Studies that expressly define the roles of related service providers in inclusive schools are limited. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences of related service providers, specifically occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech and language pathologists, who practice in an inclusive education setting. An objective was to examine their attitudes and beliefs toward inclusion. This study used role theory as the theoretical framework. Tenets of role theory were used to explain how related service providers have come to understand their roles and responsibilities in the inclusion setting. Purposeful and snowball sampling yielded 10 participants who participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using a multistep, phenomenological analysis method. The participants' descriptions of their involvement in inclusion revealed 7 themes: Expert/consultant, evaluator, direct service provider, mainstreaming, methods of collaboration, member of a multidisciplinary team, and documentation. Findings suggest a strong correlation between the perceived roles of the participants and the generic roles reported in the literature. Three themes emerged from their descriptions of their attitudes toward inclusion: general definition of inclusion, social/behavioral effects on inclusion, and barriers to inclusive education. The participants' views on the behavioral and social impact of inclusive education were mixed. Findings inform stakeholders about the day to day experiences of related service providers in an inclusion setting. This study represents a steppingstone toward increasing awareness of school-based professionals' contributions to the educational experience of special education students.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Chiropractic)-Dept. of Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, 2007 xi, 84, 10 leaves / To establish the profile of the typical patient presenting to private chiropractors in South Africa, in terms of: demographic data; characteristics of the presenting complaint; the knowledge levels of patients on the scope of chiropractic; the diagnosis of the patients; to compare this primary data to existing data from similar international studies.

Tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti kineziterapeutų nuomonę apie profesinį pasirengimą, darbo sąlygas ir specialybės perspektyvas Lietuvos sveikatos priežiūros sistemoje. Tyrimo metodai. Naudojant anoniminę anketą, buvo apklausta 170 respondentų, baigusių kineziterapijos studijas Lietuvos aukštosiose mokyklose. Rezultatai. Studijų metu įgytų žinių, profesinės kvalifikacijos bei pasirengimo praktiniam darbui įvertinimas dažniausiai buvo „geras“ arba „vidutinis“. Šis įvertinimas kito priklausomai nuo aukštosios mokyklos, kurioje baigtos kineziterapijos studijos (p < 0,05). Studijų metu respondentams labiausiai trūko praktinių užsiėmimų (69,4 proc.), disciplinų, susijusių su būsima profesija (52,9 proc.) ir kvalifikuotų dėstytojų (32,9 proc.). 61,8 proc. respondentų trūko profesinės literatūros, 65,3 proc. respondentų pabaigus studijas reikėjo lankyti papildomus kursus. 65 proc. respondentų buvo patenkinti savo darbu. Dažniausios nepasitenkinimo darbu priežastys buvo mažas atlyginimas (40,6 proc.) bei didelis fizinis darbo krūvis (21,2 proc.). Pasitenkinimui darbu turėjo įtakos darbo vietoje esanti kineziterapijos įranga ir priemonės bei pasitenkinimas studijomis (p < 0,05). Didžioji dauguma kineziterapeutų dirba ligoninėse (32,4 proc.), sanatorijose (20,6 proc.) ir poliklinikose (11,8 proc.). Darbe respondentams dažniausiai trūko tokių galimybių kaip atlyginimo augimas (61,0 proc.), gydytojų požiūrio į kineziterapiją keitimas (38,3) bei karjeros siekimas (37,0 proc.). Užsiimant... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the study was to assess the physical therapists‘ opinion about professional education, work conditions and perspectives in Lithuanian health care system. Methods. The anonymous questionnaire was used for persons who graduated Physical Therapy studies in Lithuanian universities and colleges. 170 questionnaires with answers were analyzed. Results. Knowledge, skill and practice obtained during the studies had evaluation point “good” or “moderate”. These evaluation points depend on graduated university or college (p < 0.05). Practice (69.4 %), professional subjects (52.9 %) and qualified teachers (32.9 %) were failed for respondents during the studies. 61.8 % of respondents needed proficiency literature and 65.3 % of them had additional courses after studies to improve them skill. 65 % of respondents were satisfied of their job. The reasons of the dissatisfaction were poor salary (40.6 %) and large physical work load (21.2 %). It was relation between job satisfaction and physical therapy equipment and satisfaction of the studies (p < 0.05). Most of respondents work in the hospitals (32.4 %), sanatoriums (20.6 %) and health centers (11.8 %). Such possibilities like enlargement of salary (61.0 %), changes of physicians’ professional image of physical therapists (38.3 %) and career (37.0) were failed at the work. Inflexible laws were the biggest obstacle in the private practice (47.4 %). 54.1 % of respondents don’t know what is the MN 124:2004 and 22.4 % don’t use it in... [to full text]

