Journal of Allied Health最新文献

Recent literature has indicated that United States healthcare worker stress levels has been consistently high over the past several years. However, the impact of practice setting in the field of physical therapy was not explored. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study, using a cross-sectional approach, was to evaluate the perceived workplace stress levels of physical therapists (PTs) and to examine how the stress levels relate to specific practice settings and other demographic variables. Stress levels were identified by administering the Perceived Stress Scale and a demographic questionnaire was used to gather participant characteristic information. A total of 124 PTs completed the survey. Results indicated that most PTs experienced moderate (53.2%) or low (40.3%) job-related stress with no statistically significant difference between practice settings (F(2,121) = 0.442, p > 0.05). Further analysis showed that participants who reported receiving treatment/counseling services for stress (13.7%) and those who reported their PT employment as one of their primary stressors (64.5%) had statistically significantly higher stress than those reporting the opposite.

Introduction: Research shows that belongingness positively correlates to students' academic performance and achievement. The lack of belongingness may limit students' progression within an educational setting and limit academic achievement. This exploratory study aims to explore belongingness among Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students and describe the factors that influence belongingness within a single academic program.

Methods: The Belongingness in Higher Education Institutions (BES-HE) scale was revised for DPT students and was completed electronically by actively enrolled first and second-year students (n=58) at an individual private institution. Respondents also completed one open-ended prompt to describe factors that influenced their belongingness. Overall belongingness scores were reported along with comparative measures using Mann-Whitney U testing, and qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Students highlighted friendships, team-based learning, fitting in, class size, culture, program activities, and relationships with faculty as factors influencing belongingness within an academic program. Statistical significance for belongingness was found only within the variable of sexual orientation. Students self-identifying as LGBTQ+ reported a lower sense of belongingness in the subcategories of student community, integration, and total overall belongingness scores.

Conclusion: The BES-HE is one tool that could be used to measure belongingness and better understand the factors that influence belongingness within a DPT program.

While much of the existing literature on interprofessional education (IPE) informs collaboration among providers in healthcare settings, less is known about effects of virtual IPE experiences related to school-based practice. We utilized a repeated measure design and retrospective analysis to examine changes in occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students' self-reported IP competence and perceptions concerning a virtual IPE experience about school-based practice. Students' self-perception of IP competence was measured using the Interprofessional Collaborative Competencies Attainment Survey-Revised (ICCAS-R) and three post-event reflection questions. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, post hoc analysis, and ANOVA were used to compare scores on the ICCAS-R and program effect on time. Data from 130 completed surveys revealed that graduate students reported greater agreement on post-ICCAS statements, suggesting greater perceived confidence post-IPE experience. Analyses revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between the number of types of collab¬oration experiences and pre- and post-ICCAS-R scores (p<0.05). An interpretive thematic analysis revealed four main themes from students' self-assessment of their communication and collaboration abilities in team situations. These findings highlight benefits of a virtual IPE experience on graduate students' perceived IP competence in school-based practice. Virtual IPE effectively addresses accreditation standards and supports development of IPEC competencies related to roles and responsibilities, communication, and teamwork.

Background: This study investigates the perceptions of safety among entry-level doctoral occupational therapy (OT) students during their Level II fieldwork and capstone experiences. The significance of safety, defined as emotional comfort and the ability to express oneself authentically, is emphasized in fostering learning outcomes and mental health. The paper highlights that institutions providing safe spaces enhance acceptance and conversely, a lack of emotional safety, often due to microaggressions, adversely affects student retention and mental health.

Method: An author-created survey was utilized at the conclusion of the program to 45 third-year OT students. The 10-item survey assessed perceived physical and emotional safety during fieldwork/clinical rotations and capstone, occurrences of microaggressions, and possible solutions to improve student's sense of safety.

Results: The majority of respondents reported feeling physically (95%) and emotionally (72%) safe overall. However, Level II fieldwork/clinicals was identified as the setting where students reported the most frequent lack of safety. Six main themes impacting safety perceptions were identified: expectations, reflection/advocacy, education/preparation, communication, coping strategy, and the acknowledgment that some students may not require interventions.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that allied health academic programs should take steps to ensure that the safe spaces created during didactic portions of the curriculum extend into clinical and experiential settings. This approach will not only improve learning outcomes but also support students' mental health and their ability to provide quality healthcare. Future research should focus on evidence-based practices to support student safety in clinical education.

Allied and behavioral health professionals (ABHP) interact with clients who may be at higher risk for substance misuse or substance use disorders (SUD) due to mental health problems, relational problems, and acute/chronic pain due to injury/illness. These problems can lead to more substance misuse and affect daily life activities and overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, not enough individuals seek treatment due to stigma associated with substance use, partially because of the lack of properly trained and educated healthcare professionals. The researchers developed an interprofessional training program using the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to develop learning modules focused on understanding the science of addiction, the stigma related to addictions, and the basic interviewing and assessment techniques to support appropriate substance use intervention and referral. The goal was to prepare ABHP students to appropriately address substance use as part of their future professional practice. The SBIRT learning modules used pre/post test quizzes to collect data on the effectiveness. 140 occupational and physical therapy and mental health counselling students completed the training and the results showed a significant increase in participants knowledge supporting the value of the SBIRT training.

