Factors associated with student satisfaction within a regional student-led physiotherapy clinic: A retrospective qualitative study

Clinical education requires students to integrate theoretical knowledge and skills into real-life clinical environments. Most clinical education opportunities remain within metropolitan hospitals where student education is often secondary to patient care. In response, many Universities are developing student-led clinics that focus on the student educational experience, whilst providing high-quality patient care. Understanding factors associated with student satisfaction within student-led physiotherapy clinics, particularly in regional areas, is necessary to build the regional and rural workforce. Thirty-eight students from a 3rd and 4th year Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Hons) undergraduate degree completed written open-ended student feedback at the completion of a five-week placement within a student-led allied health clinic in Rockhampton, Queensland between 2018 and 2019. These data were collected as feedback for the clinic and were not related to course evaluations. All responses were then transformed into one document per question and analysed following an inductive approach and semantic thematic analysis. Using thematic analysis, five key themes were identified to impact student satisfaction: 1) clinical educators and clinic staff; 2) feedback to students; 3) professional development opportunities; 4) low patient numbers and a lack of clinical presentations; and 5) facilities, equipment, and resources. This study has identified several key factors associated with positive and negative student satisfaction within a regional student-led physiotherapy clinic. Implementing factors associated with positive student satisfaction will likely enhance student learning experience and improve the clinical placement experience, potentially improving recruitment opportunities in a regional setting.