Linking the Classroom and the Clinic: A Model of Integrated Clinical Education for First-Year Physical Therapist Students

Abstract

Background and Purpose. This article describes an education model in a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) program that collaborates with multiple (15) clinical facilities to provide integrated (part-time) clinical education (ICE) experiences for first-year physical therapist students. Features of this model include: (1) clinical faculty (CF) who partner with core faculty in promoting the learning and professional development of students and (2) a financial arrangement where the academic institution reimburses the clinical site for clinical faculty time. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. Starting the second week of the program, groups of 3 students are instructed by one CF who designs learning activities that precede, coincide, or review on-campus learning. Students practice components of patient/client management; begin to apply basic medical and behavioral science to practice; and deepen their understanding of the breadth and complexities of physical therapy practice. Mechanisms used to link clinic and classroom learning and assess student performance are described. Outcomes. Survey data and feedback on the ICE component of the curriculum reveals multiple themes related to student learning using this model, including establishing context/relevance for learning; increasing motivation for learning; reinforcement of learning; improving recall/review of knowledge; enrichment from peer learning; and preparation for full-time clinical education. Data from CF indicate multiple areas of satisfaction with this model of integrated clinical education, including professional development and growth as clinical educators. Core faculty also reported satisfaction with this model in several arenas. Discussion and Conclusion. Incorporating integrated clinical education experiences into the curriculum is one approach to adding context and relevance to learning for first-year DPT students. Early exposure to a variety of clinical settings may help DPT students to start thinking like physical therapists earlier rather than later in their professional education. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Physical therapist educators are faced with the challenge of preparing new graduates to assume the responsibilities of autonomous practice as called for in Vision 2020, l and also to meet rapidly growing productivity expectations in the workplace. It is imperative that new graduates enter the workplace with well- developed and established performance capabilities to meet these demands. To achieve this goal, physical therapist educators must strive to maximize student learning in the classroom and clinic. Using curricular models and teaching strategies that encourage students to approach their learning in a deep, rather than surface, manner may help students take full advantage of their classroom and clinical learning experiences.2-8 The importance of context and relevance in adult learning has been well documented and supports using mechanisms to help students link their classroom and clinical learning.912 Curricular designs in which didactic learning is not intentionally connected with clinical learning may not be conducive to deep learning processes because students could fail to see the relevance of their learning, making contextual application of that knowledge a challenge. If there is a disconnect between academic and clinical faculty, the problem may be compounded. Regular interaction with patients during clinical education experiences embedded within didactic on -campus courses may help physical therapist students integrate didactic knowledge with clinical application. Early, integrated exposure to clinical practice has been proposed as one aspect of the preferred infrastructure for physical therapist clinical education.13 The purpose of this article is to describe an integrated clinical education (ICE) model in which students have frequent, half- day clinical education experiences that start the second week of their first year and extend through most of the second year of the 3-year curriculum. …