title: "They put you on your toes": Physical Therapists' Perceived Benefits from and Barriers to Supervising Students in the Clinical Setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the perceived benefits of and barriers to clinical supervision of physical therapy (PT) students.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this qualitative descriptive study, three focus groups and six key-informant interviews were conducted with clinical physical therapists or administrators working in acute care, orthopaedic rehabilitation, or complex continuing care. Data were coded and analyzed for common ideas using a constant comparison approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Perceived barriers to supervising students tended to be extrinsic: time and space constraints, challenging or difficult students, and decreased autonomy or flexibility for the clinical physical therapists. Benefits tended to be intrinsic: teaching provided personal gratification by promoting reflective practice and exposing clinical educators to current knowledge. The culture of different health care institutions was an important factor in therapists' perceptions of student supervision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite different disciplines and models of supervision, there is considerable synchronicity in the issues reported by physical therapists and other disciplines. Embedding the value of clinical teaching in the institution, along with strong communication links among academic partners, institutions, and potential clinical faculty, may mitigate barriers and increase the commitment and satisfaction of teaching staff.
authors.affiliation: Robyn Davies, BHScPT, MAppScPT:  Education Practice Leader, Physiotherapy Services, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Lecturer, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cott
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D059825:Physical Therapists; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012046:Rehabilitation; D013334:Students; D014034:Toes