An Online Elective Entry-Level Physical Therapy Oncology Course Guided by Qualitative Analysis of the Student Perspective

Purpose: The Core Competencies for Entry-Level Practice in Acute Care Physical Therapy provides an expectation of entry-level practice in acute care for physical therapists including discharge planning (DP). Physical therapists (PT), despite having appropriate clinical reasoning and unique skills for determining the functional abilities of patients, are less often a part of the DP process. The purpose of this study was to determine, by use of qualitative analysis of reflective writing, if an interprofessional discharge planning simulation will increase students’ understanding of the role of physical therapy in DP. Methods: Students from physical therapy (n=57), undergraduate nursing (n=36), graduate nurse practitioners (n=2), and social work (n=37) participated in a simulation enhanced interprofessional education (Sim-IPE) DP meeting utilizing simulated participants. DPT students were required to complete a reflection paper on this activity. Reflection papers were reviewed and analyzed to identify trends and main themes regarding the role of physical therapist in the discharge planning process. In addition, and sub-themes were then identified through secondary analysis. Results: Three main themes and seven sub-themes were established based on the direct responses to the reflective questions. The first main theme was that it is imperative to identify the main discharge issue particularly as it relates to patient safety and fall risk and to resolve this issue through the DP process. The second main theme was understanding the roles and responsibilities of an interprofessional DP team. The third theme was the identification of the gaps in knowledge with a lack of understanding of the DP process and insurance regulations. Conclusions: DPT students’ gained better understanding of the PT’s role on the healthcare team as it relates to DP; however, there was a belief that other professions were unaware of the PT’s role. The use of a Sim-IPE DP meeting may improve knowledge regarding the discharge process and the role of the PT.

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Integrating Edema Management Into Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Curriculum

Rehabilitation Oncology ◽

10.1097/01.reo.0000000000000092 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 56-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Antoinette P. Sander ◽

Marisa Perdomo

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Entry Level ◽

Doctor Of Physical Therapy

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Entry-level educational systems for physical therapy in Japan

Physical Therapy Reviews ◽

10.1179/108331907x175104 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 117-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hitoshi Tsushima ◽

Masaaki Takahashi

Keyword(s):

Physical Therapy ◽

Educational Systems ◽

Entry Level

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Effects of an integrated geriatric group balance class within an entry-level Doctorate of Physical Therapy program on students’ perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education in the United States

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions ◽

10.3352/jeehp.2016.13.35 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 35 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jennifer C. Reneker ◽

Kyra Weems ◽

Vincent Scaia

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Physical Therapy ◽

Student Perceptions ◽

Geriatric Patients ◽

Physical Therapist ◽

The United States ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Entry Level ◽

Geriatric Education

This study was aimed at determining the effect of an integrated group balance class for community-dwelling older adults within entry-level physical therapist coursework on student perceptions of geriatric physical therapy and geriatric physical therapy education. Twenty-nine Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students, 21–33 years old, in their second year of coursework in 2012, participated in an integrated clinical experience with exposure to geriatric patients at an outpatient facility at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, USA. Student perceptions were collected before and after participation in the 8-week balance class. The Wilcoxon sign-ranked test was used to identify differences in perceptions after participation in the group balance class. Cohen’s d-values were calculated to measure the size of the pre-participation to post-participation effect for each measure. At the conclusion of the group class, the DPT students demonstrated an increase in positive perceptions of geriatric physical therapy in 8 measures, with small effect sizes (d=0.15–0.30). Two perceptions of geriatric physical therapy demonstrated a significant positive increase (P<0.05) with moderate effect sizes (d=0.47 and d=0.50). The students’ perceptions of geriatric education in the curriculum demonstrated a large positive effect for quality (d=1.68) and enjoyment (d=1.96). Positive changes were found in most of the perceptions of geriatrics and geriatric education after participation, suggesting that integrated clinical experiences with geriatric patients are an effective way to positively influence perceptions of physical therapist practice with older adults.

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