Past experiences of the clinical instructor and current attitudes toward evaluation of students

The purpose of this study was to determine whether clinical instructors' past experiences as radiation therapy students impact how they currently evaluate students in the clinical setting. Two survey instruments were mailed to a random sample of 400 credentialed radiation therapists. The first of these questionnaires sought information on past experiences as a student, and the second assessed current attitudes toward clinical evaluation. There were 167 respondents, 85 of who were employed in settings involving the education of student radiation therapists. Among these clinical instructors, statistically significant correlations were found to exist between the two survey instruments that suggest respondents who believe they had positive experiences as radiation therapy students in the clinical setting are more likely to exhibit positive attitudes toward the clinical evaluation of their current students.