Readiness for Clinical Practice Promoting Safe Student Performance in Physical Therapy Education

Physical therapy educators have a responsibility to graduate entry-level PTs who can provide safe high-quality care. The main purpose of this retrospective study was to determine if students who were not safe on campus have different midterm Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) safety scores on clinical education experiences (CEEs) than students who were safe on campus.

Forty-six DPT students were categorized into two safety groups: (1) students who were not safe on campus and had successful safety remediation (n=17) and (2) students who were safe on campus (n=29). Student self-assessment (SSA) and clinical instructor (CI) midterm CPI safety scores were analyzed from 10-week CEEs (Practicum 2, 3, and 4).

CPI data show that neither SSA nor CI midterm CPI safety scores were significantly different between safety groups for Practicum 2, 3, and 4 (p>0.05). Students who were not safe on campus had significantly higher Practicum 2 SSA midterm CPI safety scores in the majority outpatient setting (median 12.0) compared to the majority inpatient setting (median 8.5) (p=0.015).

Early identification and formal remediation of safety concerns on campus can lead to suc¬cessful safety performance during CEEs.