PhD Oral Exam - Ofelia Ribeiro

Abstract

Clinical education is identified as vital in the preparation of students in healthcare professions, notably allied health. It is experience-based and student-focused, and occurs in a clinical setting. Clinical educators are experienced professionals who, in the course of performing their regular jobs, teach, supervise and assess students in a workplace-based practicum. Because clinical educators rarely receive any formal preparation in teaching methods and what little preparation they receive is voluntary, this study aims to understand the primarily informal learning processes by which these professionals become clinical educators and how these help them in their daily practice in their work settings. The specific research question guiding this study is: How do allied health clinical educators prepare for their roles and responsibilities in student teaching in the allied health workplace?

The literature review describes several allied health professions and their workplace challenges. It then examines the roles, responsibilities and functions of allied health professionals, and considers both micro and macro level influences and the interrelationship between these different factors for allied health professionals who teach in the clinical setting.

The study is an exploratory multiple case study where each of ten clinical educators participating in the study serve as a case. These clinical educators work in one of four allied health professions but in the same teaching hospital in a large urban area. Even though the participants have different perspectives in terms of their professions and personal preparation, the organizational context is the same. Data was collected primarily through three in-depth interviews of allied health instructors, observations, and Becoming a Clinical Educator iv documents. A three-tiered approach to analyzing data proceeded concurrently with data collection, beginning with individual cases and then proceeding to the identification and analysis of commonalities and discordances across cases. Methodological rigor was ensured through the use of frame interviews, thick descriptions, member checks, triangulation, and an audit trail.

A number of findings emerge from the study. They include: clinical educators juggle many responsibilities, early experiences as students and professionals influence how they act, clinical educators do not participate in extended teaching programs but rely primarily on informal and experiential learning, informal learning leads to personal and professional growth, and clinical educators rely on active learning methods for teaching. In addition, clinical education is important for the future of allied health professions
despite the numerous workplace challenges. Finally, clinical educators strive to meet professional demands.

The study aims to understand how clinical educators learn to conduct clinical instruction in their respective professions. Teaching and learning in the healthcare workplace is a complex and individual experience. It is anticipated that this examination of teaching and learning in the healthcare workplace will add to the body of knowledge in learning in general because it explores the experiences of a distinct group of learners, clinical educators.