Journal of Allied Health最新文献

Background: Volunteering at student-run free clinics (SRFCs) is a common way for health science graduate stu¬dents to engage with the community. Although these students come from a multiplicity of educational and experiential backgrounds, it is uncommon for institutions or clinics to incorporate standards for ethical community engagement into their curriculum. Despite positive intentions, having volunteers who are not prepared to engage with the community can lead to unproductive or harmful patient interactions.

Purpose: Student leaders at the SRFC Phillips Neighborhood Clinic (PNC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, designed a training series to introduce and sustain meaningful community engagement by fostering inter¬professionalism and systemic awareness.

Methods: New PNC volunteers attended three training sessions utilizing lecture-style curriculum delivery and case-based learning. Following the final session, volunteers completed an 18-item survey rating program-related competencies before and after training on a 5-point Likert scale.

Results: Of 193 new volunteers,155 (80%) completed the study, and 137 (71%) from 10 professional programs were included in the analysis. Most participants (91%) reported an improvement in at least one assessed competency. On average, volunteers had a self-assessed increase in all competencies, including interprofessional workplace cultural humility, structural competency, structural humility, teamwork, and difference making (p<0.01). The greatest mean change was reflected in teamwork-based competencies (0.66), while the smallest mean change was in structural humility (0.46).

Conclusion: This approach for integrating community engagement training into SRFCs supports volunteers' immediate skills and long-term professional development, prepares them for clinic leadership, and introduces them to community engagement work as healthcare professionals.

Objective: This mixed-method design pilot study explored healthcare graduate students' perceptions of a two-phase wellness intervention.

Participants: Occupational therapy and physical therapy entry-level graduate students (n=53).

Methods: An initial survey guided content for wellness interventions. The first phase (8 weeks) invited students to weekly in-person educational wellness sessions. The second phase (~9 weeks) gave access to a "wellness cart" stocked with wellness supplies. Students shared quantitative and qualitative feedback about the educational sessions and the wellness cart.

Results: Data indicated students perceived the interventions as useful and applicable. Two predominant themes emerged from the group sessions: intentionality in caring for self and sharing techniques for social connection.

Conclusions: Students positively perceived the wellness interventions. Students reported intentionality to incorporate wellness strategies daily and share wellness strategies with others.

Students from the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions at the University of South Alabama in the Audiology, Physician Assistant Studies, and Speech-Language Pathology graduate programs participated in an experiential learning program to engage their overall understanding of three aspects related to cultural awareness: social determinants of health, social justice, and implicit bias. First-year students (n=95) were randomly assigned into interprofessional teams and a pre-test was given prior to the start of the project. A didactic portion followed the pretest and then students conducted interviews with individuals from minoritized backgrounds regarding their real-life experiences with the healthcare system and healthcare practitioners. Students concluded the project by completing a post-test evaluation and provided feedback through a post-program survey. Students' mean performance on the pre-test was 11.46 and post-test was 12.19, out of a possible 15, which was statistically significantly improved (p <0.001, d = 0.42), indicating improved knowledge of cultural awareness topics following participation in the program. Overall, students' awareness of social determinants of health, social justice, and implicit bias improved. Students reported particular value in the experiential interaction with community members from minoritized backgrounds.

Physician assistants (PAs) play a vital role in the healthcare model. Many emotional intelligence (EI) traits contribute to improved patient care. This study explored EI in PA Program roles using a survey assessing EI traits in PA faculty by teaching duration, academic degree, tenure, and leadership appointments. The 136 PA educators completed the Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SREIT). A statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the known average SREIT score and the average score of the surveyed PA educators; a correlation between leadership training and PA leadership appointments, p < 0.001; a correlation between leadership training and degree level, p < 0.05; and a difference between SREIT scores and education levels, p < 0.05, suggesting that PA educators have higher than average SREIT scores, different SREIT scores based on their degree level, and a significant difference between achieved degrees. The practical value of this study is the knowledge of EI skills and their importance in PA educational leadership. This insight could improve educational approaches within PA programs in hiring and improving graduates' skills upon completion. Programs can foster EI training in faculty. Further study can be directed to the many academic fields of medicine. As healthcare positions have different patient care roles, EI traits can improve patient education, communication, and team interaction skills.

Purpose: In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs delivered in a hybrid format, with a significant amount of learning occurring online. There is a need to understand student characteristics that predict success in this format. The purpose of this study was to identify learning and study strategies that predict DPT program cumulative grade point average (cGPA) and performance on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) in a hybrid DPT program.

Methods: Participants included 107 students enrolled in a hybrid DPT program. Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) scores, demographic data, NPTE results, and cGPA were collected. Variables were analyzed using regression analyses to predict NPTE scores and cGPA.

Results: Three LASSI scales including test strategies, selecting main ideas, and anxiety explained 9.8% of the variance in cGPA. Five LASSI scales including self-testing, selecting main ideas, anxiety, concentration, and test strategies explained 18.3% of the variance in NPTE scores. These analyses yielded two primary scale predictors of academic success for hybrid DPT students: self-testing and test strategies.

