Resources for Our Learners and Clinic Partners

Resources for Our Clinical Partner Sites

Additional Resources

  • Northern California Clinical Education Consortium (NCCEC) is an organization with representatives from all Northern California physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs and clinical sites.
  • Clinical Instructors (CIs) can become credentialed through the Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program (CCIP). This 2-day course is composed of interactive didactic education sessions followed by an assessment and is frequently offered through APTA, CPTA, and our Northern California Clinical Education Consortium. California licensed PTs who serve as CIs may collect one hour for each week of full-time clinical experience with a student (California Code of Regulations).
  • Guidelines & Self-Assessments for CIs & SCCEs contains worksheets to allow facilities, SCCEs, and CIs to assess their skills, identify weaknesses, and better become clinical educators.
  • UCSF/SFSU uses the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT CPI) to evaluate students in each full-time clinical experience. If a CI has not used this tool before, they MUST complete an online training course through the APTA Learning Center. Once a CI has completed this training, they may access a web version of this tool.
  • California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) website has information regarding continuing education opportunities, legislative updates and CPTA-sponsored CI credentialing programs.
  • The APTA clinical education section has information regarding clinical education site development and federal regulations related to students.

Resources for Our Learners

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.

Attendance and Illness or Medical Emergencies During Clinical Experiences

You are expected to follow the same schedule as your CI during integrated and full-time clinical experiences. Holidays are determined by the schedule of the clinic, and not by the program (clinic holiday time does no need to be made up).

If you are ill or any medical issue arises that could put patients at risk (e.g., communicable illness), you are expected to call and make contact with your CI or SCCE at the site as well as the DCE, by 8am that morning. Your site may be able to suggest a local physician/clinic that provides non-emergency care. In the event of an emergency, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. You are encouraged to identify local care options within their first few days at site as you will be responsible for costs through your medical insurance coverage.

Please also submit an Absence Notification Form on each day of absence (link on CLE page). Failing to notify the clinic and DCE of an absence may result in a No Pass/No Credit grade for the course. Absences for reasons other than illness are not permitted. Time which must be made up may be fulfilled on non-workdays to complete the experience on time, and this must be coordinated with the DCE.

You will work in a variety of health care delivery settings and provide care to a variety of patients with infectious illnesses. Unexpected incidents at site may occur related to patient care, and these must be reported to the DCE within 24 hours. Additionally, most clinics have site-specific policies and procedures for reporting incidents, and students must follow those requirements as well. If you are in doubt as to whether an incident should be reported, please consult with your CI or another supervisor and the DCE as soon as possible.

While at the clinical site, you are directly responsible to the CI/SCCE and the clinical facility, and you must comply with the facility’s policies and procedures, including those related to use of electronics and dress code. You are also responsible for setting up and cleaning up the work area of all assigned patients, as well as assisting in the general maintenance and orderliness of the facility. In addition, personal phone calls should be limited to emergency situations only and should be cleared with your CI. You may not employ cell phones or clinic computers for personal use during working hours.

Communication and Conflict Resolution

Clinical education site partners, faculty, and learners communicate with one another in a meaningful and productive manner, and work in continual close alliance to foster an optimal learning experience. Communications typically include:

  1. Phone Calls/Emails/Zoom Meetings: clinical sites and learners are encouraged to contact the DCE whenever there is a problem, concern, or opportunity to provide feedback. If a CI has concerns regarding the quality of a student’s performance at any point in a clinical experience, they are asked to contact the DCE immediately and jointly determine a timely plan of action to address the problematic areas.
  2. Forms and Questionnaires: usually in preparation for clinical experiences or requesting feedback on the program and the experience.
  3. Clinical Performance Reports: regular evaluation of learner performance is of the utmost importance in as it provides the program and learner with data about the learner’s clinical abilities as well as feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the academic curriculum (thus serving as a basis for appropriate modifications as needed).
  4. Midterm Visits: the program arranges an on-site visit, phone meeting, or video check-in midway through each learner’s clinical experience. At this visit, the DCE or a core faculty designate will meet with the learner and CI together or separately as preferred, and assess progress toward entry-level criteria using the Midterm Visit Form. They will summarize progress made to date, any alternative learning experiences, red flag items or concerns, and appropriateness of supervision, and suggest modifications as needed.
  5. Clinical Educator Meetings: the program co-sponsors an annual meeting for SCCEs and CIs to discuss changes in the clinical education program and provide education on clinical education topics. The DCE also participates in the Northern California Clinical Education Consortium (NCCEC), which provides updates on clinical education concerns to therapists throughout Northern California.
  6. Learners contacting sites: learners are expected to contact their assigned clinical sites at least 6 weeks prior to arrival (ideally 8 weeks prior) at their site to: 1) provide five objectives for their clinical experience and their preferred method of learning; 2) confirm the paperwork and documentation requirements (background checks, drug testing, etc.) as well as any trainings that must be completed prior to beginning the clinical experience; 3) confirm working hours and arrival time/ location for the first day. (Some clinics mail information in advance, but it’s a good idea to re-confirm the appropriate arrival time and location for the first day by calling the clinic one week prior to the start date.)

If for any reason you feel that a clinical experience is not meeting your educational needs, please first seek assistance in defining and resolving the issue from your CI (even if the problem is perceived as a “personality conflict” between the CI and learner). If efforts to resolve the problem directly with the CI have failed, learners are encouraged to approach the SCCE. Learners and CIs/SCCEs should also feel free to contact the DCE at any time (the earlier the better), as they can act as an impartial third party and serve as a mediator if necessary. When possible, a site visit will be arranged to meet with the individuals involved. Learners are also expected to check their UCSF email daily for any clinical education-related communication during a clinical experience.

Termination of a clinical experience may occur if all parties deem the problem unresolvable and request that the experience be terminated. Reassignment will be at the discretion of the DCE, Program Chairs, and core faculty, and will depend on availability of another site.