Review and Verification of Clinical Education Sites and Affiliation Agreements

It is imperative to the success of the clinical education component of the curriculum that each clinical site and affiliation agreement is frequently and consistently reviewed. Therefore, the DCE will review all clinical affiliation agreements every five (5) years in January as of 2015. The review will consist of verifying that the agreement language is accurate and consistent with the current laws, regulations, and accreditation standards, and is adequate for the needs of the program and clinical facility. Furthermore, the DCE will review the affiliation agreement language for accurate and consistent delineation of the rights and responsibilities of the institution and clinical facility including responsibility for patient care, supervision of students, the evaluation of students and assignment of student grades. Any agreements requiring updates will be discussed with the university’s legal counsel prior to changes being implemented and the newly updated contract being signed. Additionally, if feedback is needed related to components of the agreement or to ascertain if changes in the healthcare arena have occurred that may affect the agreements, a survey will be sent to the program’s advisory board and local SCCEs. This feedback and information will be discussed with the PD and the university’s legal counsel to guide affiliation agreement updates.

Procedure

The DCE will gather data related to each clinical facility through the following documents: Clinical Facility Information Document, PTA Student Evaluation: Clinical Experience and Clinical Instruction, and the Clinical Practicum Midterm Visit handbook. This data will be maintained on an annual basis every January in the Clinical Facility Information Annual Checklist. During the five (5) year review, facilities who have or are willing to accept students and provide them with appropriate clinical experiences and instruction, as evidenced by assessment of each site and instructor, will continue to have an active agreement with the program. In the event that the agreement is expiring, a new or updated agreement will be established. Any clinical facility that is missing information will be contacted to update the Annual Checklist. If the facility refuses to provide the information, is unable to accept students, or is unable to provide appropriate clinical experiences or instructors, students will not be placed with the site and a contract renewal will not be offered.