Clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students are perceived as safe and beneficial for students, private practices and universities: a national mixed-methods study

Question: What are the extent and characteristics of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What do university clinical education managers perceive to be the benefits, risks, barriers and enablers of clinical placements in private practice for physiotherapy students? What training and support are available for private practitioners? Design: Mixed methods study combining a national survey and in-depth, semi-structured focus group interviews. Participants: Twenty clinical education managers from Australian universities who had graduating students in entry-level physiotherapy programs in 2017 (95% response rate) responded to the survey with data on 2,000 students. Twelve clinical education managers participated in the focus groups. Results: It was found that 44% of physiotherapy graduates in Australia in 2017 completed a 5-week private practice placement. Private practice placement experiences were perceived to be safe and beneficial for students, private practices and universities. The main risks identified by clinical education managers were related to the quality and consistency of the student's experience on placement and not risks to service or clients. The main perceived barriers were time costs (both practitioner and university clinical education managers) and perceived lost earning capacity. Clinical education managers emphasised that more time and resources to establish and support private practitioners would enable them to reduce risk and overcome barriers to increasing private practice placement capacity and quality. Engaging private practitioners and working collaboratively appear vital for establishing, monitoring and supporting private practice placements. Conclusion: By working collaboratively, universities and private practice physiotherapists can enhance private practice placement capacity and quality

The assessment of physiotherapy practice is a robust measure of entry-level physiotherapy standards : Reliability and validity evidence from a large, representative sample

The Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) is a 20-item assessment instrument used to assess entry-level physiotherapy practice in Australia, New Zealand and other international locations. Initial APP reliability and validity evidence supported a unidimensional or single latent factor as the best representation of entry-level physiotherapy practice performance. However, there remains inconsistency in how the APP is interpreted and operationalised across Australian and New Zealand universities offering entry-level physiotherapy programs. In essence, the presumption that the psychometric integrity of the APP generalises across people, time, and contexts remains largely untested. This multi-site, archival replication study utilised APP assessment data from 8,979 clinical placement assessments, across 19 Australian and New Zealand universities, graduating entry-level physiotherapy students (n=1865) in 2019. Structural representation of APP scores were examined via confirmatory factor analysis and penalised structural equation models. Factor analyses indicated a 2-factor representation, with four items (1–4) for the professional dimension and 16 items (5–20) for the clinical dimension, is the best approximation of entry-level physiotherapy performance. Measurement invariance analyses supported the robustness of this 2-factor representation over time and across diverse practice areas in both penultimate and final years of study. The findings provide strong evidence for the psychometric integrity of the APP, and the 2-factor alternative interpretation and operationalisation is recommended. To meet entry-level standards students should be assessed as competent across both professional and clinical dimensions of physiotherapy practice

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Disrupting Health Professions Education: The Need to Strengthen Educator Skills in Order to Reduce Health Inequities Imposed in Indigenous Peoples

Globally, health inequities persist for Indigenous peoples. Socio-historic-political circumstances, including colonisation, contribute. Health professions courses now mandate Indigenous health curriculum. However, little was known about educator and student interactions with curriculum. This research examined impacts of Indigenous health curriculum on health professional students and the experiences and perspectives of educators. The study revealed problematic centring of non-Indigenous peoples’ and de-centring of Indigenous peoples in curriculum implementation. Current learning and teaching responses provide an insufficient response to health inequity. Development of student and educator skills to mitigate inequity is needed, while decentring non-Indigenous people, and respecting Aboriginal leadership throughout curriculum implementation

Several strategies for clinical partners and universities are perceived to enhance physiotherapy student engagement in non-metropolitan clinical placements:a mixed-methods study

Question: What strategies can clinical partners and universities implement to enhance physiotherapy student engagement in non-metropolitan clinical placements? Design: Mixed-method research design combining focus groups and survey. Participants: First-year physiotherapy students from one university at the commencement of their course (n = 26); third-year and fourth-year students who had completed a non-metropolitan placement (n = 39 survey, n = 25 focus group); and clinical educators from three non-metropolitan clinical sites (n = 15). Intervention: The cohort of first-year physiotherapy students was surveyed to establish their perceptions regarding non-metropolitan clinical education placements. A survey and four focus groups were conducted with third-year and fourth-year students after they had attended non-metropolitan clinical placements, to explore recent experiences. Two focus groups were conducted with clinical educators regarding student engagement at non-metropolitan placements. Quantitative data were summarised with descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, synthesising the perspectives of students and clinical educators. Results: At the commencement of their physiotherapy course, interest in undertaking a non-metropolitan clinical placement was higher for students with a non-metropolitan upbringing. Concerns about attending non-metropolitan sites included finances, change in living situation, and perceived inferior quality of clinical education. After completing a non-metropolitan placement, four themes were identified in an analysis of student and educator perceptions: individual factors, clinical experience, logistical challenges and strategies for success. Conclusion: Strategies that were perceived to enhance student engagement in non-metropolitan placements included: tailoring preparation for students, paired rather than individual placements, and near-peer presentations for physiotherapy students prior to undertaking non-metropolitan placements. Dedicated clinical coordinator positions at non-metropolitan sites and assistance in accessing affordable accommodation are likely to positively influence the student experience. [Francis-Cracknell A, Maver S, Kent F, Edwards E, Iles R (2017) Several strategies for clinical partners and universities are perceived to enhance physiotherapy student engagement in non-metropolitan clinical placements: a mixed-methods study. Journal of Physiotherapy 63: 243–249

Responding to emerging needs:Development of adapted performance indicators for physiotherapy student assessment in telehealth

Clinical placements in 2020 have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic. Ensuring that effective clinical placement opportunities continue during this time remains the priority of the Clinical Education Managers Australia and New Zealand (CEMANZ). Supporting educators to assess student competency when service delivery models are altered to embrace telehealth services, has been integral to achieving this. Telehealth has been widely adopted to maintain services and contact with patients during the pandemic. Physiotherapy clinical educators voiced concern about the applicability of the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool in this emerging learning environment and sought guidance from University Clinical Education Managers. This paper describes representative consensus across Universities regarding use of the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool and the development of adapted APP performance indicators for use in telehealth. Clinical educators can use these adapted performance indicators to guide assessment of student competency for students completing placements in a telehealth setting