Seeing the Sacred: Student Perceptions of Spiritual Care During Acute Care Simulation

Spiritual care is a critical component of whole person healthcare. However, students often feel unprepared to address patient spiritual concerns. There is limited research in physical therapy education on how Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students recognize and respond to patients' spiritual needs, and role of simulation in developing spiritual care proficiency. This study explored DPT students' perceptions of recognizing and responding to patients' spiritual needs during simulation, and perceived impact on future care. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, second-year DPT students (n=55) in a faith-based university completed a simulation with patients presenting with both medical and spiritual needs. Survey data were analyzed descriptively (quantitative) and thematically using a phenomenological approach (qualitative). Most students (90.9%) perceived a spiritual need, and 89.1% attempted to meet it. Four themes reflected student perceived response: witness/withness, spiritual sensitivity/ adaptability, relational engagement, and referral. Students noted future care adjustments across four themes: moving beyond awareness to planned future action, cultivation of a learning mindset, valuing spiritual care as a therapeutic asset, and strengthened self-reflection and personal growth. These findings are consistent with transformative learning theory. Through simulation, students recognized and provided spiritual care, bridging the gap from theory to practice and fostering spiritually responsive future providers.