How Much Value Do Physical Therapy Clinicians Place on Affective Domain Skills During Clinical Experiences?

Purpose: To determine the value clinical educators place on affective domain skills and how much time they spend working on affective skills during a rotation.   

Methods: A Qualtrics survey was sent to clinical partners of schools in the Georgia Consortium of Clinical Educators. Participants were asked to rank the three domains of learning related to the success of a typical physical therapy (PT) student on clinical rotation. Clinicians were asked to quantify the amount of time spent teaching in each domain in the clinical setting. Fourteen aspects of affective care were ranked on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from “very important” to “very unimportant.”  

Results: Fifty-seven surveys were started with 38 completed surveys. Data analysis was conducted via SPSS software. Clinicians who had been practicing less than 10 years made up 71.8% of the responses. Learning domain ranking found cognitive rating average of 1.72, psychomotor learning as 2.10, and affective learning domain as 2.18 (range 1-3). Time spent teaching the affective domain is positively correlated with their affective domain ranking. The most important affective domain skills were safety of patients, professional conduct, and following ethical guidelines.  

Conclusion: Clinicians prioritize student success related to cognitive and psychomotor learning domains. Research shows students failing early clinical experiences due to affective domain deficits. Experienced levels may impact the value of affective skills. Further research is required. Clinical Relevance: Affective skill instruction may need more consideration for clinical instructors early in their careers.