Validation of the clinical internship evaluation tool.

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Clinical Assessment Tools
• Healthcare Professional Training

Background:

• Current physical therapist assessment tools often use an
• entry-level graduate
• benchmark, not a
• competent clinician
• standard.
• The Clinical Internship Evaluation Tool (CIET) was developed to bridge this gap.
• This study aimed to validate the CIET.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide evidence for the validity of the Clinical Internship Evaluation Tool (CIET).
• To assess if the CIET measures clinical performance relative to a competent clinician.
• To evaluate the practicality of the CIET for clinical instructors.

Main Methods:

• The CIET was utilized for 228 physical therapist student evaluations (1999-2003).
• Validity evidence was gathered through a survey of 26 clinical instructors (CIs) and a faculty item review.
• Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and correlations with other competence measures were calculated. A repeated-measures ANOVA assessed longitudinal performance improvements.

Main Results:

• All CIET items were deemed representative of skills for a competent physical therapist by faculty and CIs.
• High internal consistency (alpha = .98) was found for patient management items.
• A significant correlation (average r = .76) existed between CIET scores and other competence measures. ANOVA confirmed expected student performance gains over time. 96% of CIs found the tool practical.

Conclusions:

• The CIET is a valid instrument for assessing physical therapist students against a competent clinician standard.
• The tool is practical and time-efficient for clinical instructors in demanding clinical environments.
• CIET provides a valuable alternative for evaluating student clinical performance.