Supplementing acute care clinical education experiences with simulation-based learning: a pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Physical Therapy Education
• Medical Simulation
• Acute Care Practice

Background:

• Physical therapist (PT) students often lack confidence in acute care settings, despite educational program requirements.
• Bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world acute care practice is crucial for PT students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore a simulation-based learning experience (SBLE) as a supplement to acute care clinical experience (CE).
• To assess the effect of SBLE on physical therapist student performance and confidence in acute care.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental pilot study compared three students (intervention group) using SBLE with six students (control group) not using SBLE during their acute care CE.
• Student performance was evaluated using the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) 2.0, assessing Safety, Communication, Patient Management, and Clinical Reasoning.
• Confidence was measured using the Acute Care Confidence Survey.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed a trend toward higher CPI scores in 60% of assessed categories compared to the control group.
• Confidence scores were similar between the intervention and control groups by the end of the clinical experience.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based learning offers a valuable method for enhancing physical therapist student self-reflection and patient management skills in acute care.
• This pilot study contributes evidence supporting simulation-based learning as a complementary tool in physical therapy clinical education.