Student Experiences of a Home-Based Acute Care Curriculum

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted physical therapy education beginning in March 2020. Acute care physical therapy is complex and has substantive psychomotor skills and safety demands. Students can experience significant challenges during acute care clinical education experiences (CEE); therefore, assessment of the effect of curricular adjustments on preparation for clinical experiences is paramount. Students can experience significant challenges during acute care CEE. Educational programs continue to assess the effect of pandemic dictated altered modes of delivery of laboratory-based courses on student outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative case report is to explore students' experiences of an online delivery mode of an acute care course and their perception of its ability to prepare the student for an acute care CEE. Case Description: Interviews were completed with physical therapist students after their terminal acute care CEE. Qualitative analysis was approached from an interpretive epistemological perspective and a phenomenological approach was used to explore students' experience in participating in an online delivery mode to gain the required skills to be effective during acute care physical therapist practice. Data analysis was completed using a thematic analysis approach. Outcomes: Seven students participated in qualitative interviews after their acute care educational experience. Qualitative results revealed 3 main themes: (1) Course Design, (2) Fidelity, and (3) Learner Characteristics as contributors to feelings of preparedness when transitioning from the classroom to an acute care CEE. Discussion and Conclusion: Despite COVID-19 disruptions to traditional in-person education delivery of an acute care laboratory-based course, a unique at-home delivery of acute care curriculum led to students reporting sufficient skill development to participate in an acute care CEE. Aspects of the unique course that students reported facilitated their learning were skill repetition and fidelity to clinical practice embedded in laboratory activities. Results can be used to intentionally design coursework to aide in building student confidence and preparation for acute care CEE.