scholarly journals Imperfect physician assistant and physical therapist admissions processes in the United States

Author(s):  
Phillip Eugene Jones ◽  
Susan Simpkins ◽  
Jennie Alicea Hocking

We compared and contrasted physician assistant and physical therapy profession admissions processes based on the similar number of accredited programs in the United States and the co-existence of many programs in the same school of health professions, because both professions conduct similar centralized application procedures administered by the same organization. Many studies are critical of the fallibility and inadequate scientific rigor of the high-stakes nature of health professions admissions decisions, yet typical admission processes remain very similar. Cognitive variables, most notably undergraduate grade point averages, have been shown to be the best predictors of academic achievement in the health professions. The variability of non-cognitive attributes assessed and the methods used to measure them have come under increasing scrutiny in the literature. The variance in health professions students’ performance in the classroom and on certifying examinations remains unexplained, and cognitive considerations vary considerably between and among programs that describe them. One uncertainty resulting from this review is whether or not desired candidate attributes highly sought after by individual programs are more student-centered or graduate-centered. Based on the findings from the literature, we suggest that student success in the classroom versus the clinic is based on a different set of variables. Given the range of positions and general lack of reliability and validity in studies of non-cognitive admissions attributes, we think that health professions admissions processes remain imperfect works in progress.

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (10) ◽  
pp. 1759-1770
Author(s):  
Craig P Hensley ◽  
Devyn Millican ◽  
Nida Hamilton ◽  
Amy Yang ◽  
Jungwha Lee ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives Motion analysis is performed by physical therapists to assess and improve movement. Two-dimensional video-based motion analysis (VBMA) is available for smartphones/tablets and requires little to no equipment or cost. Research on VBMA use in clinical practice is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the current use of VBMA in orthopedic physical therapist practice. Methods Members of the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy completed an online survey. Questions examined frequency of VBMA use, reasons for use, facilitators/barriers, device/apps used, practice patterns, other certificates/degrees, and demographic information. Results Among the final analysis sample of 477 respondents, 228 (47.8%) use VBMA. Of 228 VBMA users, 91.2% reported using it for ≤25% of their caseload, and 57.9% reported using their personal device to capture movement. Reasons for using VBMA included visual feedback for patient education (91.7%), analysis of movement (91.2%), and assessment of progress (51.8%). Barriers to use included lack of device/equipment (48.8%), lack of space (48.6%), and time restraint (32.1%). Those with ≤20 years of clinical experience (odds ratio [OR] = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.21–2.76), residency training (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.14–5.43), and fellowship training (OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.32–6.66), and those from the West region of the United States (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.07–2.56) were more likely to use VBMA. Conclusions More than 50% of surveyed orthopedic physical therapists do not use VBMA in clinical practice. Future research should be directed toward assessing reliability and validity of VBMA use by smartphones, tablets, and apps and examining whether VBMA use enhances treatment outcomes. Data security, patient confidentiality, and integration into the electronic medical record should be addressed. Impact This study is the first to our knowledge to describe the use of VBMA in orthopedic physical therapist practice in the United States. It is the first step in understanding how VBMA is used and might be used to enhance clinical assessment and treatment outcomes.


Author(s):  
Melissa Wallace

In an attempt to analyze the reliability and validity of the most frequently used oral certification exams for court interpreters in the United States, this chapter examines the basic test model used for state-level certification through the lens of concepts in testing theory. Having identified several limitations to the currently used performance-based model, a hybrid model which includes competency-based education and assessment is proposed. By building on best practices in competency-based education, the alternative credentialing paradigm proposed here would represent an innovation in the context of court interpreter certification in the United States, requiring the transfer of assessment criteria usually used in traditional educational contexts into the realm of professional training. The proposed hybrid model would necessitate a shift from one high-stakes exam to assessment of a series of compartmentalized competency clusters that would account for soft skills and dispositional traits not currently assessed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ianita Zlateva ◽  
Amanda Schiessl ◽  
Nashwa Khalid ◽  
Kerry Bamrick ◽  
Margaret Flinter

Abstract Background In recent years, health centers in the United States have embraced the opportunity to train the next generation of health professionals. The uniqueness of the health centers as teaching settings emphasizes the need to determine if health professions training programs align with health center priorities and the nature of any adjustments that would be needed to successfully implement a training program. We sought to address this need by developing and validating a new survey that measures organizational readiness constructs important for the implementation of health professions training programs at health centers where the primary role of the organizations and individuals is healthcare delivery. Methods The study incorporated several methodological steps for developing and validating a measure for assessing health center readiness to engage with health professions programs. A conceptual framework was developed based on literature review and later validated by 20 experts in two focus groups. A survey-item pool was generated and mapped to the conceptual framework and further refined and validated by 13 experts in three modified Delphi rounds. The survey items were pilot-tested with 212 health center employees. The final survey structure was derived through exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency reliability of the scale and subscales was evaluated using Chronbach’s alpha. Results The exploratory factor analysis revealed a 41-item, 7-subscale solution for the survey structure, with 72% of total variance explained. Cronbach’s alphas (.79–.97) indicated high internal consistency reliability. The survey measures: readiness to engage, evidence strength and quality of the health professions training program, relative advantage of the program, financial resources, additional resources, implementation team, and implementation plan. Conclusions The final survey, the Readiness to Train Assessment Tool (RTAT), is theoretically-based, valid and reliable. It provides an opportunity to evaluate health centers’ readiness to implement health professions programs. When followed with appropriate change strategies, the readiness evaluations could make the implementation of health professions training programs, and their spread across the United States, more efficient and cost-effective. While developed specifically for health centers, the survey may be useful to other healthcare organizations willing to assess their readiness to implement education and training programs.


