Advancing Interpersonal, Interprofessional, and Clinical Skills: Teamwork Through Training Collegiate Athletes

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Experiential Learning
• Clinical Skills Development

Background:

• Assessing student performance in clinical settings.
• Evaluating the impact of extracurricular learning experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine physical therapy student performance post-experiential learning.
• To analyze the development of clinical and professional skills.

Main Methods:

• Ten Doctor of Physical Therapy students participated in strength and conditioning services.
• Clinical instructor comments from midterm assessments were evaluated.
• Data were collected over a 3-year period.

Main Results:

• Students exhibited strong communication, interprofessional teamwork, and empathy.
• Instructors noted attention to movement analysis.
• Most students exceeded performance expectations.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning in strength and conditioning fosters key professional skills.
• The program enhanced abilities in interprofessional collaboration and managing difficult conversations.
• This experience is vital for clinical practice readiness.