Psychological Safety and Clinical Reasoning in Athletic Training and Physical Therapy Clinical Education: A Nationwide Survey of Student Perception

Psychological safety contributes to effective learning environments in healthcare, where clinical experiences foster the development of clinical reasoning skills needed for accurate patient care decisions. Inadequate clinical reasoning skills may lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate patient care decisions, resulting in poor outcomes and unnecessary costs. This study examines the effect of psychological safety on clinical reasoning within athletic training and physical therapy clinical experiences. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey assessed perceptions of psychological safety and clinical reasoning among Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Athletic Training students and recent graduates. Survey measures indicated good reliability (a = .83 and .85). Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression. Analysis of 338 responses, equally distributed between professions, revealed a statistically significant, weak positive correlation (r = .27, p < .001) between psychological safety and clinical reasoning. Stratification by profession and student status showed weak to moderate correlations. Linear regression demonstrated up to 10% of the variance in clinical reasoning scores was explainable by psychological safety scores. This study underscores the impact of individuals’ perceptions of psychological safety and clinical reasoning, emphasizing the importance of facilitating psychological safety within clinical experiences.