WE‐E‐203‐01: One Model for Teaching Clinical Skills to Medical Physics Master's Degree Students: Employing a Clinical Skills Workbook as Part of a Structured Clinical Practicum Course
Purpose: To present one model for teaching clinical skills to medical physics master's degree students: employing a clinical skills workbook as part of a structured practicum course. Method and Materials: By creating a workbook and accompanying practicum course structure, our goal is to provide a framework for improved learning of medical physics skills in practice. Each workbook section begins with selected references. Included exercises seek to empower the students to think deeply and critically by guiding them through a series of tasks and detailed questions. This encourages them to understand the rationales behind medical physics procedures and to acquire the skills needed to analyze, compare, and implement new technologies. Additional structure and materials help to keep the course cohesive, relevant, and organized. A competency list is employed to track student progress over time. Discussions between students and clinical preceptors are emphasized, and regular individual meetings of each student and preceptor with our Director of Clinical Education are required. The information obtained during these meetings allows close monitoring of student development and intervention when appropriate. Quarterly student evaluations of the course, preceptor, and clinical sites, as well as preceptor input, enable continual improvement of the workbook and course structure. Results: Feedback from students and preceptors indicates that students meet our expectation of at least two full days of practicum work per week for 6 of their 7 quarters in the program, master the majority of tasks outlined in the clinical competency list prior to graduation, achieve a good level of understanding of clinical procedures, and benefit from the enhanced structure our course provides. Conclusion: Through the use of a clinical skills workbook and structured practicum course, we seek to ensure that our students will learn to safely and appropriately practice clinical medical physics.