Physical Therapist Education Programsʼ Performance Expectations of Students on Clinical Experiences

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Physical therapist (PT) education programs often establish rubrics to outline expectations on the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT CPI). The purposes of this study were to determine if directors of clinical education/academic coordinators of clinical education (DCEs/ACCEs) establish minimum expectations on the PT CPI, if student was expected to increase from the initial to culminating clinical experience (CE), and whether Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs expected different levels of student performance. Subjects. Representative DCEs/ACCEs of the nation's PT education programs. Methods. DCEs/ACCEs completed a survey describing how they establish and utilize minimum student expectations using the PT CPI. Descriptive statistics were used to identify frequencies, means, and standard deviations for the data. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to determine differences in academic programs' expectations from initial to culminating CEs and between MPT and DPT programs. Results. A total of 103 (88.79%) of 116 DCEs/ACCEs reported that they use the PT CPI, and 84 (81.55%) reported that they establish rubrics to define minimum expectations. Range of rubric means for the initial CEs on criteria 1-24 was 41.73 mm-80.94 mm, and 89.42 mm-96.63 mm for the culminating CEs. MANOVA indicated that scores for culminating CEs were significantly greater than those for initial CEs. MANOVA did not indicate any significant differences between MPT and DPT programs' rubric means for criteria 1-24 for initial or culminating CEs. Discussion and Conclusions. The majority of surveyed schools utilized the PT CPI to define acceptable ratings on the PT CPI. PT education programs expect student ratings on the PT CPI to increase from the initial to the culminating CEs; however, the majority of programs do not require students to demonstrate entry-level clinical performance on all criteria. There were no significant differences in the expectations of MPT programs compared to those of DPT programs. Key Words: Clinical Performance Instrument, Entry-level clinical performance, Clinical experience. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA's) Vision 2020' statement specifies that, by the year 2020, physical therapy will become a doctoring profession and physical therapists (PTs) will have direct access to patient care. Historically, the profession of physical therapy developed in response to health crises promulgated by wars, epidemics, advancements in medical technology, changes in demographics, and social and political movements. As the demands for physical therapy services expanded, the profession responded by increasing the qualifications and educational standards required to practice physical therapy.2,3 Currently, the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice describes the practice of PTs to include responsibilities beyond traditional services to individuals with impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities. The Guide states that PTs also address patient risk factors and behaviors, provide prevention services, promote health, wellness, and fitness, and act as consultants, educators, and administrators in settings ranging from clinical practice to research and education.4 In response to this change in practice and the development of Vision 2020, the Commission on the Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) has recognized, in its publication, Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation of Education Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapists,5 that PT education programs preparing PT students at the doctorate level have increased didactic content related to diagnostic imaging, differential diagnosis, screening, health promotion and wellness, and management. …