The Prevalence and Characteristics of Physical Therapy Pro Bono Services Involving Doctor of Physical Therapy Students (original) (raw)
Related papers
2017
Physical therapist education programs strive to prepare their students for full-time clinical experiences in a variety of ways. Experiential and service learning in authentic contexts reportedly help students make connections between the classroom and the clinic. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences that service in a physical therapy pro bono clinic has on a first full-time clinical education experience. Methods: Participants were all third year doctoral physical therapy students at Widener University who were entering their first full-time clinical education experience. Sixteen participants kept journals throughout their first full-time clinical experience regarding the impact of their previous pro bono experience. Upon completion of the 10-week full-time clinical experience, the sixteen participants answered a Likert-scale survey to further delineate the influence of the pro bono experience, and fifteen of the participants participated in focus group discussions to further explore themes that emerged from the journal and survey data. Data from the focus group and journals were analyzed qualitatively. The responses from the surveys provided quantitative data. In addition, the researchers looked at the Clinical Instructors (CI) midterm comments on the APTA's Clinical Performance Instrument (APTA PT CPI WEB) to further corroborate or disconfirm the findings. Results: Triangulation of the data points revealed 9 categories of positive impact that the pro bono experience had on their first full-time clinical experience. The strongest three categories in order were client interaction, clinical instructor interaction, and professional communication. The next five categories were of relative equal strength and related to specifics areas of competency. They were competency in documentation, evaluation, intervention, clinical reasoning and cultural competency. A final overarching category was increased confidence. CI comments on the midterm CPI corroborated these findings. Participants also shared ways in which the pro bono experience could have better prepared them for their full-time clinical experience. Conclusions: Regular participation in a pro bono clinic throughout the didactic portion of the physical therapy curriculum contributed to student confidence and competence in their first full-time clinical experience. Future research should include interviews with the clinical instructors to further corroborate the student perceptions. The findings of this study also serve to inform how the pro bono clinical experience can be enhanced to further contribute positively to the students' first full-time clinical experiences.
Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 2017
Purpose: Physical therapist education programs strive to prepare their students for full-time clinical experiences in a variety of ways. Experiential and service learning in authentic contexts reportedly help students make connections between the classroom and the clinic. The purpose of this study was to explore the influences that service in a physical therapy pro bono clinic has on a first full-time clinical education experience. Methods: Participants were all third year doctoral physical therapy students at Widener University who were entering their first full-time clinical education experience. Sixteen participants kept journals throughout their first full-time clinical experience regarding the impact of their previous pro bono experience. Upon completion of the 10-week full-time clinical experience, the sixteen participants answered a Likert-scale survey to further delineate the influence of the pro bono experience, and fifteen of the participants participated in focus group di...
Physical Therapy, 2013
Background The physical therapy profession has called for the provision of pro bono services. Little is known about the impact on students involved in sustainable pro bono leadership. One physical therapy program established a pro bono physical therapy clinic under the direct leadership of a board of students. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of the inaugural members of the Chester Community Physical Therapy Clinic Student Board in creating and launching the student-led pro bono physical therapy clinic. Methods A purposive sample of the 18 members participated in semistructured interviews. Content analysis was conducted using a commercially available software program. Trustworthiness was enhanced with credibility, transferability, and confirmability. Results The emergent categories were: (1) leadership skill development, (2) competency in hands-on clinical and administrative skills, and (3) commitment to both the community and the clinic. Pride eme...
The Internet journal of allied health sciences and practice, 2023
Purpose: Purpose: Student-driven pro bono clinics provide a profound clinical education experience for health professional students while serving members of the community. Currently, there is little research on how the pro-bono clinic impacts the community members involved. The purpose of this study was to examine outcomes following discharge from a pro bono clinic held through an entry-level physical therapy program. Methods: Methods: Forty-one volunteer community members, 19 males (M) (46.3%) and 22 females (F) (53.6%), participated in this study. Ages ranged from 20-90 years, with a mean age of 41(17) years. Each community member completed the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFS), Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) during the initial evaluation and discharge sessions. Community members were seen for 60 minutes once per week for a total of 2-5 visits. Descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, and means of the pre-test data and the post-test data were performed. Results: Results: Wilcoxon Signed Rank test revealed significance at Z=-4.37, pConclusion: Community members who participated in the student-driven pro bono clinic achieved statistically significant improvement in pain and physical function. In addition to the established benefit of experiential learning received by the student, our study supports a received benefit to the community member.
2019
Introduction: The American Physical Therapy Association Code of Ethics and Vision Statement encourage physical therapists to provide pro bono services to the economically disadvantaged, uninsured, and underinsured. Despite professional socialization during professional education, physical therapists and physical therapy students consistently indicate the need for improvement in social responsibility and altruism. The purpose of this study is to identify if participation in student-run free clinics (SRFC) as student physical therapists correlates with high values of altruism, social responsibility, and cultural competency as practicing physical therapists. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to practicing therapists who had the opportunity to participate in SRFCs as physical therapy students. The survey consisted of 48 questions divided into six sections: SRFC involvement; value on providing pro bono services, altruism, social responsibility, cultural competency; demographi...
Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, 2020
Purpose: Academic physical therapy programs strive to foster student readiness for full-time clinical education experiences in a variety of ways. This research looks at one program who has students participate in a student-run pro bono clinic for at least 60 hours prior to the first full-time clinic experience. The purpose of the study is to explore the influence that participation in this pro bono clinic has on a first full-time clinical education experience from the perspective of both the student and the clinical instructor (CI). Methods: Qualitative methodology was employed to gain the perspectives of 29 students and their respective CIs. Data collection included student journals and focus groups, and CI Likert-scale rankings and open-ended questions upon midterm calls. Data points were triangulated through iterative data analysis. Results: CIs rated students high in the eight categories that were triangulated to student data. The themes that were strongest among both students a...
Progress in Medical sciences, 2022
This article explores the critical role physical therapists play in the United States healthcare system, particularly in managing musculoskeletal conditions. It discusses the rigorous educational requirements to become a licensed physical therapist, the increasing demand for these professionals due to the aging population, and the challenges they face, including operational costs, patient care, and burnout. The article also addresses the effects of physical therapy being classified as a Schedule A occupation and how it can be leveraged to improve staffing. It also offers strategies to improve reimbursement rates, reduce burnout, and enhance the quality of care. It concludes by emphasizing the need for advocacy, research, and collaboration to advance the profession. The scope for future study is to promote cash-based care versus insurance-based care to reduce insurance influence by insurance companies and improve revenue.
2019
Background: Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) provide opportunities for student physical therapists (SPTs) to develop their clinical skills while serving the community. However, the frequency of volunteering is not consistent amongst students. The purpose of this report is to investigate motivators, barriers, and facilitators to volunteering as a SPT at an SRFC.Methods: A mixed methods study was completed in two parts. First, an electronic survey was sent to Year 1 and Year 2 SPTs. Second, focus group interviews were completed with two groups: high frequency SPTs (4+ times volunteered) and low frequency SPTs (0-3 times volunteered).Results: The survey was sent to 119 students, with a response rate of 39.5% (n=47). Top motivators were practicing intervention techniques (78.7%, n=37), improving examination skills (68.1%, n=32), and community service (63.8%, n=30). The top barrier was clinic hours (66%, n=31). The top potential facilitator was extra credit (61.7%, n=29). Focus groups su...