Background and Purpose: Physical therapy (PT) student academic and clinical success is dependent on their ability to develop clinical reasoning in the first year, especially prior to the first clinical education experience. However, literature has revealed a very low ability of learners to spontaneously transfer basic science knowledge into…

The shift to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in the way education is delivered. The online environment provides a new avenue for physical therapy education. With a majority of undergraduate students taking at least one course online, their perceptions of online learning are critical in the…

Physical therapy (PT) education programs adopting online teaching and learning must ensure students acquire the necessary skills for optimal professional work readiness, including appropriate assessment and feedback in the online environment. The problem addressed in this study is the gap in research related to the use of GoReact video assessment…

The purpose of this study was to investigate physical therapy students' attitudes toward working with older adults. A basic qualitative design geared toward discovering physical therapy students' attitudes, where themes emerge from the findings, was used. The setting was a CAPTE Accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in a 4-year,…

First-generation college students (FGCS) are considered underrepresented minorities in healthcare. While there are numerous studies on undergraduate students, little is known about FGCS in graduate programs, as this information has not been routinely collected. As such, diversity has been measured only based on race or ethnicity, which may not…

The purpose of this quantitative correlational retrospective cohort study was to investigate Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student use of practice quizzes (self-study retrieval practice) and their relationship to academic achievement as a part of self-regulated learning in a foundational science course in the first year of doctoral curriculum.…

The growing complexity of the healthcare environment and the need to equitably address the health and well-being of a diverse patient population has increased the requirement for practical instruction and assessment of clinical reasoning in the training of health professionals. Formative assessment, in the form of feedback, is recognized as an…

According to health care reports, more than 250,000 deaths annually are attributed to medical error, prompting interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives as one way to improve healthcare delivery. The problem is that little is known about the effect of simulation learning with standardized patients on occupational therapy (OT) and physical…

Introduction: Uncertainty exists about the best method for teaching thrust joint manipulation (TJM) to student physical therapists. This dissertation study compared the effects of Peyton's 4-Step (P4) Approach with the "see one, do one" (S1D1) approach on students': (1) Lumbar spine TJM task performance; (2) Attitudes and beliefs towards…

The understanding of student satisfaction as a concept and the methodology by which it is measured varies greatly within higher education research. Studies of student satisfaction specific to the context of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in the United States are scarce and often use assessments borrowed from other industries. Of the…

Curricular guidelines to prepare United States-based Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students to address sexual health do not exist. The literature about this topic is scant and does not describe how DPT faculty design and deliver educational content related to sexual health. The available literature does not link curricular design and delivery…

Many Americans experience high levels of stress, particularly young adults and college students. Stress has been found to be particularly high among students in the health professions, including physical therapy students. High levels of stress, chronic stress, or stress that is not well managed can have negative effects on physical and mental…

Experts estimate that more than half of the people in the United States are at risk of poor health outcomes due to circumstances related to low health literacy levels. Physical therapist professional education programs represent a viable point of intervention to address health literacy in the population from an asset perspective, with the…

An inaugural Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) learning community (LC) curriculum developed out of a perceived need for intentional faculty-student interactions to address personal and professional development and contemporary practice issues. As cohort size almost doubled over the past decade without commensurate growth in faculty, fewer…

This study explored doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students' attitudes, perceived knowledge, and perceived competence specific to social and structural determinants of health (SDOH). Current students in a DPT program housed within a college of public health in an urban research institution served as the participants for this research. The…