BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE In 2000, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) established key goals for autonomous practice in the Vision 2020 statement. Included in these goals was evi- dence-based practice (EBP). 1 This directive called for a shift from a clinical decision framework based primarily on authority and tradition to an alternative framework of EBP. Physical therapist (PT) educators responded to this directive with broad adjustments in curriculum structures, instructional strate- gies, and evaluation. Evaluation and integra- tion of evidence move beyond the research class; they are considered necessary skills across the curriculum. 2,3 Academic preparation of PTs extends be- yond the classroom; it relies on practicing PTs who serve as clinical instructors (CIs) during clinical internships. The clinical component of the curriculum, the clinical internship, potentially provides the ideal environment for reinforcement of EBP skills and clinical reasoning, as it presents real pa- tient problems, requires patient communica- tion, and offers the opportunity to evaluate and reflect on a patient outcome. 4 However, like other health care professionals, PTs find barriers to practicing, and, therefore, teaching within an EBP framework. Clini- cal instructors may not be equipped with the knowledge and competencies to teach EBP. 5-10 Clinical education poses a potential gap in the evidence-based (EB) curriculum that must be addressed. The purpose of this study was to imple- ment an EBP student project that moved beyond traditional approaches of direct in- struction of EBP by requiring application of EBP to a clinical situation. A student project was designed based on EBP competencies outlined by Sackett. 11 The students com- pleted a highly structured project under the supervision of the CI to situate application of EBP in an authentic, naturally occurring clinical context. As a means of academic out- reach, the student presented the project as a staff in-service that was designed to model the EBP competencies. This study captured the student and PT learning outcomes, EBP competency, and EB clinical behaviors. At a time of unprecedented growth in the availability of information and technologies, Americans have come to expect improved health care services, better outcomes, and the latest medical procedures and medica- tions that research promises. Research on the quality of care exposes the inability of health care providers to translate emerging information to consistent, safe, quality, and cost-effective practice. The 2001 Institute of Medicine report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, 12 identifies 6 aims for improvement in the US health care system: safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and eq- uitable health care. One recommendation is EB decision making that ensures that pa- tients receive care that is based on the best scientific knowledge rather than on highly variable, individual practice preferences. To achieve this goal, maintenance of clinical competency becomes a continual process of integrating emerging evidence with skills refined through experience. Evidence-based decision making is a concept that was intro- duced by Sackett in 1983. 13 Sackett integrat- ed patient-centered, participatory care with research in defining EBM as the “integra- tion of best research evidence with clinical RESEARCH PAPER The Effects of Modeling Evidence-Based Practice During the Clinical Internship Carla Sabus, PT, PhD 74 Journal of Physical Therapy Education Vol 22, No 3, Winter 2008 Results. Students significantly improved on the EBP competency scale (t 30 = 2.683, P < .012). Physical therapists also significantly improved (t 77 = -7.253, P < .000). Students and physical therapists did not have significant improvements in EB clinical behavior. More recent graduation year, younger age, higher professional (entry-level) degrees, and American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) membership are positive predic- tors of EBP competency and EB clinical behavior in CIs. Discussion and Conclusion. A student project and in-service that models EBP in a clinical context appears to be a prac- tical method for advancing EBP compe- tencies. Further studies are warranted to address EB clinical behavior. Key Words: Clinical education, Evi- dence-based practice, Physical therapist education. Background and Purpose. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an evidence-based practice (EBP) student project and in-service de- signed to extend classroom knowledge of EBP to a clinical application. This survey study evaluated EBP competency and evidence-based (EB) clinical behaviors of the student and physical therapists before and after the student project and in-ser- vice. A follow-up survey evaluated the use of EBP by new graduates. Subjects. Thirty-one Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students participated in the study during clinical internships oc- curring in the last semester of the pro- gram. Eighty-four physical therapists participated, including a subgroup of 55 clinical instructors (CIs). Methods. At the outset of the clinical in- ternship, participants completed a prein- tervention survey. Within the first 2 weeks of the internship, the student initiated the EBP project based on EBP competencies outlined by Sackett. 11 The project was presented as a staff in-service designed to model the range of EBP competencies. Participants completed post-intervention surveys following the in-service. The stu- dents completed surveys 3 months after graduation. Carla Sabus is director of clinical education in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow, Kansas City, KS 66160 (csabus@kumc.edu). Please address all correspondence to Carla Sabus. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at University of Kansas Medical Center. This study was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Dr Sabus’ PhD degree in Curriculum and Teaching at the University of Kansas, School of Education, Lawrence, KS. Partial results of this study were presented at Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, February 7-9, 2008, Nashville, TN. Received April 14, 2008, and accepted August 28, 2008.