Prerequisite courses have been a staple in admissions requirements for health programs for more than a century. Prerequisites serve various roles including achieving accreditation standards, determining academic preparation, predicting academic success, and informing admissions decisions. While the theories purported to support prerequisite courses have largely remained static, the challenges for educators and applicants have evolved. In addition to training future healthcare providers, contemporary educators are focused on attracting and training a diverse workforce as well as attaining enrollment targets to ensure financial stability. We propose 4 assumptions that pit common prerequisite practices against these contemporary challenges including limitations caused by the cost of prerequisites, disproportionate burden on underrepresented minorities, extraordinarily complex and variable policies, and a disconnect between grades and knowledge retention. Continuing to operate under these assumptions creates unnecessary barriers for potential students. We offer model practices for approaching prerequisites with more flexibility. These practices involve refining expectations for learning, normalizing alternatives to coursework, conducting prospective research, analyzing relevant data, and exploring more personalized pathways and holistic practices. As higher education changes and the demand for healthcare providers increases, innovation to the admissions process is needed to identify those who can complete programs and become competent healthcare providers.

Resistance training is considered the most effective intervention for increasing older people's muscle mass and strength. Thus, we created the Sukubara®, a self-administered training system (squat + balance training) that incorporates a new low-load exercise. In this study, we hypothesize that introducing Sukubara will positively affect skeletal muscle mass and physical function. A preliminary verification was carried out on healthy, non-elderly participants who were recruited from the hospital staff. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups for a 12-week intervention: the resistance training group (R group) that performed the Sukubara exercise program and the control group (C group) that did not. This study's primary end¬point was a change in skeletal muscle mass, while the secondary endpoints were knee extension strength and one-leg standing time with eyes closed. An analysis of the 18 participants (R group = 8; C group = 10) was performed. Results showed that skeletal muscle mass, knee extension strength, and one-leg standing time were significantly improved or tended to be significantly higher in the R group than in the C group. Our study concluded that, by incorporating low-load exercise, Sukubara resulted in muscle hypertrophy and improved physical function.

The Journal of Allied Health came into existence as a quarterly publication of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) in 1972. Issues were prepared in paper format and distributed by the U.S. Postal Service, a process that continues to the present day. Subsequently, the establishment of the Internet as a vital means of communication sent a strong message that the Journal should aim to keep relevant with the changing times by adding an online version. That addition commenced with the Spring 2001 issue through a company in England called Ingenta. Most recently, the ASAHP Board of Directors decided that publication in paper format will end with the Winter 2024 issue. Going forward, all subsequent iterations will be made available exclusively online.

Admission to physical therapist education programs (PTEPs) is commonly based on cognitive attributes such as undergraduate grade point average (uGPA), pre-requisite course GPA (pre-req GPA), and sometimes Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, admissions interviews or essays. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships between non-cognitive attributes identified through a personality-oriented job analysis (POJA) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student academic performance to improve admissions procedures and DPT student education and training. The present study examined correlations among 12 non-cognitive attributes identified through the POJA and existing cognitive admission criteria, specifically uGPA and pre-req GPA, with DPT grades in the first semester of the PTEP. Multiple regression using non-cognitive attributes in addition to current cognitive admissions criteria showed that uGPA was the strongest predictor of DPT grades, followed by self-reflection and anxiousness/neuroticism (negatively). While uGPA was the strongest predictor of DPT student GPA, it may be valuable to add measures of self-reflection and anxiousness/neuroticism to the admissions process to increase the likelihood of success academically. The present study adds to a still limited body of knowledge of how both cognitive and non-cognitive attributes predict graduate academic performance in a variety of health professions.

A radiation therapist (RTT) is a key member of the radiation oncology team responsible for delivering radiation and providing direct patient care to individuals undergoing cancer treatment. Stony Brook University's School of Health Professions, in collaboration with Mount Sinai Health System's Department of Radiation Oncology, offers a unique RTT Program structure: a 4-year baccalaureate degree followed by a 12-month clinical non-credit, non-degree certificate. The RTT Program embeds concepts such as the theory of gynecologic malignancies, introduced in the didactic setting and mastered in the clinical environment. The program assigns credentialed RTTs, referred to as "RTT mentors" to students upon acceptance to the program. These mentors offer additional support to students by translating theoretical and practical aspects of the curriculum and guiding students through their academic and clinical education. This article aims to demonstrate how the hallmarks of gynecologic malignancies are integrated into radiation therapy education, from both the student's and mentor's perspectives, and across the didactic and clinical setting.