Current status of clinical education in paramedic programs: a descriptive research project.

Development of competence in exercising therapeutic judgment skills represents the goal of clinical education. Time (clock hours) is not a valid predictor of attainment of competence in paramedic clinical education. Quantity of patient contact experiences facilitates development of judgment skills, and offers a valid measure of progress toward competence. This project uses national survey data from accredited programs to describe the availability and accessibility of patient contact experiences within paramedic clinical education. Data from this local program supplements the national survey results. The components of clinical judgment are enumerated, and strategies to teach and evaluate clinical judgment skills are discussed.