How are clinical therapy students prepared to become evidence based practitioners?

Background: There is increasing imputes for evidence based practice (EBP) to be utilised within medical and allied healthcare. To integrate this clinical evidence into everyday practice, students must be equipped with the skills and knowledge required to access this information adequately and interpret and implement this evidence when shaping their practice. Objectives: Exploration of University of Limerick’s final year clinical therapy student’s experiences of acquiring EBP skills, from academic modules and practice education experiences. Student’s perceptions of their preparedness in becoming evidence based practitioners post-graduation are also explored. Methods: Qualitative study of 8 final year clinical therapy students at the University of Limerick. Data was collected through focus groups using a semi-structured interview schedule. Results were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: All participants felt prepared and equipped with the skills to become evidence based practitioners. While EBP skills are developed throughout the academic programme, there is a perception that these skills are not utilised when students transition to professional practice. Barriers reported include time constraints, limited access to research and difficulty generalising research. Participants reported a large variation of EBP during practice education. EBP culture within practice education had a positive influence on its utilisation. Conclusions: The importance of understanding the student experience of EBP and the academic influences is central to promoting positive change in the utilisation of EBP for students. Findings suggest implications for academic institutions and professionals. Greater collaboration should be implemented between academic programmes and practice educators. Further recommendations for professionals are discussed.