Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

Health professional education often uses Miller’s pyramid as a model or taxonomy of knowledge and skill levels. However, Miller asserted that the standard method of assessing medical students focused too much on evaluating their knowledge and too little on evaluating how the student might behave in a real-life consultation (Miller, 1990).

Discussion

As a result of the Miller pyramid, medical education moved away from the traditional Flexnerian model, which was primarily based on knowledge assessments, to a clinical-based examination system.

Miller’s Pyramid, which is a model for classifying levels of learning outcomes, can be applied in physical therapy education in the following ways (Kumar et al., 2021):

  • Knowledge: In physical therapy education, students must have a strong foundation of knowledge in anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. This can be assessed through exams, quizzes, and written assignments that test their understanding of the basic sciences.
  • Comprehension: After acquiring knowledge, students must demonstrate an understanding of the material by applying it to real-life scenarios. This can be assessed through case studies, simulated patient encounters, and practical exams that test their ability to apply their knowledge in a clinical setting.
  • Application: To become competent physical therapists, students must be able to apply their knowledge and skills in real-life situations. This can be assessed through clinical rotations, internships, and supervised patient encounters where students can demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge safely and effectively.
  • Analysis: At the highest level, physical therapy students should be able to analyze complex cases and develop effective treatment plans based on their knowledge and experience (Al-Jarshawi & Al-Imam, 2022). This can be assessed through case-based discussions, written assignments, and final exams that test their ability to critically analyze a patient’s condition and develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
  • Synthesis: The top-level focus is synthesizing and integrating information to create something new. This could involve developing new physical therapy techniques, designing research studies, and creating innovative approaches to patient care.

In Physical therapy, Miller’s pyramid is more applicable to assessing clinical reasoning. It must be able to apply all three clinical reasoning levels to provide adequate patient care. In 1990, Miller outlined a method for assessing clinical competence. At the lowest level of the pyramid is knowledge (knows), followed by competence (knows how), performance (shows how), and action (does) (Norcini, 2003).

Following Miller’s method for assessing clinical competence, a PT should be able to recognize problems during diagnostics and formulate practical treatment recommendations based on findings at both the problem and diagnosis levels. Further, these skills must be applied across various age groups and populations in a clinical environment.

Conclusion

Nevertheless, Miller’s Pyramid emphasizes the cognitive elements of competency to develop an evaluation method that recognizes the relevance of diagnostic reasoning. Considering the value of good diagnostic reasoning abilities for effective clinical practice, students must be tested on this ability to verify that they have the skill set required to practice safely (Witheridge et al., 2019). Using Miller’s Pyramid, physical therapy educators can ensure that students progress through various learning outcomes, from basic knowledge to advanced critical thinking skills (Al-Jarshawi & Al-Imam, 2022). This model helps ensure that physical therapy students are well-prepared to provide safe and effective patient care.

References

Al-Jarshawi, M. H. A., & Al-Imam, A. (2022). . Journal of Medical Science, 91(2), e636-e636. Web.

Kumar, D., Jaipurkar, R., Shekhar, A., Sikri, G., & Srinivas, V. (2021). . Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 77, S85-S89. Web.

Norcini, J. J. (2003). . BMJ : British Medical Journal, 326(7392), 753-755. Web.

Miller, G. E. (1990). . Academic Medicine, 65(9), S63-7. Web.

Witheridge, A., Ferns, G., & Scott-Smith, W. (2018). . International Journal of Medical Education, 10, 191-192. Web.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2024, February 7). Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millers-pyramid-knowledge-and-skills-levels/

Work Cited

"Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels." IvyPanda, 7 Feb. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/millers-pyramid-knowledge-and-skills-levels/.

References

IvyPanda. (2024) 'Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels'. 7 February.

References

IvyPanda. 2024. "Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels." February 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millers-pyramid-knowledge-and-skills-levels/.

1. IvyPanda. "Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels." February 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millers-pyramid-knowledge-and-skills-levels/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Miller’s Pyramid: Knowledge and Skills Levels." February 7, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/millers-pyramid-knowledge-and-skills-levels/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1