What students say to be ready for acute care: Implications for preceptors

Student readiness for clinical education experiences is an important variable for clinical preceptors. Readiness has been reported from the viewpoints of clinicians, academic faculty, clinical preceptors, employers and novice graduate physical therapists. Perspectives from physical and occupational therapy students could better prepare preceptors in the acute care setting.

Thematic analysis was conducted following the approach described by Braun and Clarke. The purpose of this study was to describe physical and occupational therapy student perceptions of readiness for full-time acute care clinical education experiences. Twenty-one physical and occupational therapy students in process of completing full-time clinical education experiences at a large academic medical centre were qualitatively interviewed in small groups. A two-stage iterative process of thematic inquiry was used to induce themes about student readiness for full-time acute care clinical experiences. Transcription, coding and thematic analysis were completed. Students also completed a one-time questionnaire with demographic and learner characteristic scales.

Participants were on average 26.4 years old, predominantly female and White, and had completed one full-time clinical education experience prior to participation. Four major thematic categories of student readiness for acute care clinical experiences emerged: (1) mindset and willingness; (2) knowledge and experience; (3) communication and collaboration; and (4) planning and prioritising.

Students report their readiness is facilitated by preceptors who can model flexibility, foster communication that promotes clinical reasoning, implement an orientation to the acute care culture and learning resources and scaffold roles and responsibilities to aid professional authority.