The Impact of Student-Clinical Instructor Fit and Student-Organization Fit on Physical Therapist Clinical Education Experience Outcomes

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Person-environment fit has been found to predict a wide variety of outcomes in the workplace, including individual performance and satisfaction. In this study of physical therapist (PT) student clinical education experiences, fit refers to how well a student fits with the clinical education site's organizational environment, as well as the fit between student and clinical instructor. This study investigates the relationship between PT student-organization fit and PT student performance and satisfaction outcomes, as well as PT student-clinical instructor fit and PT student performance and satisfaction outcomes. Subjects. Participants included a total of 59 clinical instructor-student dyads as part of a 4-week and an 8-week clinical experience within a professional PT education program. Methods. Students and clinical instructors completed personality and values assessments at the beginning of the clinical experience. Students completed a satisfaction questionnaire and a fit questionnaire at the end of the clinical experience and clinical instructors completed evaluations of student performance at the mid and final points. Consistent with the literature, fit was determined both by studentreported perception of organization fit, as well as by objectively calculating absolute differences between student and clinical instructor personality and values profiles. Results. Student-reported satisfaction with the clinical education experience was related to perceived student-organization fit and demographic similarity between student and clinical instructor. The fit between the student and the clinical instructor was important to understanding both student performance and satisfaction outcomes. Discussion and Conclusion. Implications include the importance of using employee hiring-type strategies to match students to clinical education sites and instructors and ensuring that students have adequate information to select sites that fit their needs and interests.