Professional physical therapist education programs use a variety of measures of academic performance, aptitude, and interpersonal skills when selecting students for admission. Grade point averages (GPA) and scores on standardized tests, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), are commonly used quantitative measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of these measures in predicting which physical therapist students will encounter difficulty in the academic program or in passing the National Physical Therapist Examination (NPTE). This study used a retrospective longitudinal design. A nationally representative sample of 20 programs was drawn from the population of physical therapist education programs that utilize the GRE and enroll 30 or more students per year. The sample programs provided data regarding student demographic characteristics and undergraduate GPA and GRE scores for each student admitted to the cohorts graduating in 2000 through 2004. Programs also provided data regarding academic difficulty for each student. Data provided by the programs were matched to data provided by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy regarding whether the student encountered difficulty passing the NPTE. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and diagnostic likelihood ratios. The final sample included data on 3,585 students from 20 programs. When controlling for program, cohort, ethnicity, and age, undergraduate GPA (O.R. = 0.851 ±0.031), verbal GRE score (O.R. = 0.970 ±0.017), and quantitative GRE score (O.R. = 0.963 ±0.015) were independently predictive of academic difficulty. Within programs, undergraduate GPA was the most consistent predictor of academic difficulty, contributing to prediction of difficulty for 12 of the programs in the sample. When controlling for program, cohort, and NPTE test version, undergraduate GPA (O.R. = 0.882 ±0.031) , verbal GRE score (O.R = 0.935 ±0.016), and quantitative GRE score (O.R. = 0.965 ± 0.014) were independently predictive of NPTE difficulty. Within programs, verbal GRE score was the most consistent predictor of difficulty on the NPTE, contributing to prediction of difficulty in 11 of the sample programs. The results support the use of undergraduate GPA and GRE scores for making admissions and academic decisions in physical therapist education.

The problem addressed is the significant lack of empirical research to describe the nature and extent of technology for use in physical therapy education (PTE). The goal was to facilitate the use of instructional technologies in accredited physical therapy (PT) courses. Computing technologies offer efficient, accessible methods for delivery of education as well as instructional formats with unique advantages for the allied health sciences. In order to facilitate the use of instructional technologies in accredited PT courses the nature and extent of current technology use in PTE are described. A description of technologies used for health professional education was extracted from the literature and used to develop a valid and reliable online survey instrument. An effort was made to survey all full-time faculty in the 200 Doctor of Physical Therapy programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. A 44% response rate was received from 904 faculty representing 193 programs. The results demonstrate that the technologies used most can be characterized as those that support cognition rather than content delivery. It is also apparent that a significant number of faculty are using technology for education while their self-assessment indicates that they have insufficient knowledge and skills to do so. Also, the findings indicate that many faculty have a limited knowledge of the technologies used in the locations where their students will receive clinical education and possibly gain employment following graduation. These results are discussed in detail. Seven recommendations are offered to facilitate diffusion of technology throughout courses offered in graduate PT programs.

With a growing and more diverse population nationally, physical therapist programs have evolved to meet the demands for physical therapists in our healthcare system. Despite the substantial efforts to increase student populations to meet workforce shortage, 5-35% will depart in the early years of their program. Current evidence suggests the association of measurable factors with students’ academic success in physical therapist education. However, these measurable factors have accounted for a small variance in explaining the experiences of academic success. In order to sustain the current healthcare system, physical therapist programs need to ensure that students persist and graduate. The purposes of this qualitative study are to explore how recent graduates experience the first year of a physical therapist program and how these experiences contribute to academic success and persistence. Eleven recent physical therapist graduates were interviewed for the study. Program, student, and participant-generated documents were collected. Six themes emerged from the data: (a) establishing career goals, (b) evolving expectations from undergraduate to professional education, (c) encountering transitions in personal, social, and financial aspects, (d) balancing multiple identities (e) seeking supports inside and outside of classroom, and (f) modifying strategies to overcome academic challenges. The findings of this study indicate that the participants navigated a complex educational environment by integrating social and academic experiences to achieve their academic success. The findings can be used to inform physical therapist and undergraduate programs as well as potential and current first-year students.

Det finns mycket forskning kring hur individer med Parkinson har möjlighet att förbättra sina fysiologiska funktioner genom träning. Det finns dock få studier som beskriver upplevelser av träningen. Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva upplevelser av sjukgymnastledd gruppträning hos individer med Parkinson och undersöka hur resultatet överensstämde med domänerna i Internationella klassifikationen av funktionstillstånd, funktionshinder och hälsa (ICF). En kvalitativ deskriptiv innehållsanalys tillämpades. Fem deltagare medverkade i studien. En intervjuguide sammanställdes, intervjuerna transkriberades och tolkades. Slutligen sammanställdes resultatet i en tabell med kategorier, subkategorier och koder. Ytterligare en tabell utformades för att redovisa resultatet enligt ICF:s domäner. Det framkom i studien att en sjukdomsspecifik grupp möjliggjorde en trygghet och en social samhörighet. Vidare placerades majoriteten av resultatet inom ICF:s domäner aktivitet/delaktighet samt omgivningsfaktorer, vilket belyste att de psykosociala faktorerna föreföll prägla deltagarnas uppfattningar i större omfattning än de fysiska.

