Use of the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument as a Grading Tool as Reported by Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education

Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Spring 2004 by English, M Lynn, Wurth, Renee Otte, Ponsler, Michelle, Milam, Andrea

Overall, ACCEs indicated that they are satisfied with the CPI (n=78). According to the satisfied respondents, the most frequently checked positive component of the CPI was that it follows Guide to Physical Therapist Practice13 (GPTP) format and language (n=56). Additionally, 49 of the "satisfied" group perceive the CPI as acceptable because it places emphasis on professional behaviors rather than skills. Among this group, comments indicating suggestions for improvement included: "not all criteria are entry level" (eg, criterion #17: provides consultation), "more specific skills should be listed as samples" (n=27), and "some of the criteria are redundant" (n=26).

More than one third of ACCEs responding (n=45) were not satisfied with the CPI. Though this group identified several positive characteristics of the CPI, including the use of GPTP language and format (n=19) and the allowance for subjective comments by CIs (n=17), they offered multiple suggestions for improvement of the tool. Specifically, they felt a need for additional definitions besides anchors on the VAS (n=29). The fact that the introduction of the CPI requires extensive education of center coordinators of clinical education (CCCKs) and CIs to decrease interrater errors also posed difficulty for this group of respondents (n=26). Nineteen of this "unsatisfied" group concurred with the satisfied group of ACCKs that some of the criteria on the CPI are redundant and more specific skills should be listed as sample behaviors.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the CM is widely used nationally as a grading tool hut is graded using a variety of methods among education programs. As indicated in the Table, however, its use is still dependent on the region in which the PT program is located. The South Central region does not indicate strong use of the CPI, possibly because tills is the region in which the Blue MACS was developed and continues to be used. Recent discussions among ACCEs revealed that there is an effort in the South Central region to combine the best features of the CPI and the Blue MACS to create a new tool. There was no statistically significant relationship between the use of the CPI and any other PT program or ACCE demographics. This demonstrates that the CPI has been accepted as the primary choice for assessing clinical education performance regardless of program or ACCK characteristics.

In the literature, there Is no evidence of a similar effort to establish a national method for grading of clinical education performance. The Blue MACS was widely used prior to the advent of the CPI; the survey used in this study Indicates that many PT education programs have adopted the CPl as the primary tool for grading. ACCKs use a variety of grading methods when assessing performance with the CPI. Many programs use the mark on the VAS along with CI comments and completion of other assignments to determine the success of a student's clinical course. This allows for subjectivity in the grading process. Suggestions for improvement and modification of the tool indicate a strong commitment to the continued effort to establish a national uniform method of grading. The CPI Is gaining support in many regions of the country as the national tool for grading clinical performance.