Physical Therapy Clinical Educatorsʼ Perspectives on Students Achieving Entry-Level Clinical Performance

Abstract

Background and Purpose. The move to a doctorate in physical therapy education has led to changes in the expectations for entry-level student performance. Members of the Iowa Clinical Education Consortium were interested in how clinical educators in their region would respond to this change in expectations. The purpose of this study was to explore the range of opinions among clinical educators regarding the educational implications of an enhanced definition of entry-level physical therapist performance. Participants. Thirty-four clinicians from the Midwest were invited to participate in regional focus groups. Methods. Each focus group was asked the same 3 questions considering a proposed entry-level definition: what ideal clinical education would look like; what obstacles would need to be overcome; and what support would be needed to achieve ideal clinical education based on the definition. Results. A multi-step process of thematic analysis was used to determine the core themes identified by the participants. These themes related to various academic and administrative issues that need to be addressed to implement the proposed definition in the clinical setting. These issues were diverse in nature and varied across and within practice settings. Discussion and Conclusion. This research contributes to the literature by identifying key concepts and concerns of clinical instructors in relation to implementation of the proposed definition of entry-level performance. This research provides a foundation for further exploration of this issue in terms of clinical educators' expectations of what would be necessary to implement the new definition and the potential impact on their current practices.