Date of Completion

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy

Keywords

Clinical Exposure, Internship

Abstract

Clinical reasoning is a fundamental skill in physical therapy (PT), where it enables therapists to practice pattern recognition skills and produce effective treatment decisions. This skill is the cornerstone of effective physical therapy practice that facilitates practitioners to make informed judgements and deliver optimal patient care. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of clinical reasoning skills among PT interns which may provide a baseline data for the administrators, educators, and future researchers in assessing the quality of programs, mentorship, and its subsequent effect on clinical practice. This study utilized a cohort study design to examine the clinical reasoning skills of BSPT interns in the institution before and after clinical exposure of physical therapy interns in the selected rehabilitation centers using a validated, self-made questionnaire based on the HOAC II algorithm, that is widely used to cultivate clinical reasoning through its systematic approach in patient management in its data collection and reassessment phase to evaluate their performances in each subphase. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in the clinical reasoning skills of BSPT interns after two months of clinical exposure in the selected rehabilitation centers. Notably, “Planning Intervention” under data collection phase achieved the highest mean of 4.17, while “Reassessment of Anticipated Problems” recorded the highest mean of 3.93 within the reassessment phase. Furthermore, the data collection phase consistently had the highest mean scores in both the pre-test and post-test. These findings highlight the critical role of clinical exposure in enhancing the clinical reasoning skills of BSPT interns, emphasizing the importance of integrating experiential learning opportunities in physical therapy education.

First Advisor

Jeanelle Louise D. Atienza, PTRP, MSPT, CWAT

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