The relationship between the volume of clinical presentation exposures, hours, and student self-rated confidence

Introduction

The relationship between student's self-rated confidence and competency development is not clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between confidence, the total number of practical hours, and the volume of clinical presentation (CP) exposures.

Methods

Confidence, practical hours, and the volume of CP exposures were collected over the last two years for thirteen undergraduate athletic therapy students, and a Spearman rho and Wilcoxon rank test were employed.

Results

Confidence grew steadily throughout the two years. Statistically significant relationships emerged between confidence and the volume of CP exposures at various time points.

Discussion

There were three significant findings in this study: (a) Confidence grew steadily over the course of a two-year period; (b) the volume of CP exposures could influence confidence growth and, thus, may also be a factor to influence competency development over time; and (c) time alone did not influence the growth in confidence.