Physiotherapy students' clinical skills training needs within the musculoskeletal area: an explorative study of
Ann Bylund1, Åsa Revenäs1,2, Marie-Louise Södersved Källestedt1,2,3
1School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.
Introduction:
Musculoskeletal conditions are a significant global health problem. The demand for specialized and individualized care is increasing. This necessitates that physiotherapy (PT) education better equips students with clinical skills needed for clinical practice, during education and in future professional work.
Objective:
To explore stakeholders' perceptions of PT students' clinical skills training needs within the musculoskeletal area in undergraduate PT education.
Methods:
Semistructured focus groups and interviews were conducted with stakeholders from multiple undergraduate PT programs and clinical settings in Sweden, including PT students (n = 18), newly graduated physiotherapists (n = 3), educators (n = 5) and clinical instructors (n = 8). This study employed a qualitative design using inductive content analysis.
Results:
One overarching main category, comprehensive clinical skills training in a supportive and reality-based education, and four categories emerged, each comprising 3-5 subcategories describing the stakeholders' perceptions of PT students' clinical skills training needs. The four categories are 1: Experiencing real or reality-based patient cases, 2: Applying knowledge and clinical skills, 3: Analyzing patient information and making clinical decisions, and 4: Having a supportive learning environment.
Conclusion:
To better prepare PT students for clinical practice in the musculoskeletal area, stakeholders perceive students need comprehensive clinical skills training within a supportive and reality-based educational environment that facilitates reflective abilities. Engaging in diverse realistic patient encounters may enhance their ability to apply knowledge and skills in patient interactions, as well as strengthen their analytical and clinical decision-making abilities. Clinical reasoning and communication skills were emphasized over procedural skills.
