Essential Evaluation and Assessment Functions as Identified by Clinical Instructors

Purpose: To determine which evaluation and assessment functions clinical instructors identify as definitely essential for a senior physical therapy student to be capable of completing at the end of all classroom study before entering into his or her final senior intern rotation. Subjects: 66 affiliated clinical faculty members of Nova Southeastern University College of Allied Health Physical Therapy Program who served as clinical instructors for the senior clinical rotation during 1997. Methodology: Permission to use and modify instrument utilized in Ingram\u27s study Opinions of Physical Therapy Education Program Directors on Essential Functions was obtained. Instrument was then mailed to 146 subjects who were asked to identify functions as definitely essential, somewhat essential, somewhat essential and not essential. Respondents were also asked to identify the prioritized ranking of definitely essential functions. Analysis of frequencies, Spearman\u27s Correlation Coefficient and cross tabulations were utilized. Results: Range of consensus for functions identified as definitely essential was 29% to 99%. The ability to safely, reliably and efficiently perform appropriate physical therapy procedures used to assess the function of the movement system was identified by 55% of the respondents as more important than any other function. Conclusion: Clinical instructors identified functions similarly to program directors. Methods need to be developed which will incorporate feedback from clinical instructors\u27 into the didactic component of physical therapy education