Education Commons^™

Clinical Decision-Making In Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students: Quantitative Findings, Carol C. Dudding, Danika L. Pfeiffer

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Clinicians’ decision-making skills are the foundation for the development and implementation of evidence-based practice to provide high quality clinical care. It is proposed that these skills are a result of hands-on clinical experiences (Crebbin, Beasley, & Watters, 2013). Yet some researchers contend that the development of clinical decision-making skills requires direct instruction in critical thinking (Abrami et al., 2011; Finn, 2011). The aim of this study was to explore if and when clinical decision-making processes of speech-language pathology (SLP) students change during graduate study. Web-based case simulations were used to elicit and measure clinical decision-making in eight graduate students at …

Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educator Practices And Preferences In Clinical Education, Kaitlyn Ryan, Melanie Beck, Lee Ungaretta, Magdalena Rooney, Elaina Dalomba, Leamor Kahanov

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The shortage of clinical education fieldwork sites coupled with a concern over the quality of the required fieldwork experience poses an unintended outcome for the recent changes in the health care system and an increasing number of occupational therapy students. While the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) issues standards for fieldwork education, the quality of the experience is known to vary. The present study employed a mixed methods concurrent nested design with a quantitative online survey alongside qualitative individual semi-structured online interviews to examine the practices and preferences of fieldwork educators in Pennsylvania ACOTE accredited programs. From the …

Increasing Rehabilitation Therapists’ Confidence Utilizing Evidence-Based Interventions: Pilot Study, Stephanie Hovick, Ingrid Provident

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Evidence-based practice enables rehabilitation therapists to provide the best quality of care and outcomes for patients. However, rehabilitation therapists are often not confident in using evidence in many settings.

Purpose. The objective of this evidence-based practice project was to determine if educational small group sessions enhanced occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and a speech and language pathologist’s confidence in utilizing and applying evidence.

Method. Eleven rehabilitation therapists of multiple disciplines (occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, physical therapy assistants, and a speech and language pathologist) from a skilled nursing facility participated in …