Professional Practice Opportunities: Preparing Students to Care for an Aging Population

Abstract

Background and Purpose. In the United States, a large proportion of older adults will require services to address their health care needs. Physical therapy students’ early exposure to working with this population is important; however, the current clinical climate and full curricula can make these experiences challenging to arrange. In an attempt to address this challenge, we have developed a novel clinical education offering, the professional practice opportunity (PPO). The intent of PPOs is for students to gain exposure, insight, and experience in order to develop a set of common practice skills necessary to work with older adults. The purpose of the paper is to present a method/model describing our professional physical therapist education program’s use of PPOs to supplement integrated clinical education. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. Needs assessment of the curriculum and relevant program stakeholders was performed. The PPOs were implemented in integrated clinical education courses that complemented direct patient care experiences. The students submitted a reflective portfolio at the end of the semester. Students accounted for time spent, linked project activities to curricular threads, and discussed application to future practice. Outcomes. PPOs for 1 academic year included 58 students, 2,320 hours of PPO time, and 40 mentors; 52 PPOs specifically addressed needs of older adult clients. The most frequently performed activities were interactive clinical observations, education, and research. Feedback from reflective portfolios and course evaluations demonstrated a positive impact on students’ attitudes, value, and enthusiasm for these professional activities. Mentor feedback was extremely positive and is most likely attributed to the fact that PPOs were stakeholder-centered and matched for student interest and skills. Discussion and Conclusion. Though patient exposure is paramount in early clinical courses, other objectives include professional socialization and developing the skills to work with individuals of all ages—which can be achieved through exposure to a variety of patients and practice settings. PPOs were a useful tool to meet these goals, in addition to supporting other program stakeholder interests.