P TA P O S T
P H Y S I C A L T H E R A P I S T A S S I S TA N T C L I N I C A L ED U C AT I ON NEW S LET T ER
cONTRIBUTORS Michele Voight, PTA, DHSc Program Director Ashlesha Parikh, PTA, MSHS Director of Clinical Education
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T O D AY ’ S G O A L S
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K N O W L E D G E O R G A N I Z AT I O N
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H C C P TA P R O G R A M H I G H L I G H T S
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ODDS & ENDS
Apply, Assess and Activate
Helpful Tips
What’s New
A Little More Info to Wrap Things Up
VOL. 01, ISSUE 01 | SPRING 2022
C O L L E G E F O R H E A LT H S C I E N C E S
TODAY ’S GOALS A p p l y, A s s e s s and Activate by Ashlesha Parikh, PTA, MSHS Director of Clinical Education The journey from clinician to educator has taught us the importance of integrating evidencebased teaching and learning (EBT & L) principles to promote student learning. The goals of this newsletter are for clinical instructors to accomplish the following objectives: • Have a basic understanding of EBT & L principles • Apply these principles during clinical experiences • Give feedback on the application of these principles and any future suggestions
Common Problems Seen in Clinic
The common problems seen in the clinic are students having over confidence, low confidence and difficulty with integration of knowledge to practice. The aim by the end of a clinical experience is for students to be independent learners and clinical instructors to be the facilitators. This is the constructivism approach that differs from the traditional approach of the instructor taking charge while the learner is passive. (Ambrose, et al., 2010; Heicke, 2018). 02 | SPRING 2022
Assess and Activate Student Prior Knowledge Assessing and activating a student’s prior knowledge is an important initial task for instructors on the first day in clinic. This cognitive detective work can be done in several ways such as: •
Communicate about instructor and student expectations
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Ask specific knowledge questions
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Give cues/prompts of when to appropriately integrate prior and new knowledge
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Ask for a rationale for intervention choices
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Give accurate real-world analogies to integrate prior and new knowledge
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Quiz often to detect any misconceptions early on.
Knowledge Organization Helpful Tips by Ashlesha Parikh, PTA, MSHS Director of Clinical Education As students gain prior and new knowledge, they form schema that are mental pictures of knowledge filed away for later use. The use of knowledge organizers can help students quickly organize, access and retain these schema as they experience various situations in clinic. A few examples of knowledge organizers are: • Tables for chart reviews and treatment protocols • Diagrams for physiological processes to see similarities and relationships • Flow charts for safety procedures and layout of departments and staff offices Today, many apps and pocket reference guides are very convenient and easy to access for students in clinic. Try a few of these with your students and you will find they will fly through those pop quizzes and improve their quick thinking needed during patient safety situations.
Macs Corner
What’s the difference between the PTA MACS (2018) ratings? So many clinical instructors often ask what is the difference between the check, not independent
(NI), and the not applicable (N/A) ratings in the Physical Therapist Assistant Manual for Assessment of Clinical Skills (PTA MACS, 2018)? Well, the answer is that the check rating means the student is entry level performing all interventions by the end of the clinical experience independently and requiring no cuing from the instructor. At the end of a final clinical experience, the student is ready to work in clinic with some mentoring. While the NI rating means the student is not independent requiring assistance and cuing from the instructor while performing interventions. Finally, the N/A rating means the student did not have the opportunity to perform the intervention because the clinic either does not perform the skill on patients or does not house the equipment for the intervention. References
Ambrose, S. A., Lovett, M., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. Jossey Bass. Heick, T. (2018). The Difference Between Pedagogy, Andragogy, and Heutagogy. https://www. teachthought.com/pedagogy/a-primer-in-heutagogyand-self-directed-learning/
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HCC PTA Progr am Highlights W h a t ’s N e w There are many accomplishments to reflect upon and exciting endeavors yet to come. Here are some highlights worth sharing.
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Faculty Spotlight
Michele Voight
Congratulations to Michele Voight! She successfully completed her Doctor of Healthcare Science (DHSc) at the University of Indianapolis. Ashlesha Parikh will be leaving her role as DCE at HCC. She asks that each of you connect with her on LinkedIn. Anne Miller, PT, NCS will be taking on the DCE role. Please contact Anne as of May 2, 2022, at Anne.Miller@hccs.edu for any clinical affiliation slots and questions.
Student Spotlight
Our students are making great strides this semester. They’ve accomplished a lot with big plans ahead. Here’s a recap of what they’ve achieved so far: •
Completion of five clinical affiliations in the calendar year 2021 between the Class of 2021 and 2022
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Completion of service learning projects
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Volunteering and giving massages at the Houston Marathon.
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Odds & Ends A Little More Info to Wrap Things Up We Want Your Feedback
Your feedback is important to us! Please complete the anonymous six-question survey and let us know what you think about our first newsletter issue. Visit the following link to submit your responses: hccs.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/ form/SV_bgDi9mY5YtytXW6 Want to get more involved? Connect with our HCC Coleman PTA LinkedIn group at www.linkedin.com/groups/12549162/ for team learning! Be sure to include comments about: • Your experience with applying the principles and resources in this issue • Recommendations or resources you may have for your fellow clinical instructors • Suggestions on topics for the next issue A summary of responses will be presented in the next issue of this newsletter.
Next Issue
Stay tuned for more important highlights of Coleman’s PTA program. In the next issue, our feature stories will focus on: • Student motivation • Practice •
Feedback
Contact Us
Need more information about the Physical Therapist program at HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences? Here’s how you can reach us. Michele Voight, PTA, DHSc Program Director michele.voight@hccs.edu 713.718.7368 Ashlesha Parikh, PTA, MSHS Director of Clinical Education ashlesha.parikh@hccs.edu 713.718.7386 Website hccs.edu/pta 05 | SPRING 2022
PTA Post Bi-annual Newsletter Publication HCC Coleman College for Health Sciences Produced by Communication Services Spring 2022 Vol. 01, Issue 01