SPECIAL INTEREST REPORT PLATFORM PRESENTATION

THE PHYSIOTHERAPY COMPETENCY REVIEW: AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT OF FINAL YEAR STUDENTS. Potter M¹, Jones S²; ¹SmartMoves Consultancy. ²Curtin University of Technology

PURPOSE: This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an innovative approach to assessing final year undergraduate physiotherapy students. RELEVANCE: All physiotherapy schools in Australia are required to demonstrate that their graduates meet the Australian Physiotherapy Competency Standards (APCS). While all schools collect cumulative data on student performance throughout the four-year program, not all schools have a final exit examination. The School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University has always viewed a final assessment process as integral in ascertaining eligibility for registration, although reaching consensus among staff and students regarding what constitutes the most appropriate examination has often proved to be difficult. DESCRIPTION: An innovative approach known as The Physiotherapy Competency Review (PCR) has been developed and provides a standardised process to determine the competency of final year physiotherapy students as they exit the program. The two part assessment process includes both written and oral components which are designed to assess the student’s capabilities across all of the APCS. The oral component is conducted in an objective standardised format and assesses students’ oral presentation skills whilst addressing three case studies in the areas of cardiopulmonary, neurology and musculoskeletal which are discussed to a panel of three examiners. The written component assesses written skills across the areas of evidence based practice, ethical practice and management. In addition, a series of resources were created to support student and examiner preparation. EVALUATION: Students completed a self-evaluation following the PCR (oral) and all panel members completed an evaluation form regarding the process from their perspective. Feedback on the PCR (written) was obtained via compulsory online unit evaluation. In 2002, 80 final year students, predominantly female were involved in the process. The average mark was considerably higher for the oral component (77%) compared with the written component (59%). Mean anxiety levels for students pre-PCR (oral) were 7.90 (SD1.72) and post-PCR (oral) were 4.24 (1-10). Students mean perception of their performance was somewhat less (6.34 (3-9)) than actual performance (7.72 (4.2-9.4)). Feedback from examiners about the PCR (oral) was very positive and they were impressed with the overall standard of students. Students were much less positive about the PCR (written) which they felt was not appropriate and as the questions were about professional skills, they viewed these as less important. CONCLUSIONS: The PCR has provided a valuable exit assessment which reflects achievement of all of the APCS, however the written component is less successful. The process engages the clinical community and provides an opportunity for them to assist in determining the benchmark for students exiting the program. Further exploration of the PCR (written) is required and whether the goals could better achieved by other methods eg. use of a portfolio to demonstrate student reflections and achievement of behavioural competencies. IMPLICATIONS: An exit assessment is a useful tool to determine the extent to which physiotherapy professional standards have been met, particularly in the light of variable clinical experiences. KEYWORDS: assessment, competency, evaluation. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: None. CONTACT: Sue.Jones@curtin.edu.au

ETHICS COMMITTEE: Curtin University of Technology Human Research Ethics Committee