Descripción de los componentes del modelo de evaluación del desempeño

Students were asked to rate their level of interest in each of the 3 subjects. It appeared that although there was a spread of findings, there was a slight bias towards musculoskeletal as the most interesting subject. It was evident that within the very interested category it was neurology that had slightly more student

responses, as seen in table 6. And on further investigation 6 of those students had completed their neurology teaching whereas 3 had not. In contrast, neurology was the only subject identified by students as being the least interesting, of those 4 students none of them had completed the neurology block of teaching.

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Table 6 Level of Interest.

There was also a variation uncovered in the medical student research and it was identified that neurology was often not rated as the subject medical students were the least interested (Schon et al 2002, Youssef 2009). For many of the PT

students in this study, neurology was the subject they were most interested in. However there were also students that were most uninterested in it. There appears to be a real spread of interest in neurology, more so than in other subjects.

The level of interest has been the aspect that has shown the most wide spread opinions across all 3 subjects perhaps demonstrating that students will have a natural preference or affinity to a particular area of practice regardless of its degree of difficulty or complexity. It should be noted that 9 students did state that they were equally interested in all 3 areas, and that these were different students to those 9 who felt that the subjects were equally difficult. If these were the same students you might want to question the consistent level responses. These comments informed the questioning in the interviews.

0 2 4 6 8 10 N u m b e r o f Stu d e n ts Level of Interest

Level of Interest

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In common with question 1 and levels of perceived knowledge, when the students were asked to qualify the choice of level of interest, it appeared that their

placement experience along with their academic and work experiences prior to the course were the most influential. The interest in the subject is often determined by prior knowledge and experience, as suggested by these students;

“I had previously worked in an area relevant to neurology, it was the reason I joined the course and still the patient group I most want to work with”.

Particularly when the experience was from practice placement;

“Following a 2 week placement on a stroke rehab ward, I have been really interested in neurology”.

“Neuro covered on placement I enjoyed and wanted to learn more”.

The lack of experience was also a factor determining level of interest;

“I loved my MSK placement and what another student said about his neuro placement it sounded really interesting. I have no opinion on CVR yet until I experience it”.

For some students the lack of experience could be a motivator to want to learn more and therefore increase their interest, as suggested here;

“My interest in neuro is mainly due to lack of experience so far”.

Some students explicitly acknowledged that the lack of teaching experience was actually stimulating more interest;

“Having not fully studied neurology and cardiovascular and respiratory physiotherapy I am excited to learn more about them”.

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There were minimal students commenting on the type of patients treated in each subject area as influencing their level of interest;

“stroke victims seem to heal themselves”.

Although this student implies that they are unclear what the physiotherapist role will be as their understanding is that stroke patients will heal themselves. This could be an indication of a preconception or a misinterpretation of information. It also suggests that this student has not completed the neurology teaching block and potentially had a limited awareness of the physiotherapy role in all the core areas of practice. There was evidence of students that had a preference for musculoskeletal which is arguably the most well-known area of physiotherapy practice;

“I have always known that MSK and sports is my passion. I find neuro interesting because it is closely linked with MSK. I don’t identify myself with CVR”.

One student with an obvious interest in neurology attempts to justify what is particular to neurology that makes it so interesting;

“I like the fact that with neuro patients in sub-acute setting you can spend longer with the patient and really make a difference in helping to improve their function and you can see the improvements”.

This student’s reflection indicates that the student has had some practice

placement experience specifically in the sub-acute setting which has sparked their interest. The context that specialist physiotherapists work was also identified by another student as an influencing factor;

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“I am more interested in neuro and CVR as I prefer working in an acute inpatient setting. I find that these 2 areas capture my interest and I am motivated and want to learn more about the areas”.

Students interest in different subjects varies which is ultimately beneficial for the profession as these students will apply for different roles within the workforce. The level of interest expressed does appear to be linked to the experiences of the students which might lead one to suspect that the amount of experience will also be linked to the level of confidence; therefore the subsequent question was posed.