Clinical placement and clinical skills at Ahfad university for women physiotherapy education

Background: Clinical placement programs are very important experience that help physiotherapy students in acquiring more practical skills and confidence to communicate, assess, set goals, and treat patients. It is important part of the physiotherapy education curriculum that students must go through in order to obtain the Bachelor degree. This study was designed to assess the effect of clinical placement on the confidence and skills on physiotherapy students at Ahfad University for Women (AUW) in Omdurman, Sudan. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study used questionnaires to collect the data on the objectives. The study conducted at the physiotherapy department at AUW. The study population includes total of 80 students distributed as follows: 15 students (18.7%) at second year, 19 students (23.7%) at third year, 18 students (22.5%) at fourth year and 28 students (35%) at fifth year. Skills and confidence were determined using assessment questions based on case studies. Results: The results obtained revealed that students in the academic years that were exposed to more clinic placements (I.e., 4th and 5th year students) showed high confidence in selecting appropriate treatment (44.4%) and (32.1%) and most of the confidence assessment questions. Also, most of the fourth- and fifth-year students showed better results in the skills assessment questions than second- and third-year students. Conclusion: Students of 5th year at AUW physiotherapy program gain more confidence and problem-solving skills compared to other years. Recommendations: More in depth investigations is required to assess, evaluate, and improve the physiotherapy educational programs specifically at AUW and generally in Sudan.