Education Commons^™

The Allied Health Work Readiness Study: Identifying Personal Characteristics Signalling Work Readiness In Allied Health Students, Maxine O'Brien, Kelli Troy, Jayne Kirkpatrick

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Clinical placements associated with university degrees for the allied health professions aim to support the preparation of students for post graduate employment through the practical application of theoretical constructs. However, employers recognise that a range of generic skills and attributes outside of technical and academic achievement impact of work readiness. Allied health clinical educators within Darling Downs Health (DDH) sought to identify these generic characteristics, and their relative importance, with a view to further supporting the work readiness of students completing placements in the district. Method: The study utilised the knowledge and experience of allied health clinical educators, experienced …

Changing Weight Management Self-Efficacy Among Obese Puerto Rican Adults: A Quantitative Study Using A Health Coaching Intervention, Richard Valentin Ayala, Josh Bernstein

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Obesity and associated healthcare-related issues continue to increase. The prevalence of obesity is on the rise, which has led many health professionals to find ways to improve health interventions. Health coaching can be a viable tool to reduce the obesity epidemic. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of an 8-weekhealth coaching intervention in obese individuals from Puerto Rico and to determine if self-esteem and body image influence weight managementself-efficacy. Method: A pretest-posttest design using a weight management self-efficacy scale helped the researcher evaluate the effectof the coaching sessions. In addition, body image …

Athletic Training And Physical Therapy Junior Faculty Member Preparation: Perceptions Of Doctoral Programs And Clinical Practice, Jessica L. Barrett, Stephanie M. Singe, Aynsley Diamond

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Institutions of higher education suffer from a shortage of appropriately prepared faculty members in athletic training and physical therapy programs. Both professional programs have recently undergone curricular reform and degree change. We sought gain an understanding of the preparation mechanisms experienced by athletic training and physical therapy practitioners for their junior faculty positions. Method: Twenty-six athletic trainers and physical therapists participated in this phenomenological study. Data from one-on-one phone interviews were analyzed following the inductive process of interpretive phenomenological analysis. Content experts, pilot interviews, multiple analysts and member checking ensured trustworthiness. Results: Findings indicate two primary mechanisms prepared the …

Global Interest For Health Professions Education: A Geographic And Temporal Analyses Through Web Search Differences From 2010-2019, Junhel Dalanon, Yoshizo Matsuka

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the spatio-temporal differences in web search trends for dental degrees (DD), medical degrees (MD), and nursing degrees (ND) across 197 countries from 2010 to 2019. Method: A search string was used to initiate a search query using Google Trends. The parameters used were DD, MD, and ND as search terms; worldwide as Location; 2010 to 2019 as time range; health education & medical training as category; and web search as database. Data were downloaded and analyzed. Results: Via one-way ANOVA and post hoc Dunnett test, the searches for DD were found …

Survey Of Attitudes, Knowledge, And Barriers To Evidence-Based Practice Among Thai Physical Therapists, Mantana Vongsirinavarat, Witaya Mathiyakom, Warin Krityakiarana, Ninwisan Hengsomboon, Ratchanok Kraiwong

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Healthcare professionals are encouraged to use evidence-based practice (EBP) to improve the quality of care and the patient’s quality of life. Knowledge and skill set specific to EBP, critical resources such as time and accessibility to databases, and clinician’s attitude toward EBP are needed for successful implementation of EBP. However, little is currently known about these factors among Thai Physical Therapists (PTs). This study aimed to explore the patterns of attitudes, perceived knowledge, and barriers toward EBP in Thai PTs. Method: An online questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding attitudes, knowledge, and barriers from Thai PTs. Descriptive statistics …

Impact Of An Interprofessional Education Quality Of Life Forum On Students’ Perceptions And Commitment To Addressing Local Health Disparities And The Social Determinants Of Health, Jamie Bayliss, Erin Hofmeyer, Bc Charles-Liscombe, Kristin Clephane, Sandra Matthias, Donna Glankler, Nicole Harshbarger

