Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Tracing The Evolution Of Chiropractic Students’ Confidence In Clinical And Patient Communication Skills During A Clinical Internship: A Multi-Methods Study, Mark Hecimovich, Simone Volet

Faculty Publications

Background: Anecdotal evidence points to variations in individual students’ evolving confidence in clinical and patient communication skills during a clinical internship. A better understanding of the specific aspects of internships that contribute to increasing or decreasing confidence is needed to best support students during the clinical component of their study.

Methods: A multi-method approach, combining two large-scale surveys with 269 students and three in-depth individual interviews with a sub-sample of 29 students, was used to investigate the evolution of change in student confidence during a 10-month long internship. Change in levels of confidence in patient communication and clinical skills was …