Utilizing a Curriculum Development Process to Design and Implement a New Integrated Clinical Education Experience

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Intentional curriculum development processes have been described in the literature but application of such processes has not been described specific to the clinical education (CE) component of a doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curriculum. The article describes one DPT program's application of David Kern's Six-Step curriculum development approach to the creation of a unique integrated clinical education (ICE) curriculum. The development of the ICE curriculum, a component of a larger curriculum revision of the DPT program, began in 2010. The details of Kern's steps are provided and their application to the development of the new ICE curriculum is described. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. The DPT program used Kern's 6 steps, beginning with a general and targeted needs assessment (Steps 1 and 2). The DPT program collaborated with clinical faculty in these early steps to gather information and feedback. The program consulted with a strategic planning committee and reviewed student and clinical instructor (CI) feedback on the existing ICE experience in the prerevision curriculum. The DPT program also reviewed the literature and consulted with another DPT program during this phase. The needs assessment resulted in the basic structure and design of the new ICE, employing innovative characteristics, such as use of the collaborative model, reimbursement to clinical sites, and early placement in the clinic with a focus on hands-on experience. The DPT program continued with the development process by creating goals and objectives for the ICE (Step 3), followed by educational methods (Step 4) to meet these objectives. The program planned for implementation (Step 5) and evaluation (Step 6) of the new ICE curriculum by following Kern's recommendations to continue to collaborate with key stakeholders in these final steps of curriculum development. Outcomes. The result of this process was the new ICE curriculum implemented in 2014 with 17 clinical sites and 24 CIs participating. Survey data and feedback revealed that students believed ICE was essential to their learning and the collaborative model enhanced overall learning. CIs indicated feeling adequately prepared for the unique experience and described feeling more connected to the DPT program as a result of participation in ICE. Discussion and Conclusion. This curriculum development process highlighted the importance of a strong academic-clinical partnership in the creation of a unique ICE model. Utilization of a systematic approach to development of an ICE curriculum can support DPT programs in meeting the recent call for innovation and partnership in CE. Kern's approach engages key stakeholders—in this case academic and clinical faculty—throughout the development process, which ultimately leads to increased intentionality and quality of the ICE curriculum.