Clinical reasoning capability: current understanding and implications for physiotherapy educators

In this paper we critically discuss the latest research in clinical reasoning, and apply the recommendations drawn from this research to realistic scenarios faced by physiotherapy educators in university and clinical settings. We argue that the explicit development of clinical reasoning is a foundation requirement of entry level practice education and cannot be assumed to develop in the absence of specific educational strategies. Educating for clinical reasoning capability is more than knowledge acquisition and practical skill development, rather, it is addressing the ability to use a range of capabilities - cognitive, metacognitive, social and emotional - during clinical decision making. Therefore, educators need to create learning opportunities that make explicit to students the multidimensional nature of clinical reasoning and to support student development of these capabilities.