Building flexibility in allied health education: An evaluation of student competency development in a simulated telehealth clinic

Online education offers opportunity to address disparities in access to health professional education. However, the research and scholarship required to demonstrate the effectiveness of online education is in its infancy. This project will investigate the effectiveness of online clinical education, in particular the use of telehealth as a mode for development of students’ clinical competence. A mixed methods approach will be used to explore student experiences of telehealth and their competency development. Positive outcomes would enable increased flexibility and therefore access to health education for a geographically and socially broader segment of society.