Radiation Therapy Students' Teaching Expectations of Therapists over the Course of Clinical Practicums: A...

Students' expectations of clinical teachers have been well researched, yet little is known about whether expectations change as students become competent and approach graduation. Radiation therapists are usually engaged in clinical teaching; for their involvement to be of value to students, they must have an understanding of what students need from them. This longitudinal study sought to determine whether students' needs of clinical teachers changed over the length of the clinical practicum and whether those needs were in the category of clinical competence, teaching approach, personality traits, evaluation methods, or interpersonal relationships. An online survey required students to rate the importance of several clinical teaching characteristics in the fifth and twelfth months of a 12-month practicum. Submissions were coded, first analyzed individually, and then paired to assess longitudinal changes. Eighteen students (33%) completed both administrations. Analysis of the highest and lowest rated items revealed items in the Personality Traits and Clinical Competence categories being rated as most important. The only significant change was "identifying the role and responsibilities of staff versus students," which became less important to students. Relative ranking suggested importance was later placed on mentoring roles compared to evaluator roles. The importance placed on the responsibility of role model remained unchanged. The sample size was prohibitive of extensive analysis, though some trends were suggestive of changing importance. Students place importance on staff clinical competence and personality traits. There is evidence that students view staff as mentors rather than as evaluators as they approach graduation.