Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Student Placements across Regions in Ontario: A Descriptive Comparison

Purpose: To describe the distribution and type of physiotherapy student placements in one year relative to the number of practising physiotherapists of Ontario. Methods: Site information about physiotherapy students' clinical placements in Ontario in 2010 was obtained from Academic Coordinators of Clinical Education. Worksite information about physiotherapists who reported providing direct patient care at a primary employment site in Ontario and at least 600 practice hours in their annual renewal was obtained from the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. Each placement and each physiotherapist was attributed to one of Ontario's 14 local health integration networks (LHINs). For each LHIN, a ratio of student placements to practising physiotherapists was calculated, using summed counts. Counts of placement types by setting, patient mix, and practice area were also calculated for each LHIN. Results: The 5 LHINs in which the university programmes are located had high placement:physiotherapist ratios, from 0.92 to 0.38. The other 9 LHINs had lower ratios, the 3 lowest at approximately 0.15. There was a wide mix of clinical placement types across LHINs. Conclusion: Physiotherapists' participation in physiotherapy students' clinical education varied widely among Ontario regions. Future research could explore whether regional differences are persistent, why they occur, and whether they should be reduced.