Experiential Learning Enhances Physical Therapist Student Confidence in Management of Neurologically Involved Adults and Children

Abstract

Introduction. Clinical experiences are an integral part of professional physical therapist (PT) education programs. Hands-on engagement helps foster the critical thinking skills necessary to successfully navigate the complexity of clinical practice during a PT student's final clinical internships. As PT students advance through an entry-level professional program, their clinical decision-making skills improve; however, they lack self-confidence in working with both adult and pediatric patients presenting with neurological impairments. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of experiential learning using community volunteers (both adults and children) with activity and participation restrictions as a result of neurological insult or developmental delay on PT student perceived self-confidence. Methods. A convenience sample of 128 students currently enrolled in a PT education program were recruited. A pretest–posttest survey assessed the students' self-perceived confidence in the evaluation and treatment of a neurologically involved individual across the lifespan. The students completed 4 weeks of experiential learning with one adult and one pediatric community volunteer with a neurological condition in small groups. The four sessions included an initial evaluation, two treatment sessions and one discharge reassessment. An exploratory factor analysis was completed to validate the tool and to determine the factors that make up the survey. Qualitative data (open-ended questions) were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Results. On average, students reported more self-perceived confidence in the posttest survey than in the pretest survey. This difference was significant t(127) = −13.841, P < .001. Conclusion. Students expressed that more exposure and increased time spent with neurologically involved adults and children could improve their confidence. This study supports the use of experiential learning in PT education programs.

The Effects of Experiential Learning on Perceived Clinical Reasoning and Self-efficacy of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

“…e results of this study, in agreement with previously published research, provide favorable data to support the inclusion of EL in DPT curricula to improve students' perceptions of their clinical reasoning and self-efficacy. [4][5][6][7][8][9]21 Our findings are consistent with previous research that identified EL as an educational approach that resulted in increases in clinical reasoning of allied health students. 8,9,21 e significant difference in the change scores for the SACRR between dose groups suggests that a higher dosage of pediatric EL during the DPT curriculum could have a greater impact on students' development of clinical reasoning.…”

“…Our findings are consistent with previous research that identified EL as an educational approach that resulted in increases in clinical reasoning of allied health students. 8,9,21 The significant difference in the change scores for the SACRR between dose groups suggests that a higher dosage of pediatric EL during the DPT curriculum could have a greater impact on students’ development of clinical reasoning. One potentially valuable element that was not available to the low EL group in the current study was the experiential feedback from the clinic therapist and the patient provided to the high EL groups when they returned to the clinic the following week to implement the planned treatment ideas and discuss goals.…”

“…20 Collectively, the results of these studies indicate that pediatric EL, including ICE, provides students with structured learning opportunities that may lead to meaningful gains in multiple areas, including psychomotor skills, self-confidence, communication, and clinical reasoning. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Schreiber et al 1 described exemplar programs to include a mean of 11.83 6 4.4 hours of EL with child contact as a component of their pediatrics courses. Flowers et al 21 defined high-dose EL to be at least 15 hours based on the exemplar description.…”

“…8 At the end of the 4 weeks, students had a statistically significant increase in self-perceived confidence related to the assessment and treatment of individuals with neurological diagnoses, based on results of a researcher-designed perceived self-confidence survey. 8 An additional study examined the impact of a pediatric ICE model on the ability of DPT students to reflect on aspects of family-centered care. 6 The ICE model included a total of 8 weeks of early clinical education in which small teams of students partnered with a pediatric clinical instructor.…”

Programa modelo de educación experiencial orientado al desarrollo de personalidad resistente en estudiantes de atención prehospitalaria

“…Se observa que en la investigación de Dewi se utilizó una sola sesión y mostró eficacia parcial, y la de Marshall,4 sesiones y mostró eficacia. Al revisar la literatura relacionada, se encuentra que cuatro sesiones de educación experiencial han mostrado ser eficaces para generar cambios en variables psicológicas, por ejemplo: (Siami-Namin, Flores, Tavakoli, Siami-Namin, & Jones, 2021;Bianco, y otros, 2019;Peterson-Ahmad, 2018;Alvarez & Jobst-Hendrik, 2018;Barta, Flores, & Edwards, 2018).…”