Development of an Innovative Taxonomy and Matrix Through Examination of the Director of Clinical Education's Roles and Responsibilities

Abstract

Background. From the 2014 Clinical Education Summit, recommendations were made to strengthen physical therapist (PT) clinical education (CE). The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) is a key stakeholder in PT CE, and the roles and responsibilities of this position have come under review yet again. An investigation of this primary stakeholder is in alignment with the Summit's strategic plan and needed response to current inquiries. Objectives. To further the work of the study by McCallum et al 6 , the purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the evolution of DCE's roles and responsibilities, with the hypothesis that a new taxonomy would emerge, reflecting a distribution of responsibilities that would guide current and future roles of the DCE. Design. This study used a nonexperimental, descriptive, qualitative approach with a constructivist theoretical framework. Methods: The data set from the study by McCallum et al produced five primary themes. The fifth theme, studied in this report, produced three subthemes—improve efficiencies of systems, optimize clinical teaching, and collaboration with translational research. Watts' Taxonomy, as a foundational, theoretical construct, was the basis for the thematic analysis of these subthemes. Results. The development of an innovative DCE taxonomy with three responsibility levels—Processor, Coordinator, and Director emerged from the analysis of the fifth primary theme. Conclusions. Using the DCE taxonomy, DCE's roles and responsibilities matrix illustrates the importance of fitting tasks to the corresponding DCE's role and responsibility. The matrix shows how delegation of routine DCE tasks can promote the DCE's ability to engage in tasks higher in the taxonomy. This can lead to effective delivery of CE and DCE's engagement in strategic leadership in guiding the future direction of the CE aspect of the PT program.

Impact of Task-Fit Misalignment and the Director of Clinical Education: A Grounded Theory Study

“…As the PT profession evolves and focuses on excellence, it is vital that academic programs begin to explore the impact of faculty work beyond the student lens. 2 A DCE's ability to work at the highest level of director-level task 11 may take some job crafting; 23 however, the better an organization can provide support for DCE work, the better the fit between the organization and the individual. As Watts so eloquently noted over 50 years ago, “the outstanding feature of a system of shared responsibility such as the one proposed here is the very high degree of interdependency it involves.” 1(p24) We've connected the person, the program, and the profession to the complex tasks associated with the DCE position.…”

“…e DCE Matrix, on the other hand, illustrates the potential line of best task-fit because it relates to the alignment of professional skills and DCE position characteristics. 11,19 e DCE Matrix also highlights 2 extremes of misalignment and nonoptimal task-fit 11,19 (Figure 1). e business literature seems to indicate organizations and individuals are more substantially concerned with person-job misfit rather than good fit in job choice decisions, thus the central focus within the DCE Matrix.…”

“…Job design focuses on the tasks or activities that employees complete for their organizations, 10 whereas task-fit relates to the level the tasks of a particular job align with the appropriately trained person to have a more efficient process. 11 In other words, design focuses on the work, and task-fit focuses on the alignment. Person-job fit (PJF) is a business and psychology theory that conceptualizes job design and task-fit alignment that can be applied within physical therapy education.…”

A Model of Practices of Exemplary Clinical Education Leaders

“…12 A contemporary conceptual framework has been presented by McCullum et al that describes how the roles and responsibilities of the DCE encompass skills outside of traditional faculty roles. 7,13 While this framework provides an understanding of the DCE's expectations, it does not provide insight into the attributes required for one to be successful in this complex position. 7,13 Knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the DCE and SCCE is important; however, this knowledge differs from understanding the individual factors, qualities, characteristics needed for longevity and success in these positions.…”

Student mental health and clinical education: exploring the DCE experience

“…18 The DCE's role itself has undergone examination over the years, at times being questioned on its value and place within the academy. 13,14,19 Recently, Engelhard et al (2018) 20 have offered a conceptual framework of the DCE's role, describing a taxonomy of three responsibilities: processor, coordinator, and director. The efforts to describe and define the DCE's role have been valuable in emphasizing the importance this position serves in physical therapy education.…”