The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice
Background: Novice students may have limited learning opportunities during their early exposure to complex clinical environments, due to the priorities of patient care. Immersive, high-fidelity simulation provides an opportunity for physiotherapy students to be exposed to relatively complex scenario...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68108 |
| _version_ | 1848761745057775616 |
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| author | Wright, A. Moss, P. Dennis, D. Harrold, M. Levy, S. Furness, A. Reubenson, Alan |
| author_facet | Wright, A. Moss, P. Dennis, D. Harrold, M. Levy, S. Furness, A. Reubenson, Alan |
| author_sort | Wright, A. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Background: Novice students may have limited learning opportunities during their early exposure to complex clinical environments, due to the priorities of patient care. Immersive, high-fidelity simulation provides an opportunity for physiotherapy students to be exposed to relatively complex scenarios in a safe learning environment before transitioning to the clinical setting. The present study evaluated the influence of immersive simulation on student confidence and competence. Methods: Sixty penultimate year physiotherapy students completed an 18-day full-time immersive simulation placement. The placement involved students spending 6 days working in each of three core practice areas (cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, neurological) in which they interacted with simulated patients portrayed by professional role-play actors. The patient scenarios were developed by groups of expert practitioners and incorporated full documentary and imaging information. Students completed a questionnaire to evaluate their confidence in the clinical environment at the start and completion of each 6-day rotation. Their clinical competence was evaluated at the end of each 6-day rotation using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool. In a secondary analysis, the clinical competence of this cohort was evaluated in comparison to a matched cohort of students from the same year group that had not completed an immersive simulation placement. Results: Student confidence improved significantly in each 6-day rotation (p < 0.001); however, it reduced again at the commencement of the next rotation, and there was no cumulative improvement in confidence over the 18-day placement (p = 0.22). Students who had completed the immersive simulation placement achieved higher APP (p < 0.001) scores in an evaluation of their competence to practice during their subsequent clinical placement. Conclusion: Immersive simulation provides a beneficial learning environment to enable physiotherapy students to transition from university-based education to working in the clinical environment. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:36:33Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-68108 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:36:33Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-681082018-09-19T03:09:01Z The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice Wright, A. Moss, P. Dennis, D. Harrold, M. Levy, S. Furness, A. Reubenson, Alan Background: Novice students may have limited learning opportunities during their early exposure to complex clinical environments, due to the priorities of patient care. Immersive, high-fidelity simulation provides an opportunity for physiotherapy students to be exposed to relatively complex scenarios in a safe learning environment before transitioning to the clinical setting. The present study evaluated the influence of immersive simulation on student confidence and competence. Methods: Sixty penultimate year physiotherapy students completed an 18-day full-time immersive simulation placement. The placement involved students spending 6 days working in each of three core practice areas (cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, neurological) in which they interacted with simulated patients portrayed by professional role-play actors. The patient scenarios were developed by groups of expert practitioners and incorporated full documentary and imaging information. Students completed a questionnaire to evaluate their confidence in the clinical environment at the start and completion of each 6-day rotation. Their clinical competence was evaluated at the end of each 6-day rotation using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) tool. In a secondary analysis, the clinical competence of this cohort was evaluated in comparison to a matched cohort of students from the same year group that had not completed an immersive simulation placement. Results: Student confidence improved significantly in each 6-day rotation (p < 0.001); however, it reduced again at the commencement of the next rotation, and there was no cumulative improvement in confidence over the 18-day placement (p = 0.22). Students who had completed the immersive simulation placement achieved higher APP (p < 0.001) scores in an evaluation of their competence to practice during their subsequent clinical placement. Conclusion: Immersive simulation provides a beneficial learning environment to enable physiotherapy students to transition from university-based education to working in the clinical environment. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68108 10.1186/s41077-018-0062-9 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Wright, A. Moss, P. Dennis, D. Harrold, M. Levy, S. Furness, A. Reubenson, Alan The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title | The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title_full | The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title_fullStr | The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title_short | The influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| title_sort | influence of a full-time, immersive simulation-based clinical placement on physiotherapy student confidence during the transition to clinical practice |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68108 |