Intradisciplinary Clinical Education for Physiotherapists and Physiotherapist Assistants: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This study investigated the perceived impact of a paired 5-week clinical placement on physiotherapy (PT) and physiotherapist assistant (PTA) students' skills. Students were supervised by a PT clinical instructor (CI), and a collaborative peer-coaching model was used. Three pairs of PT and PTA students participated in concurrent paired placements incorporating the concepts of reciprocal peer coaching and the 2:1 model of supervision. Qualitative data were gathered using pre- and post-placement interviews and the participants' journals. The participants reported that using this clinical education model increased their self-directed learning. This outcome was anticipated by the researchers with the incorporation of the 2:1 model of supervision. The post-placement interviews also indicated that there was informal teaching among students, as expected from the integration of reciprocal peer coaching. Participants reported an improvement in the students' competencies in communication, consultation, and assignment of tasks within the physiotherapy team. The students further reported an increase in their confidence with regard to their respective roles and an improvement in their ability to work effectively within the physiotherapy team. As indicated by the comments and reviews of the participants, pairing PT and PTA students on clinical placements and incorporating a collaborative peer-coaching model can result in improvements in the students' skills in communication, consultation, and assignment of tasks.