The Lifeworld of Physical Therapist Students on Full-time Clinical Experiences

Clinical experiences have been an important component of physical therapist education since the inception of training programs in the early 1900's. Throughout history, students have gained practical experience under the supervision of practicing clinicians. Both the education and clinical communities value clinical education as an important aspect of professional preparation. Much of the physical therapy research to date has focused on effective clinical teaching methods and models, but the lifeworld of the student experience has yet to be explored. The aim of this phenomenological study was to explicate the essences of the clinical experience for the physical therapist students by looking at the 'whole' of the experience rather than its 'parts.' Fourteen physical therapist students were interviewed while on one of their final full time clinical experiences prior to graduation. A phenomenological analysis was made of the tape-recorded interviews where students described their experiences in the clinic as they happened. Seven essential themes became apparent as the structure of the experience as it was for the participants of this study. These themes include: (1) it all depends on the clinical instructor; (2) confidence is a journey; (3) being a student is just plain 'hard'; (4) there's a first time for everything---the good the reality and the scary; (5) it's a completely different ballgame; (6) the first days/weeks; and (7) labeled a 'student.'