Effect of the Collaborative Model on Communication and Clinical Reasoning in DPT Students’ Clinical Experiences

Introduction: The collaborative clinical experiences pair one physical therapist (PT) clinical instructor (CI) with one or more student(s) (Wolff-Burke et al, 2022).The collaborative model has been widely accepted among nursing and other healthcare professions. Benefits of the collaborative model include improved communication and clinical reasoning, enhanced teamwork, and reduced anxiety among students. Additionally, the collaborative model facilitates peer-to-peer learning and leadership. Despite the benefits, PT education has been slow to embrace this model. This study's purpose was to determine if the collaborative model is effective in helping students obtain the required performance ratings required by the university during their clinical experiences. Subjects included student placement records were reviewed to determine inclusion and exclusion based on participation in a collaborative experience between Spring 2022 and Spring 2023. Methods: Clinical Performance Inventory (CPI) data was obtained and analyzed in communication and clinical reasoning. The professionalism and academic tracking systems were also reviewed to obtain student history related to communication and clinical reasoning (CR). Demographic information on gender and age was also included for comparison. Results: Every student passed their clinical experience. Students scored higher than the expected threshold for their respective clinical experiences, with 76.3% over performing on communication and 85.5% on clinical reasoning. Female students scored higher than male students on communication and CR for the Integrated Clinical Experience (ICE). Students referred to the professionalism tracking system scored 3% lower on communication and 2% lower on CR compared to those who were not referred to the professional tracking system. Discussion: The collaborative model appears to be an effective supervision model for clinical experiences. It may provide an effective way for students to develop their communication and clinical reasoning skills. Future studies should be designed to compare students’ performance and perceptions between those in traditional and collaborative models.