School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, Sunderland, United Kingdom.
Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2024;44(5):748-764. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2024.2338934. Epub 2024 Apr 22.
Identify the perceptions and experiences of how UK entry-level programs educationally prepared pediatric physiotherapists for their first clinical role. Review the extent programs taught essential, recommended, and additional content as per the International Organisation of Physical Therapists in Pediatrics (IOPTP).
Mixed methods design involving qualified UK pediatric physiotherapists. Forty-two physiotherapists completed an online questionnaire and nine (21%) completed a follow-up semi-structured interview.
All 42 respondents felt they were "Not Well" (median 2, IQR 1.75-2.75) prepared for clinical practice. Not enough curricula emphasis was given to pediatric content (100%), with 31% ( = 13, CI 95% 19-46) reporting no pediatric content throughout their program. Only 15 (36%, 23-51) respondents experienced a pediatric placement. Themes from the follow-up interviews were (1) UK programs are adult focused; (2) placements are the only meaningful opportunity to develop competency; (3) programs lacked non-clinical content; and (4) experiencing pediatric patients was overwhelming due poor preparation. The majority of the IOPTP curriculum guidance is not embedded within UK curriculums.
Respondents reported they were not well prepared for pediatric clinical practice. Some entry-level programs did not include any pediatric teaching throughout the entirety of the course.
确定英国入门级课程在教育方面如何为儿科物理治疗师准备他们的第一个临床角色的看法和经验。根据国际物理治疗师协会儿科分会（IOPTP）的标准，评估课程是否教授了基本、推荐和额外的内容。
采用混合方法设计，涉及合格的英国儿科物理治疗师。42 名物理治疗师完成了在线问卷调查，9 名（21%）完成了后续半结构化访谈。
所有 42 名受访者都认为他们对临床实践的准备“不够充分”（中位数 2，IQR 1.75-2.75）。课程对儿科内容的重视不够（100%），31%（ = 13，CI 95% 19-46）的受访者报告整个课程中没有儿科内容。只有 15 名（36%，23-51）受访者有儿科实习经历。后续访谈的主题包括：（1）英国课程以成人为中心；（2）实习是发展能力的唯一有意义的机会；（3）课程缺乏非临床内容；（4）由于准备不足，接触儿科患者的体验令人不知所措。IOPTP 课程指南的大部分内容并未嵌入英国课程中。
受访者报告称他们对儿科临床实践的准备不足。一些入门级课程在整个课程中都没有包括任何儿科教学。