[Truncated abstract] This PhD project was comprised of three major studies. Study 1 utilised the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to identify a typology of difficult patients in private practice physiotherapy and to determine strategies physiotherapists use and would like to improve, when dealing with such patients. Physiotherapists (n=37) also shared their expectations of patients and their perceptions of patient expectations of physiotherapy. Results showed that the two areas most difficult to manage were behavioural problems of patients followed by patient expectations. To assist in their interaction with difficult patients, physiotherapists identified communication skills and behaviour modification techniques as strategies they would most like to learn. While physiotherapists expressed the greatest number of expectations in the behavioural domain, identification of patient expectations was not elicited as a strategy to manage difficult patients. Results of this qualitative study contribute to the evolving literature relating to physiotherapist-patient interactions and form a useful basis for educational programs directed at improving the therapeutic relationship in private practice physiotherapy. Study 2 involved applying the NGT with separate groups of patients (n=26) to identify patient expectations of the qualities of a ‘good’ physiotherapist, and to ascertain the characteristics of good and bad experiences in private practice physiotherapy. Findings indicated that the qualities of a ‘good’ physiotherapist related to their communication ability, professional behaviour and organisational ability, and characteristics of the service provided. The most important expectations of patients were for example, symptomatic relief, self-management strategies and ‘hands on’ treatment; associated with the physical domain. When comparing equivalent groups from Study 1, with patient expectations, most patient groups identified that the most important expectations of physiotherapists would relate to patient behaviours such as; compliance, honesty, payment of their account, being punctual, cooperating, trusting and showing respect for their physiotherapist. However, physiotherapists’ rankings of the most important expectations held by patients were not congruent with patient rankings providing an explanation as to why problems may arise in the physiotherapistpatient interaction from the patient’s perspective. Based on the findings of Study 2 it was suggested that physiotherapists should actively seek to involve patients in their management. To do this effectively, physiotherapists would benefit from further training in communication skills to ensure that they can successfully adopt a patientcentred approach and to optimise the physiotherapist-patient interaction in private practice physiotherapy.

Introduction: Entry-level physical therapist education on pain has been described as lacking. Calls have been made to include pain science courses to address this knowledge gap. Methods: Physical therapist students’ pain knowledge and attitudes were measured using the revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (rNPQ) and Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physical Therapists (PABS-PT), respectively. Univariate ANOVAs, with post hoc pairwise comparison and effect sizes, were used to measure these aspects over time. Results: Pain knowledge and clinician beliefs were significantly different (p < 0.001) at various curricular timepoints. rNPQ scores increased from 1st to 2nd year (effect size: 1.10), remained similar between years 2 and 3, and improved following the pain course (effect size: 1.25). Biomedical beliefs were similar during years 1, 2 and 3, and declined following the pain course (effect size: 1.56). Conversely, psychosocial belief scores increased from 1st to 2nd year (effect size: 0.82), remained similar between years 2 and 3, and increased following the pain course (effect size: 1.08). Discussion/Conclusions: Physical therapist education, without a dedicated pain science course, may be insufficiently preparing students to treat patients in pain. Educators should consider adopting a dedicated pain science course or substantially bolstering embedded curricular pain content to promote best practice in pain treatment.

Purpose: The profession of physical therapy uses physical therapist clinical instructors to educate students in the clinical education portion of the curriculum. The requirements to become a clinical instructor are minimal and non- specific regarding formal training and development. A variety of educational opportunities is available to clinical instructors, but the evidence in the physical therapy literature is conflicting regarding the effectiveness of these programs. Additionally, no previous research regarding the meaning of competence, nor the pathway to achieving competence as a clinical instructor was found. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the experience of achieving competence as perceived by clinical instructors who have chosen different paths toward becoming effective CIs. Methods: This study utilized phenomenological methodology to explore the meaning of clinical instructor competence and the experience of achieving competence from the perspectives of the clinical instructors themselves. Data was collected through the use of focus groups, semi-structured interviews and written statements. Data was analyzed for themes using thematic analysis. Participants: A purposive sample of twenty-nine physical therapist clinical instructors was recruited to participate in five focus groups, each group consisted of 5-7 participants. Results: An overarching theme of “Empowerment” emerged from the data analysis of the transcriptions and field notes. This overarching theme was supported by eight themes which resonated across the five focus groups. These themes were 1: The meaning of competence, 2: “My first student”, 3: Finding the way, 4: Feeling supported, 5: A fork in the road, 6: Barriers to achieving competence, 7: The “ah-ha” moment, 8: “Ongoing road”. Conclusion: The results of this study provide a description and interpretation of the meaning of clinical instructor competence and the journey of achieving competence. These findings can inform and empower clinical instructors on their own journey to competence. CCCEs may also find a deeper awareness of the meaning of competence and the importance of providing support for CIs. The physical therapy education community and it’s professional bodies can also be informed by these findings in establishing a definition of clinical instructor competence. As well as give direction to future efforts and programs designed to prepare clinicians to effectively educate students in the clinic setting.