Exploring physiotherapy students’ competencies in clinical setting around the world: a scoping review

Clinical education is a fundamental component of physiotherapy entry-level education programs, with practice education being a core element. The aim of this scoping review is to identify and define the competencies of physiotherapy students in clinical settings. This review followed the five steps of the Arksey and O'Malley framework, employing a search strategy that utilized Mesh terms. Searches were performed in PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, ERIC, WOS, and PsycINFO, with additional exploration of the grey literature. The inclusion criteria were defined using Peter's concept: (population) physiotherapy students; (concept) competencies aligned with the WCPT educational framework; (context) clinical environment. A total of 1798 sources were identified, and 86 studies were finally selected. Studies originated from 14 countries, with the United States, Australia, and Canada being the most represented. Of the selected studies, 62 used specific tools to identify competencies. The "Clinical Performance Instrument" and the "Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice" were the most frequently used instruments and covered all of the World Physiotherapy competencies' domains. "Clinical Competence" emerged as the most widely recognized and utilized term across countries. Among the WCPT domains, "Physiotherapy Assessment and Intervention", "Ethical and Professional Practice", and "Communication" were the most represented, whereas "Evidence-Based Practice" and "Quality Improvement" were the least mentioned.