Use of the Rasch Model in the Development of a Clinical Competence Scale

Abstract

This article illustrates the use of the Rasch model in the development and implementation of a student clinical competence scale. The short instrument described was used by the academic coordinator of clinical education to assess the clinical competence of 47 physical therapy students. The Rasch analysis converted scores from an ordinal scale to student scores on an interval scale. It also provided us with a ranking of item difficulties on an interval scale. The items, ranked from easiest to hardest, were as follows: exhibits professionalism, exhibits effective communication skills, performs effective treatment skills, performs safe treatment skills, can problem-solve, and works from an adequate knowledge base. More research is needed on this scale to ascertain whether the item difficulties remain constant across time, academic settings, and raters. If this can be demonstrated, then students can be compared from one year to the next and across educational programs.