Development of a clinical reasoning tool to support professional education

Introduction: Anecdotal evidence from occupational therapy professional educators suggests that some students have difficulty articulating the clinical reasoning used to support their practice. Clinical reasoning, or professional reasoning as it is now frequently termed, describes the thinking processes used by occupational therapists when planning, conducting and reflecting on practice. Clinical reasoning is the conduit by which tacit knowledge as well as the multiple layers of thought processes can be explicated and shared. Students can use clinical reasoning as a bridge to assist them in applying theoretical knowledge in practice and to communicate with their educators. Objective: To describe the development and use of a Clinical Reasoning Tool to support students and professional educators during professional education experiences. Approach: The paper will describe how clinical reasoning literature, and specifically the Hierarchical Model of Clinical Reasoning, informed the development of the Tool. The Tool was developed to align with commonly used occupational therapy models, such as the Model of Human Occupation and the Canadian Practice Process Framework, thus prompting students to reason at each facet or stage of therapy. The paper will also examine how the Tool can be used in conjunction with Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle. A case study will illustrate how a student could use the Tool on placement. Practice Implications: This paper presents a Tool that can be used by university educators to assist students prepare for placement, and by professional educators to support student learning in a range of environments. The Clinical Reasoning Tool enables students to make informed links between theory and practice. Conclusion: The Clinical Reasoning Tool was developed in response to professional educator feedback to support students on placement. The benefits of the Tool include promotion of a shared language between educators and students and support for deep learning during professional education experiences.