2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 416-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn E. Roach ◽  
Jody S. Frost ◽  
Nora J. Francis ◽  
Scott Giles ◽  
Jon T. Nordrum ◽  
...  

Background Based on changes in core physical therapy documents and problems with the earlier version, the Physical Therapist Clinical Performance Instrument (PT CPI): Version 1997 was revised to create the PT CPI: Version 2006. Objective The purpose of this study was to validate the PT CPI: Version 2006 for use with physical therapist students as a measure of clinical performance. Design This was a combined cross-sectional and prospective study. Methods A convenience sample of physical therapist students from the United States and Canada participated in this study. The PT CPI: Version 2006 was used to collect CPI item–level data from the clinical instructor about student performance at midterm and final evaluation periods in the clinical internship. Midterm evaluation data were collected from 196 students, and final evaluation data were collected from 171 students. The students who participated in the study had a mean age of 24.8 years (SD=2.3, range=21–41). Sixty-seven percent of the participants were from programs in the United States, and 33% were from Canada. Results The PT CPI: Version 2006 demonstrated good internal consistency, and factor analysis with varimax rotation produced a 3-factor solution explaining 94% of the variance. Construct validity was supported by differences in CPI item scores between students on early compared with final clinical experiences. Validity also was supported by significant score changes from midterm to final evaluations for students on both early and final internships and by fair to moderate correlations between prior clinical experience and remaining course work. Limitations This study did not examine rater reliability. Conclusion The results support the PT CPI: Version 2006 as a valid measure of physical therapist student clinical performance.


2014 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Howard Wainer

ABSTRACT The formal licensing of physicians in the United States began with the 1889 Supreme Court Decision Dent v. West Virginia. From that time forward, tests, in one form or another, have played a crucial role in medical licensing. In this essay we trace the history of testing from its beginnings in Xia dynasty China, 4000 years ago, though its adoption for the Indian civil service system by the British Raj, and finally ending with the 1992 introduction of the modern United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). The focus here is on the most important development in testing since the Jesuits introduced written exams to the West in 1599 — the substitution of a large number of objectively scored multiple choice exam questions for a relatively small number of essays or interview questions. This approach provided increased reliability and validity of score, broadened the number of topics that could be addressed, diminished the cost of the exam, allowed results to be calculated almost instantly, and, through the use of computerized test administration, provided the opportunity for tests to be individually tailored for each examinee while maintaining comparability of scores across all examinees.


Psychologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
Celia Yaneth Quiroz Campas ◽  
Eyder Bolivar Mojica ◽  
Margarita Juárez Nájera ◽  
Jorge Hernández Valdés ◽  
Cruz García Lirios

Provisions for migration underlie asymmetric relations between sending and receiving countries, such as the cases of Mexico and the United States of America, although studies focus on stigma. The objective of this study was to establish the reliability and construct validity of an instrument that measures the phenomenon. A transversal and exploratory work was carried out with a selection of 300 students, considering their affiliation to a public university in a strategic alliance with multinationals for vocational training. A structure of four factors related to risk, utility, hyperopia and identity was observed, although the design of the research limited the results to the research scenario, suggesting the extension of the work towards negative dispositions such as exclusion, discrimination and the stigma. Keywords: Migration, Identity, Hyperopia, Helplessness, Reliability.


Author(s):  
Jeff R. Hale ◽  
Dail Fields

This chapter presents items comprising three scales that measure servant leadership using three key dimensions: service, humility, and vision. The instrument was used to measure servant leadership behaviors experienced by followers in the United States and Ghana. Reliability and validity evidence is included from two research studies. A discussion of the relationship of servant leadership behaviors with employee outcomes assessed in these studies concludes the chapter.


2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1014-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela W Duncan

Abstract Pamela W Duncan, PT, PhD, FAPTA Dr Duncan has actively participated in and contributed to physical therapist practice, physical therapist professional education, professional preparation of other health care providers, national policy development related to rehabilitation after stroke and aging, and scientific investigation. She has served several government appointments and provides leadership within several organizations. She served as co-chair of the Consensus Panel on Establishing Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation for the Agency for Health Care Policy, Research, and Education. She was a panel member on the National Institutes of Health's Total Hip Replacement Consensus Conference and served on the Strategic Planning Group for Stroke Research for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. She recently was appointed to serve on the Steering Committee of the Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and is currently on the Executive Leadership Council of the American Stroke Foundation and the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Stroke Network. She has served on committees and panels for the American Heart Association and was president of APTA's Neurology section. Dr Duncan's research activities focus on geriatric rehabilitation, stroke rehabilitation, and health outcomes measurement. She developed the Functional Reach Test, used to assess balance in older adults. In the past 20 years, she has received $13 million in research awards as principal investigator or co-investigator from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Aging, American Heart Association, Department of Veteran's Affairs, and National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research and from multiple private funding sources. Dr Duncan has disseminated her research findings in more than 80 peer-reviewed articles in 20 different journals, and she has written a book and 12 book chapters. Dr Duncan's work has influenced the care and rehabilitation of patients in the United States and worldwide. Physical therapy education programs across the country incorporate her findings and professional vision into the preparation of the next generation of physical therapists. APTA has awarded Dr Duncan the Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy, the Catherine Worthingham Fellowship Award, and the Mary McMillan Scholarship Award. She has also received research awards from the APTA Neurology Section, Sports Physical Therapy Section, and Section on Geriatrics, as well as a service award from the Neurology Section. She is an elected fellow of the Stroke Council of the American Heart Association and has given 8 invited lectureships at universities across the United States.


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