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Healthcare providers and educational programs share a challenge where limited resources make interprofessional education (IPE) and collaboration difficult. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of IPE, specifically The Greater Cincinnati Quality of Life Forum within the School of Health Science at Mount St. Joseph University, on students’ perceptions of communication skills, collaboration, and values of interprofessional practice as they relate to emergent topics within the community and healthcare. Methods: Consenting participants completed an electronic survey with five reflection questions. Qualitative assessment included analysis of text for emergent themes. Results: Four themes evolved impacting future …

Student Experiences With Engagement In A Nursing And Physical Therapy Interprofessional Education Simulation, Sarah Koplow, Melissa Morris, Shari Rone-Adams, Heather Hettrick, Bini Litwin, Lisa B. Soontupe, Archana Vatwani

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Interprofessional Education (IPE) incorporated into healthcare discipline instruction has been shown to be successful in improving the understanding perceptions of complimentary professions. The purpose of this mixed method study was to measure differences in perceptions of early Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) students and Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with participation in a immersive interprofessional education experience. Method: Students completed a pre and posttest survey consisting of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale and several short answer qualitative questions. Cohorts of BSN and DPT students participated in a computerized mannequin simulation experience or a hybrid simulation. Results: Students …

The Use Of Tinkertoys® For Teaching Hip Anatomy And Alignment, Deborah M. Wendland

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Background: Health education can require an emphasis on potentially difficult concepts in anatomy and alignment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the effect of active use of Tinkertoys® to promote understanding of alignment and to report its effectiveness for knowledge acquisition among students according to spatial ability. Methods: Two cohorts of physical therapy (PT) students (n=70) participated in this project over two years. Thirty-four students (second cohort) rated their math and spatial abilities on a survey. Following a traditional lecture on femoral torsion and angle of inclination, all participants took a pre-test. Then, a Tinkertoys® …

Simulation-Based Learning To Improve Athletic Trainers’ Knowledge Of Exertional Sudden Death Conditions: A Pilot Study, Zachary K. Winkelmann, Elizabeth R. Neil, Kenneth E. Games, Stacy E. Walker, Lindsey E. Eberman

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Continuing education for the practicing clinician typically involves reading peer-reviewed journals and attending professional conferences. These mechanisms do not allow for practice and real-time evaluation of healthcare skills. Simulation-based learning has been widely used in professional education yet is not common in the continued development of the clinician in their lifespan. Method: We used a cross-sectional, repeated measures pilot study. The participants included 11 athletic trainers (age=40±14 years; certified experience=17±14 years) that engaged in a multi-modal continuing professional development session that included a lecture, large-scale simulated learning experience, and debriefing session at a healthcare conference. The outcome measures included …

Student Perceptions Of Barriers To Professional Exam Success, Kathryn E. Webster

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Many Allied Health education programs have shifted attention toward program outcome measures, including professional exam pass rates. The purpose of this study was to solicit the opinions of students, in order to better understand how they perceive their barriers to professional exams, what resources have proved helpful for them, and ultimately what advice programs can give to students to increase exam success. Method: A survey was sent to 104 alumni of the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program at a large Midwestern university to determine what they perceived as barriers in preparing for and taking their certification exam(s), and the …

The Relationship Between Physician Assistant School Admissions Exam (Pa-Cat) And Undergraduate Performance Measured By Science Gpa And Cumulative Gpa", Scott Massey, Johnna Yealy, Rajat Chadha, David Beck

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Physician Assistant (PA) programs often set minimum GPA and graduate record examination (GRE) requirements for admission, citing that candidates with higher admission scores will perform better in the PA program. However, to date, there are limited published studies with inconsistent results that have investigated the validity of using these preadmission characteristics to predict performance in PA programs or on the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam (PANCE). The development of a physician assistant college admission test (PA-CAT) that has predictive validity to determine PANCE success would give PA admissions committees an additional resource to make decisions. This study …

Feasibility Of A Readiness Exam For Predicting Radiography Program Success: A Pilot Study, Tammy L. Webster, Sarah B. Mcbrien, Gregory M. Mehrer, Harlan R. Sayles

