Philippine E-Journals

Appraisal of Clinic Eductaion Supervision Models for Physical Therapy Students

Cheryll Didi Nellie N. Obra

Discipline: Education

 

Abstract:

There is little investigation of the clinical education models being utilized in the affiliation centers in the Philippines. As such, there is a need to appraise the models used and to identify which models are better in providing effective clinical education for undergraduate students. Thus, the study conducted an evaluation of the clinical supervision models used in physical therapy internship in the country. Using a descriptive approach, qualitative data were gathered through focus groups with ten interns randomly sampled from two universities. Individual interviews were conducted among four clinical instructors and two internship coordinators who were purposively selected as key informants. Moreover, a survey was done among interns, clinical instructors, and internship coordinators were purposively selected. A questionnaire and interview guide designed specifically for this study were content validated by technical experts and pre-tested to a sample of clinicians, academicians, and students. The focus groups and interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Analysis revealed that four clinical education models based on clinician-to-intern ratio are being practiced in the four selected affiliation centers. The identified advantages and disadvantages are generally consistent with literature as to the strengths and weaknesses of each supervision model. Moreover, there are challenges noted in the implementation of each model. Hence, stakeholders should address these challenges so as to maximize the clinical learning experiences of the interns, lessen the clinical and teaching workload of the clinical instructors, and increase the productivity of the clinical sites.