0. Alexandria, VA: American Physical Therapy Association; 2014. Available at: http://guidetoptpractice.apta.org/. Accessed [1/1/2015]. 2. Delany C and Bragge P. A study of physiotherapy students’’ and clinical educators’ perceptions of learning and teaching. Med Teach. 2009;31:e402-e411. 3. Lucinda C, Buttrum P, Dunwoodie R, Hill A, Mandruisk A, Moran M. Characteristics of student preparedness for clinical learning: clinical educator perspectives using the Delphi approach. BMC Med Edu. 2012;12:112-121. 4. Gordon M. A review of the validity and accuracy of self-assessment in health professions training. Acad Med. 1991;66:762-769. 5. Ernstzen D, Bitzer E, Grimmer-Somers K. Physiotherapy students’ and clinical teachers’ perceptions of clinical learning opportunities: a case study. Med Teach. 2009;31:e102-115.