Value Added: Service-Learning Outcomes for Physical Therapy Students and Community Partners in Belize

This study comprised a follow up to a two-week interdisciplinary service-learning (SL) trip to Belize for graduate students from a private Midwestern university. Trip participants engaged in SL activities with multiple partnering agencies in various locations. The purpose of the study, which employed a qualitative, constructivist, focus-group design, was to explore the perceptions of students and community partners about the services provided. Data were analyzed for common themes using line-by-line and constant comparative methods. Six themes emerged from the data.  Community partners complimented the education and training provided, and requested additional time and programming for future visits. Some identified the need for increased collaboration and additional preparation of students prior to the visit. Students demonstrated increased appreciation for interdisciplinary practice, enhanced professionalism, and greater sensitivity to cultural differences, and expressed their desire to participate in future international service trips. These findings supported the conclusion that interdisciplinary international SL activities are mutually beneficial to students and community partners

Self-Directed Learning Readiness And Self-Determination For Selected Rehabilitation Professional Students: The Impact Of Clinical Education

In a time of rapidly changing medical information, practitioners must have learning skills that enable them to be effective life-long learners. A part of an examination of a final clinical internship for rehabilitation professionals was a pre-post measure of learner self-direction and self-determination. Two instruments, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) and the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS- reported as Self-Determination Index (SDI) were used with a sample of Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) students. Pre-testing occurred just prior to and post-testing just after the subjects’ final clinical assignments. Both groups increased mean scores from pre- to post-test for the SDLRS (p = .01, mean increase 7.29) and the SDI (p = .01, mean increase 0.91). Results of this study support the use of the SDLRS and AMS as means to evaluate self-directed learning readiness and self-determination in rehabilitation professional students

Assessing the impact of a short-term service-learning clinical experience on the development of professional behaviors of student physical therapists: A pilot study

As with most health care provider education programs, physical therapy programs seek ways to develop professional behaviors of students. This study describes the integration of a one-week service-learning experience into an existing clinical internship. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed between groups of students who participated in the experience, expressed a desire to participate but were unable to, and those who did not wish to participate.  Results suggest that engaging in, as well as the desire to engage in, a service-learning project for under-served members of our community is associated with professional behavior development from students’ and clinical preceptors’ perspectives.

Perceptions of Academic Fieldwork Coordinators Regarding the Value of Fieldwork in Emerging Areas of Practice

This study investigated the perceptions of academic fieldwork coordinators (AFWCs) regarding emerging areas of practice as fieldwork experiences for entry-level occupational therapy (OT) students. Further, this study explored several aspects of fieldwork experiences in emerging areas of practice on student personal and professional development, academic curriculum, partnering community agencies, and the profession at large. A survey designed through Qualtrics®, an electronic survey system, was sent to 163 AFWCs of fully accredited master’s and doctoral entry-level OT programs. Forty-four participants (27%) completed the 16-question survey. Significance at p \u3c .05 was found in higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy student performance when compared to traditional areas of practice. Common perceptions found among the AFWCs related to emerging areas of practice fieldwork experiences included: improved student professional and personal skills, increased connections and collaborations across and in health care disciplines, an enhanced ability to define and understand OT. Continued opportunities for fieldwork in emerging areas of practice are essential as the profession contemplates new markets and avenues in a changing health care environment