Collaborative model of clinical education in physical and occupational therapy at the Mayo Clinic

Clinical education experiences, a significant portion of entry-level professional education programs in physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT), commonly use a one student to one clinical instructor (1:1) model. Recently, though, the collaborative model of clinical education has received more attention in the professional literature and in clinical education experiences. The collaborative model--where two or more students complete a clinical education experience within a specific clinical area while supervised and educated by one primary clinical instructor (2:1 or 3:1)--has been used historically within the Mayo Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in PT and now OT. Clinical instructors, referred to as clinical education coordinators, supervise and educate students as a primary job responsibility. Students also teach and learn from each other. This article describes the collaborative clinical education model used at the Mayo Clinic. Benefits and challenges of the model, feedback from students who have participated in the model, and the productivity implications of using the model are included.