Physical therapy students’ perception of their ability of clinical and clinical decision-making skills enhanced after simulation-based learning courses in the United States: a repeated measures design

Purpose It aimed to investigate physical therapy students’ perception of their ability of clinical and clinical decision-making skills after a simulation-based learning course in the United States. Methods Survey questionnaires were administered to voluntary participants, including 44 second and third-year physical therapy students of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences during 2021–2022. Thirty-six questionnaire items consisted of 4 demographic items, 1 general evaluation, 21 test items for clinical decision-making skills, and 4 clinical skill items. Descriptive and inferential statistics evaluated differences in students’ perception of their ability in clinical decision-making and clinical skills, pre- and post-simulation, and post-first clinical experience during 2021–2022. ResultsFriedman test revealed a significant increase from pre- to post-simulation in perception of the ability of clinical and clinical decision-making skills total tool score (P Conclusion The above findings suggest that simulation-based learning helped students begin their first clinical experience with enhanced clinical and clinical decision-making skills