Dogs Offering Guidance: Therapeutic Observation for Reducing Examination Anxiety (DOGTOR).

Summary

Physiotherapists work closely with patients to assess, diagnose and treat a variety of conditions. Thus, it is essential that education should assess these key competencies through both written examinations (to measure cognitive understanding) and practical examinations (to measure clinical skills). Practical examinations have been found to require more preparation and have been reported to be more anxiety-inducing than other forms of examination. One possible strategy to assist with reducing examination stress for students is canine interaction. In the inpatient hospital setting, animal-assisted therapy has found to be a safe and useful option for managing stress. Within the university setting, canine interaction has been shown to improve mood, affect, well-being and reduce stress. However, most of the previous work in this area did not investigate canine-intervention during exams. This study will utilise a randomised-controlled trial design to measure the impact of canine interaction immediately prior to practical examinations on perceived and physiological stress and determine if canine interaction impacts examination scores.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

* Students enrolled in subject PTY5015 (Preparation for Clinical Practice) in the La Trobe University Physiotherapy Graduate Entry Masters program only.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Anyone not enrolled in PTY5015

Conditions2

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