Competency-based PT education (CBE)

Competency-based PT education

Queen’s University’s Physical Therapy (PT) Program is transitioning to a new model of learning: competency-based education (CBE).

PT students will participate in a re-designed curriculum that builds essential competencies as they train to become practice-ready physiotherapists.

CBE organizes training around essential competencies and milestones (e.g., competencies related to physiotherapy expertise, communication, collaboration, management, leadership, scholarship, and professionalism) rather than content areas, and is built to help students progress through milestones over time.

With the transition to Competency Based PT Education, the way we evaluate student performance on clinical placements is also changing. We will be using a new evaluation tool during placements called Physiotherapy Entrustable Professional Activity Assessments (PEPAA). This will allow students to receive earlier and more frequently to help them learn throughout the placement.

Academics in Advance of Clinical Placement

There are 5 clinical physiotherapy placements throughout the 2-year program. Before students are eligible for clinical placement, they will have to demonstrate competence at the expected level of performance in key areas during their academic block. Physiotherapy practice cases, team-based learning, and clinical laboratory learning will be used to help students develop competencies within each of the competency domains.

Watch video →

View Transcript →

Physiotherapy Entrustable Professional Activity Assessments (PEPAA)

A new online assessment system tracks students’ progress earlier, providing more frequent feedback on clinically relevant tasks or responsibilities (the day-to-day activities that you do as a therapist and students perform on placement). These will be embedded throughout placements rather than a big midterm and final evaluation.

Watch video →

View Transcript →

Placement Timing and Academic Half Days

Most placements are 7 weeks long within an 8-week block, a minimum of 210 hours, and 4.5 days per week. Academic half days are embedded throughout placements to allow students to participate in educational activities hosted by the university that will support their learning along-side their physiotherapy placements.

Watch video →

View Transcript →

The exception is PT 885, the final senior clincial placement, which is full-time (5 days per week) over 6 weeks with no academic half days.