The Impact of COVID-19 on Physical Therapy Clinical Education Experiences in Florida

Abstract

Introduction. Full-time clinical education experiences (CEEs) constitute a significant component of entry-level physical therapy education. COVID-19 challenged clinical education throughout the country by affecting the availability of CEEs. Review of Literature. Research suggested that the number of clinical education spots available would stay the same. By contrast, the number of students enrolling in physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) education programs continues to rise. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, students and faculty expressed concerns about the lack of student readiness and the availability of CEEs. The purpose of this study was to examine prepandemic factors that influenced the number of CEE slots available in Florida and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on slot availability. Furthermore, researchers sought to identify factors that prevented a return to prepandemic levels of CEE spot offerings and recognize solutions to overcome those barriers. Finally, the researchers aimed to pinpoint suggestions to enhance collaborations between the clinical sites and physical therapy education programs. Subjects. Forty-eight site coordinators of clinical education (SCCEs) from various settings and regions in Florida completed the survey. Methods. An online survey was distributed to Florida SCCEs to ascertain their perceptions on how COVID-19 influenced clinical education. The researchers used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data. Results. Clinical instructor (CI) volunteerism was the primary determinant of CEE spots available before the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of CEE spots was reduced for both PT and PTA education programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the PTA slots returned to their baseline from 2019, the PT placements remained significantly lower in 2021. Social distancing and CI availability had the most considerable impact on CEE offerings. Site coordinators of clinical education also suggested that the greatest supports needed from the academic institutions were educating students on COVID-19 prevention and providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to students for their CEEs. This article also offers suggested incentives that academic sites can provide their clinical partners, such as in-services earning continuing education units, to enhance their participation in clinical education. Discussion and Conclusion. All clinical education stakeholders must collaborate to provide students with the required clinical educational opportunities. Academic sites should continue to provide support, training, and incentives to CIs to enhance participation from clinical education sites. Educational programs must add content about COVID-19 to their curriculum and consider providing students with PPE during their rotations to restore the number of CEEs post-COVID-19 pandemic.

A Comparison of Physical Therapist Educational Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Study

“…54,56 Clinical education experiences across the United States were on the front lines of disruption during the pandemic and had been greatly affected by the restrictions of health care facilities. 54,56,66 Clinical reasoning, a key characteristic of doctoral providers, may have also been affected as the pandemic profoundly altered the availability and richness of clinical education experiences and warrants further study. 57,66 It is possible that disturbances to student learning in the clinical environment may have influenced a drop in national firsttime NPTE pass rates.…”

“…54,56,66 Clinical reasoning, a key characteristic of doctoral providers, may have also been affected as the pandemic profoundly altered the availability and richness of clinical education experiences and warrants further study. 57,66 It is possible that disturbances to student learning in the clinical environment may have influenced a drop in national firsttime NPTE pass rates. 65,66 is may be especially important to monitor because understanding the clinical performance of pandemic graduates would serve our knowledge of any downstream impacts on clinical practice, such as quality of care and patient outcomes.…”

“…57,66 It is possible that disturbances to student learning in the clinical environment may have influenced a drop in national firsttime NPTE pass rates. 65,66 is may be especially important to monitor because understanding the clinical performance of pandemic graduates would serve our knowledge of any downstream impacts on clinical practice, such as quality of care and patient outcomes. [54][55][56] Finally, there may also be value in the study of noncognitive and affective domain factors among graduates because these could play a role in determining outcomes during periods of high stress, such as the pandemic.…”