Browsing by Author "Solomon, Petula A."

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    Exploring the factors that impact on the non-attendance of physiotherapy clinical educators at faculty development training programmes at Stellenbosch University : a descriptive study
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2017-12) Solomon, Petula A.; Blitz, Julia; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Centre for Health Professions Education.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Physiotherapy students are placed at various clinical sites over their third and fourth year of study as part of their undergraduate training at Stellenbosch University, Division of Physiotherapy. A physiotherapy supervisor is employed by the university to specifically meet with the student to facilitate their clinical reasoning, while on the clinical placement. It is also the clinical supervisor who completes the final summative assessment regarding the student’s competency at the end of the placement. However, the physiotherapy clinicians who are employed by the Department of Health work at these clinical facilities and monitor the daily progress of the students. The Division of Physiotherapy at Stellenbosch University hosts three annual workshops where topics related to clinical education are presented, to the various clinical educators that work with the physiotherapy students. These workshops provide an opportunity for discussion and promoting collaboration amongst the clinical educators. The researcher embarked on an evaluation of this faculty development programme by conducting interviews with six physiotherapy clinicians (N=6) who had not attended these workshops over the years of 2015 and 2016. A descriptive phenomenological qualitative research study was undertaken. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of the physiotherapy clinicians’ barriers to attending faculty development programmes. Also, to elicit possible recommendations on how future faculty development programmes could be made more accessible to them. Two themes emerged from the data, namely practical barriers and poor relationships. The participants suggested that the practical barriers were related to the demands of service delivery and the logistics. The second theme related to poor relationships which was underpinned by concerns regarding poor communication and perceived tension. Therefore, valuable insights were gained from the nonattending physiotherapy clinicians. This research suggests that these participants did not feel part of the community of clinical educators. Faculty developers are encouraged to explore the development of multidisciplinary work-based programmes and investigate broadening the role of the clinical supervisor to include a formal educational support role, for physiotherapy clinicians. Furthermore, this research suggests that faculty developers should take into account the logistical arrangements, review the marketing strategies, and focus on collaboration, if they endeavor to build a community of practice amongst their clinical educators. Future research could evaluate the effect of incorporating informal engagement opportunities as part of existing faculty development programmes.