What students say to be ready for acute care: Implications for preceptors.

BACKGROUND: Student readiness for clinical education experiences is an important variable for clinical preceptors. Readiness has been reported from the viewpoints of clinicians, academic faculty, clinical preceptors, employers and novice graduate physical therapists. Perspectives from physical and occupational therapy students could better prepare preceptors in the acute care setting. APPROACH: Thematic analysis was conducted following the approach described by Braun and Clarke. The purpose of this study was to describe physical and occupational therapy student perceptions of readiness for full-time acute care clinical education experiences. Twenty-one physical and occupational therapy students in process of completing full-time clinical education experiences at a large academic medical centre were qualitatively interviewed in small groups. A two-stage iterative process of thematic inquiry was used to induce themes about student readiness for full-time acute care clinical experiences. Transcription, coding and thematic analysis were completed. Students also completed a one-time questionnaire with demographic and learner characteristic scales. FINDINGS: Participants were on average 26.4 years old, predominantly female and White, and had completed one full-time clinical education experience prior to participation. Four major thematic categories of student readiness for acute care clinical experiences emerged: (1) mindset and willingness; (2) knowledge and experience; (3) communication and collaboration; and (4) planning and prioritising. IMPLICATIONS: Students report their readiness is facilitated by preceptors who can model flexibility, foster communication that promotes clinical reasoning, implement an orientation to the acute care culture and learning resources and scaffold roles and responsibilities to aid professional authority.

Evaluating Clinical Performance of Student Physical Therapists: A Comparison of Student- and Staff-Managed Patient Outcomes After Hip Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patient outcomes following acute rehabilitation after total hip arthroplasty (THA) of two groups: patients treated by student physical therapists (SPTs) under licensed physical therapist (PT) supervision and by licensed PTs. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-eight patients with rehabilitation managed by supervised SPTs and 78 treated by licensed PTs. Inclusion criteria were admission between 2010 and 2014, first-time THA, age 55 to 70 yrs, and research consent. METHODS: Retrospective cohort review of electronic health records was conducted. The primary outcome measure was Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care (AM-PAC) 6 Clicks Basic Mobility Short Form. OUTCOMES: Patient base¬line and discharge outcomes measured by AM-PAC 6 Clicks were analyzed with mixed-model analysis of covariance. RESULTS: No significant difference was found in AM-PAC score between patient groups, even after differences in body mass index and session number were controlled. AM-PAC mean (SD) scores of SPT-managed cases changed from 14.5 (2.4) at baseline to 18.2 (2.1) at discharge; of PT-managed cases, from 14.4 (2.4) to 18.2 (2.1). Outcomes were realized in fewer SPT-managed sessions than PT-managed sessions; distance ambulated was significantly greater in the PT-managed group. Discharge locations did not differ. CONCLUSION: AM-PAC scores after THA were equal whether patients were treated by supervised SPTs or licensed PTs.