Physical Therapy
MPT Program
Prepared by Marcia J.
Pearl
June 30, 2005
Academic Year: 2004-2005
Number of graduates from
the MPT degree program this academic year
was 29
|
III. Changes to Procedures or Curriculum Based on Assessment |
|
|
II. Achievement of Departmental Student Learning Objectives |
IV.Changes in
Department’s Assessment Goals |
Number of students in
MPT program major 110
|
A. Outcomes Assessed |
B. Elements of
Assessment |
|
1.
The graduate physical therapist meets the needs of the consumer, the
profession, and the health care delivery system |
1.a Licensure pass rates 1.b
Course syllabi 1.c
Clinical Performance Instrument scores 1.
d Exit Interviews 1.e
graduate surveys 1.f
employer surveys 1.g
alumni surveys |
|
2.
The graduate has |
2.a
Clinical Advisory Panel meetings 2.b
Pass rate on PEAT 2.c.
Clinical Instructor Feedback 2.d.
Employer survey 2.e
Graduate Survey. |
|
3. The graduate has the appropriate pre-requisites to
assure academic and clinical success in the program |
3.a
Pass rate on PEAT 3.b
Attrition and retention rate |
|
4.
The graduate demonstrates adherence to the APTA Code of Ethics and Standards
of Practice and the Georgia Board of Physical Therapy Practice Act |
4.
a Pass rate on Ethics and Jurisprudence exam 4.b.
Employer survey 4.c
Clinical Performance Instrument Result |
|
5.
The student demonstrates a self-directed plan for professional development
and lifelong learning |
5.
a. Clinical Performance Instrument 5.b
Graduate survey |
C.
Data collected:
Table I: Applicants/Acceptances and Credit Hours
|
YEAR |
FY 2004 |
FY 2005 |
|
Number of applicants |
143 |
166 (for DPT program) |
|
Acceptance rates |
30% |
24% |
|
Credit Hours Generated |
4038 |
4126 |
|
Total Enrollment (3-year
cohort) |
111 |
110 |
Table II Attrition Rate
|
|
Class of 2005 |
Class of 2006 |
Class of 2007 |
|
# of students admitted |
36 |
37 |
42 |
|
# of students lost due to academic performance |
6 |
3 |
3 |
|
Attrition Percentage |
16% |
8% |
7% |
Georgia Hospital Vacancy Rates for Physical
Therapists:
In January 2005
the GSU PT department undertook an analysis of all 167 hospitals in Georgia.
(Mental health and psychiatric facilities were excluded). One hundred and
sixty-one hospitals responded for a response rate of 96% of the
medical/surgical and specialty hospitals in the state.
●The facilities reported 179 vacancies;
many of these vacancies have been unfilled for 6 to 7 months.
Table III Clinical Instructor Assessment:
Surveys of clinical
instructors were done following the students internship. A total of 104 surveys
were obtained for an 87% response rate. The Clinical Instructors were asked :
“Did the GSU Physical therapy
student meet (ME), exceed (EE) or fall below your expectations (BE)?” The
responses follow:
EE ME BE
Professionalism 50% 50%
Interpersonal Skills 43% 57%
Communication Skills 57% 43%
Psychomotor Skills 50% 50%
Academic Preparation 29% 71%
Time Management 50% 36% 14%*
Awareness of Strengths and
Weaknesses 36% 64%
Written Comments:
Continue using the Guide to PT to validate PT
protocols and Hooked on Evidence as well.
Continue the excellent job of
preparing students for clinical
Keep emphasis strong on A and
P, Biomechanics/Kines and Manual Therapy
Quite please with performance
and preparation I would not make any changes
I am pleased with the
programs preparation of students for clinicals
Make sure all applicants
accepted continue to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills
No changes necessary students
are well prepared academically and professionally
No changes needed students
have good basic skill sets and are willing to learn in a clinical environment
Students have good grounding
in basic sciences
Educate students on realistic
dealings with 3rd party payers (need for perseverance, differing pay
schedules, workers comp, Medicare vs. independent insurer)
Overview or intro to hand
eval- i.e., monofilaments, ROM desensitization techniques for RSD
The results indicate that our
students are well-prepared and overwhelmingly meeting and exceeding clinician
expectations. It may be that only those that felt positively responded, but the
form was easy to fill out and could be sent anonymously, so it did allow those
who were unhappy an easy opportunity to respond.
