Graduate professional programs seek to foster professionalism and civic-mindedness in their students. This study measures the development of civic-mindedness throughout a graduate physical therapy (PT) program curriculum committed to community engagement. Three class cohorts completed the Civic-Minded Professional (CMP) Scale at four time points.…

International service-learning (ISL) programs in physical and occupational therapy programs are increasing in number. This paper describes a needs assessment and initial program evaluation conducted for a physical therapy ISL program at an orphanage in China. Chinese orphanage staff and Widener University physical therapy students were surveyed.…

Introduction and Background: Colleges and universities have an obligation to educate graduate students who demonstrate civic literacy and who can engage in civic inquiry and action. Service-learning and community engagement courses are highly effective in developing civic-mindedness. Graduate professional programs may have additional reasons for…

Introduction and Background: The link between cultural competence and effective physical therapy encounters is established. Physical therapist educational programs face the challenge of fostering the cultural competence of students in effective and meaningful ways within the curriculum. They also face the challenge of measuring the development of…

Many institutions of higher learning engage in activities related to community building. At Widener University, the Institute for Physical Therapy Education has undergone a process to build on relationships with those in its community to create service-learning and community engagement activities that were first initiated with short-term, one-time…