CLINICAL EDUCATION PLACEMENTS

The purpose of this study was to describe the collaborative model's utilization, effectiveness, and effect on ease of student placement. Surveys were sent to academic coordinators of clinical education at all 130 physical therapy programs in the United States. Four of these surveys were sent as a pilot study. Of 126 surveys sent, 114 were received for a 90 % return rate. Frequencies of responses were calculated. 75 % of respondents report using the collaborative model. Of those who use the model, 95 % reported that it met their objectives for clinical education, and 93 % reported decrease (24%) or no change (69%) in difficulty of placing students when using the collaborative model. In conclusion, the collaborative model is a viable model for clinical education that allows more students to be placed at each site without increasing the difficulty of placing them. Education of clinical site staff is vital to the success of the model. ACKNOWLEDGMENT