Novel clinical learning from a student-led clinic

Background : Student-led clinics have the potential to meet community rehabilitation needs and provide valuable clinical placement experiences. Student-led clinical learning may offer pedagogical advantages similar to problem-based learning; however, this line of research is new and little is known about student-led clinical learning. The purpose of this study was to describe the novel learning experiences of a clinical placement in a student-led clinic from student perspectives. Methods : We conducted a descriptive qualitative focus group study with six participants. The focus group began with an open-ended question: 'What does the student-led clinic mean to you as a learner?' This was followed by a discussion of three topics: (1) the student-led clinic is learner focused; (2) faculty involvement in supervision; and (3) learning in a shared space with other students. A content analysis was used to analyse the data, and a summary of the researcher's interpretations was sent to study participants for further comments. Results : There were two major themes that represented experiences within the student-led clinic. 'Increased responsibility' was viewed as a novel experience, and as reducing the perceived gap between the classroom and the 'real world'. As clinical instructors do not carry their own caseload, the second theme pertained to 'Safety-in-learning'. Although this theme was not viewed as novel, it was perceived to be important in enabling autonomy. Conclusion : Student-led clinics have clear community benefits by mitigating service gaps while providing experiential learning opportunities. These learning opportunities are perceived to be novel, and may resemble advantages observed in the classroom with problem-based learning.