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

ABSTRACT

Background: Research investigating predictors of academic success in rigorous health science education is valuable for curricular intervention for identified at-risk students. Various predictors of success have been investigated, but the literature is insufficient when examining anatomy and physiology readiness scores as they correlate to radiography curricular success. This pilot study assessed the correlation between readiness exam scores and programmatic course GPA to determine if the scores could be used as a metric for identifying academic success resources for incoming students. Cohorts of the radiography program at a midwestern health sciences center demonstrated a longitudinal trend of difficulty with anatomy …

Comparing The Perceptions Of Interprofessional Socialization Among Health Profession Students, Karen Aul, Jody Long

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Introduction: Based on a review of literature, there is a gap of knowledge on how students perceive the professional roles and responsibilities of other disciplines. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of interprofessional socialization among health profession students. Subjects: Participants included 300 undergraduate and 114 graduate students from eight health disciplines: nursing, communication disorders, physical therapy, social work, radiological science, occupational therapy, clinical lab science, and nutritional science. Methods: Data were collected using the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS-21). The participants rated 21 items about their beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes of interprofessional socialization on a …

Lived Clinical Education Experiences Of Professional Master’S Athletic Training Program Graduates, Laura A. Wamsley, Kimbery Brown, Jill A. Nolan

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Clinical education has been identified as a key aspect in the professional preparation of athletic trainers. The literature, however, has focused on clinical education at the undergraduate level rather than the graduate level, which is the future population of all CAATE-accredited athletic training programs. This study sought to describe the experiences of those who have completed athletic training clinical education at the master’s level, specifically focusing on the type of learning experiences they were granted and what influence the preceptor and the setting played in the overall experience. Method: This was a phenomenology study. Twelve graduates of CAATE-accredited professional …

An Exploratory Study Of The Perceptions Of Footwear For Individuals Who Use Lower Limb Orthotics, Margaret E. Gegen, Teresa Plummer, Nancy Darr

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

The purpose of this study was to explore individual’s perceptions of orthotics and footwear. A survey was created by the authors with the expert opinions of physical and occupational therapists and was distributed to two therapy clinics in Tennessee that provide both occupational therapy and physical therapy as well as on several online support groups. Seventy-nine (79) caregivers completed surveys. Thematic analysis was performed using Nvivo 10 (QSR International) and descriptive statistics were generated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) IBM International). Ninety percent (90%) of participants report that orthotics affect what type of shoes the user …

Qualitative Analysis Of Student Physical Therapist Reflective Writing: Does An Interprofessional Discharge Planning Simulation Increase Their Understanding Of The Role They Play In Discharge Planning?, Leslie M. Smith, Benjamin Sachs, Karen Berg, Megan Keiser, Laura J. Smith, Carman Turkelson, Amy Yorke

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The Core Competencies for Entry-Level Practice in Acute Care Physical Therapy provides an expectation of entry-level practice in acute care for physical therapists including discharge planning (DP). Physical therapists (PT), despite having appropriate clinical reasoning and unique skills for determining the functional abilities of patients, are less often a part of the DP process. The purpose of this study was to determine, by use of qualitative analysis of reflective writing, if an interprofessional discharge planning simulation will increase students’ understanding of the role of physical therapy in DP. Methods: Students from physical therapy (n=57), undergraduate nursing (n=36), graduate …

Make Changes Early! High Stress Levels Predict Lower Academic Performance In First-Year Physical Therapy Students: A Pilot Study, Daniel W. Flowers, Amanda Bernard

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Evidence exists in the literature that allows admissions committees to predict which students will be most successful in entry-level physical therapy educational programs. Evidence linking modifiable predictors of academic performance to currently enrolled students allowing enhancement of their performance during enrollment is lacking. Previous healthcare education literature indicates that stress has a negative predictive relationship with academic performance, and that stress is the highest in the beginning of an academic program. Research studies with medical students report exercise assists in minimizing stress and improving academic performance, while the role of leisure time has also been investigated. No study has …