Balancing the Scales: Factors Shaping Physical Therapy Clinical Education Capacity.

This article examines physiotherapists' perspectives on factors influencing their engagement in clinical education (CE) to increase CE capacity in the Greater Toronto Area amid a growing need for physiotherapists in Canada. Using qualitative focus groups with 15 registered physiotherapists, five key themes emerged affecting CE participation: work efficiency, workplace factors, university factors, student factors, and clinician factors. While clinicians value CE for student development and professional fulfillment, barriers such as decreased work efficiency during student supervision, limited physical space, COVID-19-related staffing challenges, and student interpersonal skills were noted. Enablers included supportive organizational culture, university resources, and positive student attitudes toward learning. The study highlights the importance of collaborative efforts among stakeholders to address these factors and recommends further research including physiotherapists not currently engaged in CE to better understand and expand placement opportunities.