Exploring the Challenges of Physiotherapy Clinical Education: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: Clinical education is an important component of physiotherapy education. The students’ and clinical educators’ viewpoints about different aspects of education are being analyzed worldwide for the promotion of educational services. The aim of this study was to identify the challenges of clinical education based on the experiences of physiotherapy students and educators.  Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using content analysis method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using a purposeful sampling method with a maximum variation based on some factors like first-hand experience, expertise, and their willingness to participate in this research. Data collection was continued until the point of data saturation was attained. The participants included 17 senior physiotherapy students and nine clinical educators with over three years of experience. Results: After verbatim transcription of the interviews and data analysis, 360 initial or open codes were extracted. The related codes were derived from the students’ and clinical educators’ experiences and challenges and were categorized into three concepts: A. Personal and professional characteristics of physiotherapy students; B. Personal and professional characteristics of clinical educators; and C. Inefficient educational system. Discussion: Clinical education efficiency requires a common understanding of the long –term complications involved in addressing the existing barriers. Understanding these challenges can equip the policy makers and educational planners of physiotherapy departments with valuable information for improvement in the quality of physiotherapy clinical education and preventing oversight of clinical education and programs. Thus, the study emphasized the need for comprehensive management for policy makers and educational planners and recommended further research.