PT Clinical Education Model
The clinical education curriculum at Central Michigan University consists of five courses – two of which are semester-length on-campus "mock clinics" where students prepare for off-campus clinical experiences through participation in case simulations designed to integrate knowledge and skills from a wide range of academic courses and advance clinical reasoning processes. The three remaining courses are full-time clinical experiences. PTH 634 Clinical Education II is a six-week rotation that occurs in the summer (semester four) after students have completed a year of preparatory coursework. PTH 832 Clinical Education IV and PTH 932 Clinical Education V are two-semester length (14 weeks) experiences occurring during the final year of the program (Fall – semester eight; Winter/Spring – semester nine).
Our experience with the longer final clinical experiences and the clinical year has been positive – students and clinical faculty report that student physical therapists are integral members of the clinical community by the time they conclude their experiences and they have had many learning opportunities and responsibilities beyond direct patient care. They truly are ready to "hit the ground running" as they graduate.
One very unique feature of our model is that we have Regional Clinical Coordinators (RCCs) throughout Michigan. Each RCC is locally based and familiar with healthcare, and specifically, physical therapy practices in their geographical area. They can be readily available for monitoring and mentoring students during the final clinical year as they meet with students in regional peer-mentoring groups monthly during these final clinical experiences. They meet individually with students and clinical instructors (CIs) for mid-term site visits. The RCC model has been our method for maintaining frequent contact with students and clinical faculty during the formative clinical year and for becoming partners with CIs and students in this important professional transition.
