Factors which influence chiropractic student confidence during the clinical internship

Hecimovich, M. (2010) Factors which influence chiropractic student confidence during the clinical internship. In: Association of Chiropractic Colleges Research Agenda Conference, 18 - 20 March, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Abstract

The internship is an integral component of chiropractic programs and a time when students are exposed to real patients in a supervised clinic or similar environment which provides them with the opportunity to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills 1.

Internships purport to increase clinical competence, foster development of a positive self-image 2 and allow educators and mentors to collaborate in enhancing the transition from student to professional 3. The internship also appears to be more significant than other learning opportunities in the building of confidence 4 during a student’s tertiary experience with the assumption that confidence will increase due to the experience gained through clinical exposure. If one of the goals of the internship is providing an environment that increases confidence then developing a better understanding of the factors which affect it is vital. Therefore the aims of this study were, 1) to measure change in student confidence in clinical and patient communication skills during an internship paying attention to the interaction effect of gender, age, experience within the profession, and qualification upon entry into the program, and 2) determine which factors of the internship increased or decreased student confidence in clinical skills and patient communication.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Chiropractic and Sports Science
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/10651

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