Abstract
The effect of clinical simulations on student learning in the teaching of ethics in a physical therapy curriculum was examined in a study of the experiences of 54 physical therapy students enrolled in a course in ethics in physical therapy practice. During the three-semester-hour course, the students participated in two clinical simulations that were referred to as standardized patient interactions. The first focused on the ethical dilemma of honoring patient autonomy when it may be in direct tension with promoting beneficence or good for the patient, and the second focused on the issue of physical locus of authority. The study data sources were as follows: the two videotaped SP interactions; two post-standardized patient interaction debriefing/self-reflection instruments; student peer and self-assessments; pretest/posttest scores on a self-efficacy survey tool; and ethics committee case consultation reports. Based on the structured debriefing sessions and videotaped standardized patient interactions, the study's author concluded that the standardized patient interactions provided the students with a more realistic, authentic experience that mirrors clinical reality and enhances the clinical credibility of ethics. As structured learning experiences, the standardized patient interactions gave students opportunities to grapple with uncertainty in the context of performance. (The bibliography lists 18 references. A self-efficacy precourse/postcourse survey tool is appended.) (MN)