Conclusions: This is the first study to explore the predictive value of self-regulated learning on NPTE results and cGPA within hybrid DPT education. Self-regulated learning strategies are modifiable and may be used prospectively as targets for intervention to improve NPTE performance.

Objective: This qualitative study seeks to describe the lived experience of historically underrepresented minority physical therapists from exposure and motivation to pursue the physical therapy profession and pathway through academics into clinical practice. The study aims to identify themes that can inform future interventions and supports for historically underrepresented students pursuing a career in a health profession.

Methods: This study used a qualitative, grounded theory approach to uncover the lived experiences of underrepresented minority physical therapists. A convenience sample of 9 participants working in academic physical therapist programs were recruited. Focus groups were conducted. Transcripts were coded and compared across investigators. Themes were developed to encapsulate the data.

Results: Four themes were identified representing the linear progression of the underrepresented minority physical therapists from introduction to the profession through entrance into the profession: strong foundation, narrowing spaces, emerging, and resilience.

Conclusion: Understanding these themes can inform efforts to increase minority representation in the profession. This work is novel in that it stems directly from underrepresented minorities in the profession rather than the former perspective of offices in higher education.

In 2023, only a small percentage (2.3%) of certified Physician Assistants (PAs) held a doctorate degree. No study so far has explored whether a PA doctorate degree makes economic sense or a good return on investment across all certified PAs, which is an important consideration for a practicing PA or a PA student considering a post-master's degree. This article aims to provide an overview of a survey driven salary trends for PAs holding doctorate degrees compared to those with other degrees. The survey analysis involving over 140,000 currently certified PAs reveals that those who possess a doctorate degree tend to earn on average $14,010 more annually than those without a doctorate degree. This salary disparity is statistically significant (P<0.001), indicating that post-master's education is correlated with increased earning potential. The study further highlights the potential economic advantages and limitations of pursuing a doctorate degree and explores available market of providers who offer PA doctorate degrees across the country with respective tuition costs. Based on findings of this paper, there is an economic advantage of pursuing a doctorate degree; however, the decision to pursue an advanced degree should be weighed carefully, considering factors beyond just salary, such as cost, duration, type of clinical employment, and other potential career opportunities.

Background: Canine-assisted intervention (CAI) has been shown to improve well-being in college students, but limited research focuses on physical therapy students. This study aimed to determine the effects of CAI on stress, anxiety, and graduate role adaptation in entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students.

Methods: This study evaluated the impact of CAI on stress, anxiety, and graduate roles in 44 entry-level DPT students. Using a mixed-method, convergent parallel design, participants were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group (EG). The EG engaged in 6 weeks of CAI, interacting with therapy dogs to their comfort level. Stress was defined as perceived psychological pressure, and anxiety as heightened worry or fear.

Results: Quantitative findings revealed sigificant improvements in quality of life for psychological (t(42) = 2.8, p = 0.008, d = 0.84) and social relationship domains (t(42) = 4.0, p < 0.001, d = 1.20). Stress declined significantly after each CAI session, though no long-term differences were observed for stress over time, anxiety, or engagement. Qualitative analysis identified three themes: improved performance and mood, reduced stress and anxiety, and meaningful escapes from academic pressures.

Conclusion: Qualitative results support quantitative findings in this study. CAI may be an effective short-term mental health support to entry-level DPT graduate students.

Aims: Diverse teams can function at the highest levels, producing innovative, impactful outcomes. However, teams must learn to work through conflict that can coexist with diverse perspectives. While teamwork evaluation rubrics exist, there is a shortage of curricula offering early healthcare students tools, practice, and structured feedback toward diverse teamwork preparation. This pilot study aimed to assess feasibility of a novel educational rubric.

Methods: Our multidisciplinary team synthesized 3 validated rubrics to develop a Diverse Teams Rubric (DTR). We investigated the DTR through a retrospective survey of doctoral physical therapy (DPT) students who had recently completed a team-based course. The survey included the 8-item DTR and 14 questions about DTR feasibility.

Results: Of 42 respondents, 89% endorsed the DTR's usefulness in evaluating team effectiveness. 83% reported their team was diverse and 36% reported experiencing microaggressions within past teams. Regarding the DTR, the microaggressions item ("Team effectively managed microaggressions.") received the lowest average score.

Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest DPT students find the DTR accessible and useful in promoting team skills within diverse group-learning settings. Students frequently encounter microaggressions in teams and responses suggest increased education is warranted. Next steps include prospective DTR assessment and validation, with particular attention to psychological safety.

This study explored the impact of a curriculum-embedded health coaching program on student professionalism. We compared physical therapy students who participated in a coaching program (n=79) to a control group who did not (n=70). We analyzed differences between the two groups and examined the association of group to achievement of better performance ratings. We found differences between the groups in ratings on the variables that measured safety, communication, professional behavior, and accountability. We also found associations between group and the achievement of a rating of advanced intermediate or better for the same variables. These findings suggest that health coaching programs can promote professionalism and student self-efficacy early in their clinical training. Future research should investigate the program's impact on other relevant areas.