Connecting classroom to clinical practice: a comparison of programs.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Clinical Training Models
• Student Learning Experiences

Background:

• Effective clinical field experiences are crucial for student development in health professions.
• Different institutional models exist for delivering coursework and clinical training.
• Understanding student perceptions across these models is vital for optimizing education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare student perceptions of clinical field experiences across three distinct educational models: external, internal, and bridging.
• To identify factors influencing the quality of clinical learning in each model.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative data collection from 9 participants across 3 clinical sites.
• Methods included individual interviews, observations, and focus group interviews.

Main Results:

• Students valued integrated coursework and clinical experience, supportive supervision, feedback, recognition, and interpersonal relationships.
• External model students reported communication issues; internal model students noted insufficient conceptual preparation.
• Bridging model students did not report a diminished learning experience.

Conclusions:

• The bridging model appears to mitigate issues observed in the external and internal models.
• Interpersonal relationships are key, but insufficient in the external and internal models, potentially lessening the learning experience.
• Optimizing clinical education requires careful consideration of model structure and integration.