Digital Commons Network^™

Influence Of A Post-­Graduate Physical Therapy Residency Program On Clinical Reasoning, Professional Development, And Career Advancement In Nairobi, Kenya, Shala Cunningham

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Problem Statement

Residency programs that emphasize clinical reasoning and manual therapy can provide a means to optimize the outcomes of physical therapy without the need for or access to expensive equipment. The residency format of continuing education could allow physical therapists in developing countries access to specialty training and ongoing mentorship. However, there are limited studies that investigate the influence of residency training on the progression of clinical reasoning, professional development, and career advancement.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was threefold. The first objective was to describe the outcome of a post-graduate orthopaedic manual therapy residency program on development …

Physical Therapists’ Beliefs About Preparation To Work In Special Care Nurseries And Neonatal Intensive Care Units, Joyce Lammers

Department of Physical Therapy Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

BACKGROUND: Physical therapists (PTs) may care for full-term or premature newborns in all levels of hospital nurseries. There is some endorsement in the published physical therapy literature for restricting practice in the nursery setting to only those PTs with specialized training.1-4 PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of becoming and being a physical therapist in a special care nursery (SCN) or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from the therapists’ perspective. METHODS: The participants were physical therapists who have practiced in a SCN or NICU in the United States. A phenomenological approach was used and data …

Post-Traumatic Stress And Academic Performance Among Entry-Level Doctoral Physical Therapy Students In A Human Anatomy Cadaver Dissection Course, Sue E. Curfman, Gary P. Austin, Joyce S. Nicholas

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Dissection of human cadavers can be a stressful experience for students. Purpose: The purposes of this study were twofold: 1) to determine if physical therapy students develop or experience a worsening of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms during exposure to and dissection of human cadavers; and 2) to determine if these symptoms are related to academic performance. Methods: Previous history of a diagnosis of anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and level of prior exposure to cadavers were recorded among 26 entry-level first semester doctoral students in physical therapy (DPT) taking gross human anatomy. Their level of anxiety about working …