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The Community Patient Resource Group: A Novel Strategy for Bringing the Clinic to the Classroom

Background and Purpose. Creating an authentic context for learning within the classroom setting can be challenging for academic educators. The use of case studies and standardized patients have been described in the literature; however, the use of real patients in the classroom has not been extensively reported. The Krannert School of Physical Therapy (KSPT) at the University of Indianapolis has developed a unique program called the Community Patient Resource Group (CPRG) that provides the opportunity for faculty members to systematically access and integrate actual patients within the classroom setting on an ongoing basis throughout the curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to describe the CPRG and how faculty and students perceive it contributes to student learning. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. The CPRG consists of members from the community with chronic neurological, orthopedic, and/or cardiopulmonary conditions, and who volunteer as “patients” for use in the classroom. Student and faculty perceptions of how CPRG use contributes to student learning were assessed using a 65‐item survey with questions designed from the professional practice expectations from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education criteria. The survey used a 5‐point Likert scale and was distributed to faculty and second and third year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree students (n = 90). Between June 30, 2008, and July 1, 2009, CPRG members were used for 28 different classroom‐learning experiences across 10 different courses for a total of 198 individual CPRG visits. Adult CPRG members with neurological diagnoses constituted 69% of the individual CPRG visits. The types of learning activities were primarily classroom practice of examination or intervention techniques. Outcomes. The return rate for the survey was 71.6%. Internal consistency of the survey as determined by Chronbach's alpha (&agr;) was 0.94. Respondents felt strongly that the use of the CPRG contributed to their learning. CPRG participation was perceived to especially have a positive impact on the development of professional values, examination skills, determination of outcomes, and health promotion and wellness. Discussion and Conclusion. Faculty and students perceive the use of the CPRG to be beneficial across student learning, particularly in the area of professional values. The use of the CPRG offers educators an alternative method for teaching and assessing these skills. The use of the CPRG may be helpful for educators by offering real‐patient interactions on a regular basis in a cost‐effective manner, especially with patients with neurological diagnoses.