Audit of use of a common undergraduate physiotherapy clinical assessment form

Assessment of student performance in clinical settings is common practice in healthcare education. As part of quality procedures, a three-part audit was undertaken of the use of a common undergraduate physiotherapy clinical education assessment form. Part one involved comparative statistical analysis of the marks awarded to students from the four participating institutions in relation to five variables-student age, gender, race, level of study, and clinical speciality. Significant differences were found for some variables. In Part two, the final marks and clinicians' comments were compared. Content analysis identified perceived differences in some forms. Part three involved clinician completion of a postal questionnaire survey of how they used and completed the form. Appropriate use of the form was found for the vast majority of respondents. Overall, the audit found the form to be a useful, sensitive tool. Recommendations were made for small improvements in form detail and specific focus areas during clinician educator training.