Effective teaching and learning opportunities during clinical education from the students' perspective - prospective crosssectional study

The study aimed to explore physiotherapy students' perceptions of effective teaching and learning opportunities (TLOs) and the key attributes of clinical teachers during clinical education. Understanding these perceptions can help improve clinical teaching practices and enhance learning experiences. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among final-year physiotherapy students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, during the 2021/2022 academic year. An adapted selfadministered, structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze students' preferences regarding TLOs and clinical teacher attributes. A total of 46 students (61% response rate) participated. The most valued TLOs included patient management demonstrations (93%), feedback sessions (85%), and discussions with clinical teachers (76%). The most important clinical teacher roles were identified as feedback provider (93%), knowledge provider (91%), and mentor (89%). Key attributes of effective clinical teachers included good communication (89%), respect for students (78%), and approachability (72%). Students perceive patient management demonstrations, feedback, and discussions as the most beneficial TLOs. Effective clinical teaching is associated with clear communication, respect, and accessibility. The findings highlight the need for structured guidelines to support clinical educators and ensure consistency in physiotherapy education.