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Korpi H.1, Piirainen A.1, Peltokallio L.1
1University of Jyvaskyla, Department of Health Sciences, Jyväskylä, Finland
Background: Practical skills are highly valued in physiotherapy profession. Learning practical work through co-operation between school and working life is a part of physiotherapy higher education. Students learn practical work by integration of theoretical, practical, tacit and situational knowledge in a socialization process. Workplace practices and habits direct students´ learning. Practical training is required in physiotherapy education programs.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine physiotherapy students' perceptions of learning practical work. This study answers the question: What kind of conceptions of learning practical work do physiotherapy students have?
Methods: The study had a qualitative approach to get knowledge of the physiotherapy students` perceptions in learning practical work. Longitudinal data was collected from three different higher education institutions from different parts of Finland during 3.5 years in all institutions. 21 voluntary students (mean age 25 years) participated in this study. Students wrote portfolios during their whole study time. The data consists of 2002 typewriting A4 pages of learning experiences of their own. Students wrote their portfolios every sixth months, telling about their learning experiences and feelings. Finally, the portfolio consisted of a single report of their study time. Students wrote a lot about practical work in their portfolios. That is why the practical work was wanted to be looked at more specifically by the help of thematic analysis to understand the meaning of practical work in their professional development. The theme practical work was linked to different stages of the ongoing of the students stories. Thematic analysis was used in analyzing the data.
Results: The main theme, learning practical work, was shaped in the analysis. Key themes for learning practical work sharpened in learning physiotherapy competence and learning work agency and practices. Learning practical work proceeds in 5 phases.
1) The basis of the practical work, human movement and action and therapeutic tools, was learned at school. Theoretical knowledge was integrated to practical ways of studying. After the basis of the work was learned, the students needed a real client and also a real workplace to deepen their learning. Tacit and situational knowledge had an essential role in learning at real work contexts.
2) Meaning of the profession and practical work takes shape in an interaction with clients and observing how professionals work at real workplaces.
3) Wholeness of the practical work takes shape by gradually participating in the work processes.
4) Critical reflection of the work processes - thinking, construction, evaluation and reasoning develops and
5) Conception of the practical work widens. Reflection and feedback is needed in all learning.
Conclusion(s): The study brings new information about learning practical work for developing health care education and its curricula. The role of the workplaces is huge in learning tacit knowledge of the physiotherapy profession.
Implications: Students need to learn physiotherapy competences and work practices in different workplaces. This kind of socialization process for the profession is important in physiotherapy students professional development.
Funding acknowledgements: The authors sincerely thank the University of Jyväskylä for giving funding for finishing this study.
Topic: Education: continuing professional development
Ethics approval: This study is a part of a wider research project that has research permission from University of Jyväskylä ethics committee.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
