Page 73 - Radiation Therapy Flipbook

medical dosimetry students. This group project is a clinical simulation in which each team member communicates to the
group their part of the patient care process. The rubric is used by instructors from the different areas to grade each
student’s contribution to the group, one part specifically pertaining to their communication skills. The students this year
showed great communication skills, all receiving an 8 out of 10 or higher.

Action Plan based on Analysis: In clinic III, as we do every year, (to counter the comfort level students begin to feel in
this semester), we will reiterate in our clinical meeting the importance of great patient communication and reintroduce the
AIDET principle. We will also explain to them that our expectation for their ability to provide exceptional patient
communication will also go up as they begin clinic III. With the 4 students that did not receive an “above average” or
“excellent” rating we will have a one-on-one meeting with them to help to help them identify how to improve their
patient communication skills. We will continue to use the interprofessional simulation lab to evaluate the students’
communication skills as it is a new lab that has only been in use for 3 years.

Results/Improvement(s) noted based on the action plans that were implemented: In 2017, we implemented the
AIDET principle into our curriculum at the suggestion of a couple of our clinic sites. Since then we have seen a big
increase in our student’s confidence when interacting with patients. The interprofessional simulation lab has really added
insight for the students on what other healthcare professionals do for the patients and increased their ability to
communicate with healthcare workers within the radiation oncology department.

Re-evaluation Date: 2021 – Do we want to keep using the Clinical Preceptor Clinical evaluation tool to assess our
student’s communication skills?

Student Learning Outcome 1.2
Analysis: The research paper continues to be one of the biggest challenges for the students throughout the entire program.
The overall average for the class was an 84.1, but 5 out of 18 students did not score an 85 or higher; although only 1
student did not receive an overall passing score (77 or higher). We continue to see an upward trend in scores over the last
5 years. The following semester the students complete the case management study and scores are generally better. This
year the mean was 88.4, with only 2 students not receiving a score of 85 or higher. All students achieved a passing score.

Results/Improvement(s) noted based on the action plans that were implemented: In 2017, we revised the rubric for
the research paper, provided an example paper, and provided more instructions on how to conduct research for their
paper. This seemed to help students in their expectations of the assignment and their ability to gather quality research
articles. The case management project has undergone little change in the last 5 years.

Re-evaluation Date: 2021 – We have decided that the research paper will continue to be assessed because we believe it
is an attainable goal, and if we continue to foster the student’s ability to write a research paper they will be more prepared
if they decide to work towards their master’s degree later on. We also believe it is the reason the students do so much
better on the case management project. We are going to look for a different evaluation tool to replace the case
management project. Although we will continue to have the assignment, we are going to look for a different tool that
might provide more insight into the ability of the students to use written communication effectively in the healthcare
environment.

Click HERE for a blank template.