Osteopathic student satisfaction and preparedness to practice: A comparative study

Learning Environment, Preparedness and Satisfaction in Osteopathy in Europe: The PreSS Study

“…Learning environment was assessed using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire and perceived preparedness was assessed using the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) questionnaire, both were rated via 5-point Likert scale (strongly agree = 4, agree = 3, uncertain = 2, disagree = 1, strongly disagree = 0); higher scores equate to better learning environments and levels of preparedness. Both questionnaires were used in a previous study [ 16 ]. The DREEM questionnaire has been used worldwide to assess the learning environment and is a validated and reliable inventory [ 17 , 21 ].…”

“…The 50 items are divided into five subscales: Students' Perception of Learning (SPL), Students' Perception of Teachers (SPT), Students' Academic Self-Perception (SASP), Students' Perception of Atmosphere (SPA) and Students' Social Self-Perception (SSSP). The AAMC consists of 7 statements and was used to assess the perceived preparedness in few other studies [ 12 , 16 ]. The domains represented a wide range of competencies in seven clinical areas, summarised as follows: 1) general clinical skills, 2) basic knowledge of diagnosis and management of common conditions, 3) communication skills, 4) skills for applying clinical decision making and evidence-based medicine to clinical care, 5) basic abilities on managing issues in medicine, 6) professionalism, and 7) basic abilities for patient care.…”

“…Freeth and co-workers (2012) found that although UK osteopathy graduates were safe to practice, they lacked capabilities in business and practice management skills, patient management and interpersonal communication capabilities [ 15 ]. More recently, Luciani and colleagues (2014) found that perceived preparedness was higher in a French osteopathic institution than in one Italian and one British institution; despite this, the overall preparedness scores were positive in all institutions [ 16 ]. Similarly, Vaughan et al (2014) found positive scores among two Australian institutions [ 17 ].…”

“…Evaluating the educational environment is a critical component of academic quality assurance, curriculum development and students' satisfaction [ 13 , 17 ]. Currently, there is a scarcity of studies investigating satisfaction, learning environment and preparedness for practice in the field of osteopathy [ 16 , 17 ]. Importantly, no research has been conducted on a large cohort of European osteopathic academic and professional institutions to investigate students’ satisfaction and level of preparedness to practice.…”

Reassessing the educational environment among undergraduate students in a chiropractic training institution: A study over time

“…This notion has recently been supported, with investigators suggesting that higher overall and subscale DREEM scores could be attributed to smaller class sizes in private institutions. 48 However, scholars have shown that even in small training institutions with a perceivably good educational environment, as measured with the DREEM inventory, subtle but important gender-, ethnic-, and minority-related issues could overshadow the propensity of a scanty educational environment. 49 Furthermore, McKendree 45 proposed that a ''new school'' in which stakeholder enthusiasm pervades the entire institution could partly explain high perceptions of the educational environment.…”