Physiotherapy Students’ Performance in Clinical Education: An Analysis of 1 Year of Canadian Cross-Sectional Data

Purpose: This research examines 1 year of cross-sectional, Canada-wide ratings from clinical instructors using the Canadian Physiotherapy Assessment of Clinical Performance (ACP) and analyzes the performance profiles of physiotherapy students’ performance ratings over the course of their entry-to-practice clinical placements. Method: Canadian physiotherapy programmes that use the ACP were invited to submit anonymized, cross-sectional data for placements completed during 2018. Descriptive analyses and summary statistics were completed. Mixed-effects modelling was used to create typical performance profiles for each evaluation criterion in the ACP. Stepwise ordered logistic regression was also completed. Results: Ten programmes contributed data on 3,290 placements. Profiles were generated for each ACP evaluative item by means of mixed-effects modelling; three profiles are presented. In all cases, the predicted typical performance by the end of 24 months of study was approximately the rating corresponding to entry level. Subtle differences among profiles were identified, including the rate at which a student may be predicted to receive a rating of “entry level.” Conclusions: This analysis identified that, in 2018, the majority of Canadian physiotherapy students were successful on clinical placements and typically achieved a rating of “entry level” on ACP items at the end of 24 months.

Midwifery students better approximate their self-efficacy in clinical lactation after reflecting in and on their performance in the LactSim OSCE

Background Midwives are expected to support women with lactation initiation and maintenance. Midwifery students engaged in a simulation-based exercise (LactSim OSCE) where they role-played the clinician and the breastfeeding patient by wearing a high-fidelity breast model. We provided participants opportunities for reflecting in and on practice to compare their perceived self-confidence in clinical lactation skills to actual clinical performance. We also describe feasibility of implementing the LactSim OSCE with an emphasis on preparation and time spent on tasks during the OSCE. Methods Audio-video recordings from the LactSim OSCE were viewed and assessed using a technical skills checklist by an independent rater and by the study participants as part of the self-reflection. Mixed data on participants’ self-efficacy in clinical lactation, experience with the LactSim OSCE, and self-assessment of clinical performance were collected in survey instruments and a focus group. Time spent on each component and clinical lactation skill during the LactSim OSCE was documented. Results Immediately following the LactSim OSCE, participants’ confidence in clinical lactation was high (5.7/7), but after a guided video reflection exercise, their self-efficacy was 4.4/7. Participants spent approximately 2 of the allotted 10 min per case scenario discussing the OSCE logistics due to inadequate preparation. Participants spent approximately 2 min of the total encounter performing hands-on clinical lactation skills by touching, looking at, or using the high-fidelity breast model worn by their peer. Conclusion We described the development and evaluation of the first simulated experience in clinical lactation with all three components of fidelity: conceptual, psychological, and physical. Multiple opportunities for reflecting on performance allowed the nurse-midwifery students to evaluate their competence in decision-making, technical, and counseling skills which resulted in a more realistic approximation of their perceived self-confidence in breastfeeding skills. Another innovation of this pilot work is the documentation of how long a learner spends on various tasks relevant to lactation support in a simulated encounter. Our findings highlight the importance of providing multiple opportunities for self-reflection using guided video reflection and checklists for objective self-assessment in the clinical lactation field.

Relationship Between Academic Performance and Student Self-Assessment of Clinical Performance in the College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

Background: Student self-assessment is viewed as an important tool in medical education. We sought to identify the relationship between student academic performance and third-year clinical performance self-assessment. No such study exists in podiatric medical education. Methods: Third-year podiatric medical students from the classes of 2012 through 2014 completed a self-assessment of their performance for each of five broad clinical podiatric medical domains (Professionalism, Medicine, Radiology, Surgery, and Biomechanics/Orthopedics). The assessment was completed after students finished the first 12 weeks of their third-year clinical rotations (PRE) and a second time at the conclusion of the third year (POST). The mean self-assessment score for PRE and POST surveys for all combined domains was determined for each student. This mean was compared with the student's 3-year cumulative grade point average (GPA). Students' clinical experiences for the year were essentially identical. Results: No statistically significant correlation was identified between cumulative GPA and the PRE and POST clinical self-assessments or with the change between PRE and POST assessments based on the Pearson correlation test for each class separately or on the pooled data. Conclusions: Published studies in allopathic medical education have shown that students with lower GPAs tend to rate their clinical performance higher in initial clinical performance self-assessment. Our results show that student academic performance was not correlated with clinical performance self-assessment. These findings may be due to the explicit description of successful clinical competency completion, the orientation students receive before the start of clinical training, and the continuous feedback received from clinical preceptors.