Table IV: Pass Rates on Physical Therapy Licensure
Examination
|
Graduation Year |
GSU pass Rate |
State Pass Rate |
National Pass Rate |
|
2002 |
94.29% |
76.34% |
85.31% |
|
2003 |
86.21% |
84% |
76.68% |
|
2004 |
90.91% |
67.69% |
72.72% |
Exit Interview Data
Exit interviews in 2005 with the graduating students
indicated that 100% of the graduates felt that their clinical experiences were
positive and helped prepare them to function as entry-level practitioners in a
variety of settings. However, they suggested an additional clinical internship
of short duration that might be added to the curriculum at the end of their
course work to allow for specialization or learning of skills beyond the
entry-level such as: lymphedema management, women’s health, additional
pediatric experiences, aquatics and more administrative/supervisory or
leadership opportunities. Students also suggested increased hands on laboratory
experiences with both normal and disabled children. Students completing a
pediatric rotation suggested that Dr. Tieman’s elective be required prior to
allowing a student to be placed in a pediatric internship.
Annual
Graduate Survey
Seventy-three
percent of our graduates remain in Georgia. Of these, 73% work full-time, and
27% work part-time. Additionally, 183 of the graduates (approximately 25%) work
in hospital settings and the remainder, 547 (about 75%), work in out-patient
settings.
The department
conducts an annual survey of our graduates. Aggregate data from the years
2001-2005 shows that 100% of graduates who sought employment obtained
employment. Additionally, our PT graduates report that the mean number of job
offers (per graduate) they received was 3 and that 35% of the graduates had
obtained positions prior to graduation.
The annual
salary of Georgia State University graduates six months following graduation is
shown below.
|
Median annual salary |
$57,330 |
|
Mean annual salary |
$48,480 |
|
Range |
$40,200 - $70,050 |
Table V Employer Survey
Annual surveys of employers laud the program for educating graduates
that are able to “perform competent physical therapy assessments and treatments
on a variety of patients
|
Employer
survey of 2004 graduates completed January 2005: The GSU grad: |
SA |
A |
D |
SD |
|
Demonstrates
the desire to learn and grow |
66% |
34% |
0% |
0 |
|
Demonstrates
initiative |
50% |
44% |
6% |
0 |
|
Communicates
appropriately for target audience |
47% |
53% |
0 |
0 |
|
Communicates
confidently and comfortably with patients, peers, supervisors and caregivers |
38% |
62% |
0 |
0 |
|
Provides
evidence-based research for clinical decision making |
41% |
47% |
12% |
0 |
|
Develops a
plan of care that is appropriate for patient goals |
40% |
60% |
0% |
0 |
|
Performs
competent, fluid assessments on a variety of patients |
44% |
56% |
0 |
0 |
|
Performs
competent, fluid interventions on a variety of patients |
50% |
50% |
0% |
0 |
|
After
receiving constructive feedback changes behavior to function at a higher
level |
66% |
34% |
0 |
0 |
|
Academically
well prepared for this setting / experience |
48% |
40% |
12% |
0 |
|
Demonstrates
a self-directed plan for professional development and lifelong learning |
45% |
55% |
|
|
Data Analysis:
The program is involved in an on-going effort
to determine the effectiveness of the program.
The information collected about the performance of program graduates
related to the practice expectations of the curriculum as well as evidence that
supports the relevance of the program philosophy and the attainment of the
program’s mission, goals and objectives is obtained through ongoing outcome
assessment efforts and used to support future changes in all aspects of the
program. The ongoing process of
assessment includes collection of information on a regular basis with input from
multiple sources and using a variety of methods to gather data.
