Creating a Supportive Clinical Learning Environment for Physiotherapy Students: A Feasibility Study to Enhance Collaboration Between Students and Educators Using the ‘Everything DiSC’

Aim: To investigate if an intervention aimed at creating a supportive clinical learning environment (through shared debriefing of behaviour styles for physiotherapy students and their educators) can i) improve the clinical skills outcomes (grades) and ii) enhance the perceived quality of clinical education experiences for students and educators compared to placements without this intervention.

Method: This quasi-experimental, non-equivalent groups, mixed methods study was conducted across two Australian universities and two public health sector settings. For the intervention group, Everything DiSC profiles and comparison reports were utilised to indicate differences and similarities in behaviour traits and this information was shared with students and clinical educators attending a 5-week placement. Written strategies were provided to enhance collaboration. For the comparison group, physiotherapy students attending usual clinical placements. Outcomes: Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) grades, Clinical Learning Environment Inventory (CLEI), Maastricht Teaching Evaluation, perspectives of clinical educators (obtained through focus groups).

Results: At the completion of the 5-week placement, no significant differences between groups were found in APP grades, CLEI, or Maastricht scores. Focus groups (n=2) with clinical educators (n=12) revealed mostly positive perspectives on the utility of DiSC in the clinical education setting.
Conclusion: Whilst sharing DiSC profiles and comparison reports between physiotherapy students and their clinical educators did not demonstrate significant benefits for students in terms of grades, positive outcomes regarding the collaboration between physiotherapy clinical educators and their students were reported by clinical educators.