An important component of the curriculum is for the students to develop their professional communication and clinical decision-making skills and to develop as a reflective practitioner. As one means to accomplish this each student delivers three professional patient case study presentations (fall and spring of 2nd year and the spring of the 3rd year) using current technology and resources. The patient cases are obtained from the students’ clinical practicum and affiliation experiences ( Clinical Education )
These case studies provide the student with the opportunity to integrate didactic knowledge with clinical applications. These presentations are a requirement for the Clinical Judgment and Integration Seminar courses (link to full curriculum ).
In addition, the students participate in peer and self-assessment activities through the process of critiquing presentations given by self and classmates to improve critical thinking, clinical decision-making, and presentation skills.
Student Comments:
“(The) Clinical Judgment and Integration (course) has allowed me to not only reflect upon my own clinical experiences but has also allowed me to share my own learning experiences with my peers. It has served to prepare me for case presentations and patient rounds in the clinical setting. It is also a great opportunity to learn from my classmates information or a technique that I might not have been exposed to during my own clinical affiliations.”
– Daniel Witkowski, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Class of 2014.
“The clinical judgment case presentations have been very enlightening because they have given me insight into what my classmates have been experiencing during their clinical affiliations. During my clinical affiliations, I more than likely will not have the opportunity to treat a patient with temporomandibular joint dysfunction after brain surgery or a pediatric patient with Down Syndrome in the school setting but, because of the fascinating case presentations my peers have shared, I have been exposed to many different clinical situations I would otherwise not have been”.
– Erin Dean, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Class of 2014