The data reveal a strong, integrated
curriculum, representative of current practice with an emphasis on clinical
skills and professional behaviors. Students, graduates and clinicians
identified the pediatric component of the curriculum as weak in the application
of clinical skills, and identified that there was insufficient time spent on
gait analysis and wound care.. Surveys of employers found that students do not
persist in the use of data bases and current literature to support clinical
practice decisions once they are out of the program
Exit
interviews with the graduating students indicated that 100% of the graduates
felt that their clinical experiences were positive and helped prepare them to
function as entry-level practitioners in a variety of settings. Additionally,
100% felt that they were adequately prepared for each of the clinical
experiences. However, they suggested additional clinical laboratory experiences
in the pediatric component. With the initiation of the DPT in fall of 2005 an
additional pediatric course will be added to the curriculum.
II Achievement of
Departmental Objectives
Results from exit interviews and surveys following graduation, as well as the 90% pass rate on the licensure exam indicate that the program is successful in preparing competent entry-level practitioners who meet the outcomes and objectives of the program. The program is meeting community needs for healthcare workers and the graduate is employed in a wide variety of settings. The attrition rate within the program is steadily declining indicating that the more rigorous selection criteria and pre-requisites are providing a student that is better prepared to handle the rigors of the curriculum. Students as employees are continuing to be self-directed life-long learners. The program is least successful in instilling the student with the need to utilize current evidence for ongoing clinical decision–making.
III Changes to Procedures and
Curriculum Based on Assessment:
The curriculum is an ongoing development process that involves a cycle of material implementation, assessment, modification, improvement, and reassessment. The curriculum is fine-tuned each year with input from graduates, students, faculty, and clinicians in the community. The faculty, the students, the Clinical Instructors, a Clinical Education Advisory Panel, and a Community Advisory Panel assess the curriculum. These parties review all curriculum changes before they are initiated. The initial curriculum for the DPT program was analyzed for educational "soundness" by these parties. During the curriculum development process the APTA's Normative Model and Guide to Physical Therapist Practice were utilized as resources for the overall curriculum and for specific course development.
Extensive changes have been made to the admissions criteria and interview process. An assessment study was undertaken to determine the correlation of prerequisite criteria and licensure examination pass rate. The study revealed that the higher the overall science GPA and the more credit hours a student had in the sciences, the greater the likelihood for both academic and clinical success The higher the verbal GRE score the greater the likelihood of success on the licensing examination. Therefore, the faculty chose to change the prerequisites to include specific science courses (biology, physics, and chemistry). Assessment will be on-going to determine the impact of the pre-requisites on licensure pass rate and whether the formalized pre-requisites will yield a diverse, yet well-prepared applicant.. With the advent of the DPT scheduled to begin in fall 2005, the department initiated a behavioral interviewing process for applicant selection.
Based upon student, employer and clinical instructor feedback an additional pediatric course will be added to the DPT curriculum in fall 2006. This should allow more time in the curriculum for students to practice and hone their psychomotor skills in this vulnerable population.
Currently, students take four courses in scientific inquiry, which prepare them to critically review the professional literature, perform clinical research and disseminate their findings. Analysis of the graduates revealed that many graduates do not continue to use the literature to support their clinical decision making. The DPT curriculum will incorporate more evidence based clinical decision making using current data bases to immerse the student in the evidentiary process. Additionally, faculty have initiated continuing education for practitioners in the community in hopes that the practitioners, in addition to faculty will model these behaviors.
The DPT curriculum will increase the full-time clinical experiences by four weeks, increasing the acute/subacute care experiences from six to ten weeks. A separate wound care course will be added doubling the number of contact hours students currently have in this topic area. Additional hours will be added for gait analysis and interventions.
Changes
in goals: With the initiation of the DPT program in fall 20054, there are no
plans to change the current goals. The goals will be reassessed annually.