A questionnaire survey of difficulties in clinical practice perceived by physical therapy students

[Purpose] We aimed to investigate the difficulties perceived by physical therapy students during clinical practice, and to identify the associated factors based on the results of our previous interview survey. We collected opinions from these students through a questionnaire survey. Furthermore, we analyzed the relationships between the difficulties perceived by physical therapy students during clinical practice and the students’ level of achievement at the end of their clinical practice. [Participants and Methods] The study included 176 students, who had completed comprehensive clinical practice during their fourth year, to rate the difficulties perceived by them on an 11-point scale from 0 to 10. [Results] There were 127 responses. Through exploratory factor analysis, 43 items representing 5 factors were selected: Factor 1, difficulties related to communication of behavioral improvement/relationship building; Factor 2, difficulty obtaining supportive guidance/having appropriate learning environments coordinated; Factor 3, difficulty organizing/expressing clinical reasoning for physical therapy; Factor 4, difficulty learning in the clinical practice environment; and Factor 5, difficulty managing patients/adapting to the environment. [Conclusion] Regardless of the level of achievement at the end of clinical practice, the students strongly perceived “Factor 2: difficulty obtaining supportive guidance/having appropriate learning environments coordinated”. The results identified the factors associated with the difficulties perceived by physical therapy students during clinical practice, thereby providing a basis for resolving such difficulties.