Simulation Can Contribute a Part of Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy Clinical Education

Abstract

An SLE can replace clinical time in cardiorespiratory physiotherapy practice. Part education in the SLE satisfied clinical competency requirements, and all stakeholders were satisfied.

Use of Simulation Learning Experiences in Physical Therapy Entry-to-Practice Curricula: A Systematic Review

“…The students' and CEs' rating of SLE Model 1 may indicate that SLE Model 2 (first 2 weeks 50% SLE, 50% clinical internship, followed by 2 weeks of full clinical internship) was slightly more beneficial, as the students spent at least some time in the clinical environment throughout the 4 weeks. 29 The strong, multi-site experimental design and large sample sizes make these studies very robust, and their findings support the hypothesis that SLE can yield similar learning outcomes and replace clinical time, with a slight preference for SLE Model 2. This is incredibly encouraging for faculty responsible for the clinical education components of PT curricula, who are sometimes challenged to find an adequate variety and number of clinical learning experiences.…”

“…The second study used a similar design, but the cases focused on musculoskeletal diagnoses using SPs. 30 Neither study 29,30 found any differences in the main outcome, the Assessment of Physiotherapy Performance (APP), between traditional clinical immersion and either SLE model, which suggests that structured SLE is a viable substitute for hard-to-find clinical experiences. Secondary outcomes for both studies included students' self-rated confidence in communicating with, assessing, and managing patients.…”

“…Outcomes were also collected from clinical educators (CEs) and patients. 29 While patients reported that students from both SLE models were comparable, CEs rated 30% or more student groups in SLE Model 1 as not meeting the same standard as their peers in elements of communication, assessment, clinical reasoning, and time management. The students' and CEs' rating of SLE Model 1 may indicate that SLE Model 2 (first 2 weeks 50% SLE, 50% clinical internship, followed by 2 weeks of full clinical internship) was slightly more beneficial, as the students spent at least some time in the clinical environment throughout the 4 weeks.…”

“…The first compared two models: in Model 1, students spent the first week of a 4-week internship in SLE, which included nine cardiorespiratory cases with a HFHS mannequin, followed by 3 weeks of a traditional internship; Model 2 used 50% clinical time and 50% SLE, using the same nine cases and HFHS experiences, for the first 2 weeks of the internship, followed by 2 weeks of a traditional internship. 29 Both models were also compared with a control group of traditional clinical immersion. The second study used a similar design, but the cases focused on musculoskeletal diagnoses using SPs.…”

“…29,30 These were multicentre randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes that used at least one valid outcome measure and assessed behaviours as well as satisfaction, knowledge, and skill. Each of these studies described two trials comparing models that replaced 25% of clinical immersion time with SLEs in a 4-week internship to a traditional model.…”