What makes an excellent clinical placement? The physiotherapy practice educators' perspective

Relevance: In Ireland, to be accepted as a member of the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists, students must successfully complete 1000 hours of supervised clinical work in conjunction with an academic programme. As well as the necessity for quality assurance in the University setting, there is also a need for this to be replicated in the clinical environment to provide an optimum learning experience for the student and the practice educator. A paucity of literature surrounds the topic of optimum facilitation of clinical placement in physiotherapy. Significant emphasis, and therefore research interest, has focused on the practice educator's role being fundamental to an excellent clinical placement, with little documented evidence that this is the case. Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify components of the clinical placement experience that contributed to an excellent learning opportunity for all involved. This report focuses on the practice educators’perspective. Description: A qualitative research methodology was employed. Three focus groups were conducted where practice educators were invited to discuss their thoughts on what elements contributed to an excellent placement experience. Sessions were audio-taped, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis to determine the significant themes that emerged from the data. Results: Themes that emerged related to clinical site preparation, motivational factors for students and practice educators, supervision strategies and departmental organizational issues. Implications: Although practice educators have a significant influence on the facilitation of an excellent placement, other departmental issues may need to be considered when accepting students in order to provide an optimum learning experience.