Site coordinator and director of clinical education collaborative insights: assessing the value of site-specific clinical instructor professional development

Abstract

Purpose: A clinical instructor (CI) training model where CIs self-identify topics for a director of clinical education (DCE) to address has not previously been investigated. The purposes of this study are to (1) investigate if CIs desire a visit to their clinical site from a DCE and (2) determine questions and concerns for which CIs would seek guidance from a DCE.

Methods: A cross-sectional, open-ended survey sent to 196 staff from a large company provided seven questions with an opportunity for respondents to ask questions of a DCE. Two evaluators independently analyzed text answers for theme identification using a specified coding framework.

Results: Seventy-three participants submitted the survey, receiving a 37% response rate. When asked if they would want a site visit from a DCE, 79% answered yes. There was a total of 85 responses to the question for the DCE to address. Three themes emerged from the open text answers: (1) CIs want training for managing unprofessional student behavior; (2) CIs desire for support of their teaching; and (3) CIs request for assistance in managing the student who is not progressing as expected.

Conclusion: The CIs value a site visit from a DCE for professional development. The CIs requested guidance for addressing unprofessional student behaviors, discussing effective teaching strategies, and managing students who are not progressing as expected. These themes highlight challenges, which can be addressed through DCE-led training during a planned site visit. Such training could help better equip CIs to supervise students effectively and enhance the overall experience as CIs.