The Exemplary Clinical Instructor: A Qualitative Case Study

Background and Purpose. Clinical instructors play an important role in the professional education of physical therapist students. Although characteristics of effective clinical instructors have been described in the literature, some evidence exists that these approaches are not consistently implemented by clinical instructors. Describing in depth the nature of the clinical instructor experience from the viewpoint of an exemplary clinical teacher can provide valuable insight into the clinical teaching process. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe instructional reasoning and teaching strategies used by 1 exemplary clinical instructor. Case Description. Student evaluations of clinical instructors were used to identify an exemplary clinical instructor. Two interviews and a review of artifacts with the clinical instructor were used to collect data. Triangulation of data occurred through interviews with a former student and a coworker. Taped interviews were transcribed and coded to develop the identified themes. Outcomes. Five themes were identified: creating and maintaining an open, collegial environment; facilitating clinical reasoning; adapting the experience to the student; making time for the student; and receiving environmental support. Discussion. The exemplary clinical instructor's approach encouraged active learning and reflection by the student and was focused on development of the clinical reasoning abilities of a future colleague. The support she received from her work environment had an important impact on the clinical instructor's approach. The clinical instructor shared specific teaching strategies that she used to implement her approach, providing insight into clinical instruction not previously described in the literature.