Clinical education across the physical therapy professional continuum

Abstract

The Journal of Clinical Education in Physical Therapy (JCEPT) is a peer-reviewed open-access journal that aims to develop and disseminate quality evidence related to clinical education in physical therapy. Over the first 3 years of publishing, the number of article downloads has increased quickly with 2021 downloads more than tripling the previous year. Two articles were downloaded over 200 times in just the last year. This year, JCEPT has been indexed by the Directory of Open Access Journals, and we are on track to meet our goal of PubMed Central indexing within our first 5 years. COVID-19 continues to affect society and education. In this volume, two papers explore the impact of changes imposed on physical therapy education by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many programs had to make changes to their clinical education routines due to COVID-19 restrictions and sudden limitations in clinical placements. One article explored the effect of fewer preparatory integrated clinical experiences on interpersonal communication skills and confidence in the acute care setting. Another explored the financial impact of COVID-19 on doctor of physical therapy students. JCEPT publishes scholarly work related to physical therapy education affecting any aspect of clinical practice at all levels of the professional continuum.1 The 2022 JCEPT volume, for instance, includes a model of physical therapist assistant learning in an intra-professional pro bono clinical environment with entry-level physical therapy students. For physical therapist education, articles address readiness for telehealth, the effect of integrated clinical experiences on interpersonal communication, decision making, and clinical reasoning. Post-professional topics include developing residents’ clinical reasoning and clinical instructors’ mentoring skills. Physical therapy as a profession requires a commitment to lifelong learning to ensure the profession evolves to best serve the public purpose.2 Lifelong learning is sometimes thought of as simply individual clinicians continually gaining additional knowledge and skill. Moving the profession forward, however, demands more structure.2 A more detailed formulation of lifelong learning includes activities that demonstrate the voluntary participation in professional activities that expand learning and the pursuit of opportunities to develop professionally.3 Examples within this volume include the pro bono clinics, residency training, and clinical instructors participating in simulated learning experiences within the didactic portion of physical therapy training. Advanced degrees and continuing education are also parts of the continuum for future volumes to explore.4 As the journal continues to grow, we expect to publish more papers on topics important to physical therapy clinical education in various forms. JCEPT accepts manuscript types such as original research, narrative and systematic reviews, innovative teaching methods or educational models, clinical education or clinical case reports, and critically appraised topics. Christopher Kevin Wong and Jean Fitzpatrick TimmerbergEditors in Chief