Clinical Education Administration

Readiness, Required Trainings & Documentation Requirements

The Director of Clinical Education (DCE) and Core Faculty determine eligibility for each learner to participate in clinical education experiences. Criteria include but are not limited to:

  1. Cumulative 3.0 GPA at both UCSF and SFSU, and in combination
  2. Passing grades and 100% safety on all practical and competency exams
  3. Compliance with professional behavior expectations
  4. Additional for PT 802: Passing grade on acute care qualifying exam
  5. Additional for PT 418: Passing grade on orthopedic and neurological qualifying exams

Learners must also upload required documentation including proof of immunizations and completed trainings to CastleBranch in order to participate in clinical education experiences. Some sites may require additional documents (e.g., recent background check, drug screening) or trainings prior to starting a clinical experience.

Communication

Learners are expected to check their UCSF email daily and respond within 48 hours throughout the clinical experience.

The DCE is the liaison between the program/students and sites. Learners must not communicate directly with any clinical sites unless directed to do so by the DCE. The DCE/core faculty completes midterm visits, reviews performance evaluations, and hosts an annual clinical educators meeting. Clinical education site partners, faculty, and learners are expected to communicate with one another in a meaningful and productive manner, and work in continual close alliance to foster an optimal learning experience.

Clinical Accommodations

We are committed to providing equal access to all clinical education opportunities. If you have documentation from Student Disability Services (SDS) detailing accommodations in the clinical setting, please share your letter with the DCE as soon as possible. You should also share this information with the SCCE once you are assigned to a clinical site. The DCE will work with the site to determine what supports may be put in place to allow full participation in the clinical education experience.

Conflict Resolution

If you feel that a clinical experience is not meeting your educational needs, it's strongly recommended that you notify the DCE that you're experiencing challenges. First seek assistance in defining and addressing the issue with your Clinical Instructor (CI), even if the concern appears to be a personality conflict. If efforts to resolve the issue with your CI are unsuccessful, update the DCE as soon as possible so that further support including the Site Coordinator of Clinical Education (SCCE) can be arranged. Both learners and CIs/SCCEs are also welcome to contact the DCE at any time (earlier is better!) especially if a neutral third party may be helpful. When appropriate, a site visit may be arranged to support resolution.

If the concern cannot be resolved, it may be deemed necessary to terminate the clinical experience early. If a clinical is terminated, the learner will not pass the course and will meet with the DCE and Academic and Professionalism Review Committee (APRC) to discuss the challenges and develop a learner success plan together. Reassignment will be at the discretion of the DCE and will depend on the availability of another clinical site.

Clinical Placement Process

Clinical placements are made with academic and clinical learning needs as the top priority. While every effort is made to place learners in one of their preferred sites, this may not always be possible as multiple factors influence final assignments. The DCE, in collaboration with core faculty, considers site availability, educational fit, clinical interests, diversity of patient populations, preparation for generalist practice, hardship requests, and site-specific application or interview requirements. If placements need to change due to cancellations or other unforeseen circumstances, reassignment will occur as promptly as possible. Learners may occasionally face financial or geographic inconveniences, as the DCE strives to meet educational needs while maintaining strong relationships with affiliated clinical sites. In essence, the process is:

  • Upon entering the program, the clinical education team meets with students to gather general information such as clinical interests and preferences. 
  • The DCE collects placement offers from clinical partners using Exxat. Some clinical partners reserve placements exclusively for our program while others offer them on a first-come, first-served basis to multiple DPT programs.  
  • The DCE provides learners a list of all placement options, and learners can review the information about each clinic and the experience offered. 
  • Students submit a ranked list of their preferences in Exxat. 
  • An algorithm combining Exxat software and clinical education team discretion in considering preferences, accommodations, previous placements, program requirements, and other factors is used to determine placements.

Establishing New Clinical Sites

Learners must not contact any site directly; learners can recommend new clinical sites to the DCE, who is best placed to determine if the site meets the needs of learners in the program, is able to provide high quality clinical education, and has or needs a Training Affiliation Agreement (TAA) with the University (one must be in place prior to any clinical experiences). The DCE is responsible for developing and maintaining partnerships with all sites. Intensive effort is made to select clinical sites that will provide continued partnership with the program and a rich learning environment for our learners.