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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. 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. 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. 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 emerged as a strong and overarching theme throughout the experience. The student-led pro bono clinic meets several Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education criteria in a sustainable manner and serves as a means for measuring and meeting program mission and goals. Participation in the program was a meaningful experience and developed ownership, leadership skills, and pride among the students. There are also possibilities for expanding aspects of the program so that all physical therapist students can benefit from pro bono service opportunities.

Background: Empathy is critical to patient-centered care and thus is a valued trait in graduate health-care students. The relationship between empathy and civic-mindedness in health professions has not previously been explored. Objectives: (a) To determine whether significant differences occurred on the Jefferson Scale for Empathy–Health Professions Student Version (JSE-HPS) and Civic-Minded Professional scale (CMP) and its subscales across the curriculum, (b) to explore a potential relationship between civic-mindedness and empathy in a cohort of graduate physical therapy (PT) students at regular intervals, and (c) to explore the predictive ability of civic-mindedness on empathy scores. Methods: This study was a convenience sample of a cohort of 48 PT students who completed both the JSE-HPS and the CMP at 4 points of a service-learning intensive curriculum. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, a Friedman’s analysis of variance with Wilcoxon signed-ranks post hoc testing, and Spearman correlations with stepwise linear regressions. Results: Statistically significant differences were not found for the JSE-HPS. Civic-Minded Professional scores increased across the curriculum. The JSE-HPS, the CMP, and various CMP subscales were significantly correlated. The JSE-HPS pretest scores were predictive of the year 1 and 2 posttest JSE-HPS scores. Conclusion: This study’s findings indicate that service-learning and the resulting development of civic-mindedness supports empathy. Programs could use JSE-HPS pretests to identify individual graduate students need for empathy mentorship upon program entrance or as one admission criterion.

Introduction: Clinicians with compassion fatigue (CF) experience behavioral, cognitive, and emotional changes due to repeated exposure to second-hand trauma from the clients with whom they are working. A civic-minded professional possesses the core value of social responsibility. Physical therapy (PT) education programs must balance a focus on developing social responsibility and compassion against the risk of CF. Objective: The objectives of this study were to (1) describe the prevalence of CF in a sample of physical therapists in the early years of practice and (2) to determine whether higher civic-mindedness leads to the development of CF in physical therapists. Method: Three cohorts of recent graduates were administered the Professional Quality of Life (Pro-QOL) survey to measure CF. Thirty-five of 127 surveys sent (27.6% response rate) were completed. Results: A Mann-Whitney U was run to determine differences in the Pro-QOL survey between those scoring high or low in civic-mindedness at graduation. Higher civic-mindedness scores exhibited significantly lower burnout and higher compassion satisfaction. Conclusion: Higher levels of civic-mindedness appear to have a protective effect against developing CF.

Abstract Introduction and Background The link between cultural competence and effective physical therapy encounters is established. Physical therapist educational programs face the challenge of fostering the cultural competence of students in effective and meaningful ways within the curriculum. They also face the challenge of measuring the development of cultural competency to establish efficacy in the curriculum. One program measured the development of cultural competency in its students using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version (IAPCC-SV) before and after the program’s various educational opportunities immersed throughout the curriculum that could serve to increase cultural competency. In the three-year curriculum, the students participated in both mandatory and voluntary experiential learning opportunities. Required didactic presentations and activities were integrated throughout the curriculum and designed to enhance cultural competency. Voluntary experiences included providing service and/or leadership to a student-run pro bono clinic. The program was interested in whether cultural competency increased after these experiences and whether leadership opportunities or additional hours of voluntary service beyond the class median caused increases that exceeded the minimal detectable change (MDC) reported in the literature. Methods All students completed the IAPCC-SV at the beginning of their Doctor of Physical Therapy education and again at the end of their final year of didactic curriculum. Results For the class of 2011, a Wilcoxon signed ranks test noted a significant increase in IAPCC-SV scores from pre-test (56.51 +/- 4.82) to post-test (64.16 +/- 6.19) in the Class of 2011, p  .001. For the class of 2012, a Wilcoxon signed ranks test noted a significant increase in IAPCC-SV scores from pre-test (58.87 +/- 5.67) to post-test (64.13 +/- 5.47) in the Class of 2012, p  .001. Sixteen students from the class of 2011 and 13 from the class of 2012 exceeded the 8.57-point MDC of the IAPCC-SV. Discussion and Conclusion Exposure to a variety of cross-cultural encounters throughout a physical therapy curriculum significantly increases self-rating of cultural competency in these graduate students. Students who take advantage of volunteer leadership roles in extensive cross-cultural encounters may be more likely to achieve an increase that exceeds the MDC on the IAPCC-SV. These results are particularly interesting given that the students themselves were ethnically homogeneous and did not experience cultural diversity within the constituents that made up their class or faculty.

Purpose. Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death in bicycle crashes. The factors associated with bicycle helmet use in young children with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to identify barriers to helmet use in young children in an urban elementary school. Design. Qualitative content analysis with semistructured interviews, observational field notes, and artifacts. Setting. Urban elementary school. Participants. Seventeen students whose age ranged from 5 to 7 years and whose ethnic background was identified as African American (14) or Caucasian (3). Method. Children participated in a brain safety fair that included presentations and activities. Semistructured, pre- and postexperience interviews were completed. Observations of the students participating in the activities and reflective art projects from the students were collected. Results. The analysis found the following barriers to helmet use: (a) lack of access to a helmet, (b) poor fit of helmets due to hairstyles, and (c) lack of knowledge regarding helmet use. Conclusion. The present study suggests that the issue of helmet design and comfort for younger children with variable hairstyles needs to be addressed in order to increase helmet use in this population.

Introduction and BackgroundColleges and universities have an obligation to educate graduate students who demonstrate civic literacy and who can engage in civic inquiry and action. Service-learning and community engagement courses are highly effective in developing civic-mindedness. Graduate professional programs may have additional reasons for focusing on development of civic mindedness. The purpose of this paper is 1) to determine if civic-mindedness increased in a cohort of physical therapy students exposed to a variety of civic engagement programs and service-learning courses and 2) to determine if there is a difference in civic-mindedness between students serving on a clinic Student Board and their classmates in a graduate physical therapy program.MethodsThe Civic-Minded Professional Scale (CMP) is a 23-item, 7-point Likert-scale survey designed to measure the domains of self-identity; work, career and profession; and civic attitudes, civic action, and public purpose to measure the construct of civic-mindedness. The CMP was administered to a cohort of graduate physical therapy students at the beginning of the professional curriculum and at the end of each of three years of didactic coursework.ResultsFriedman’s repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc testing revealed that civic mindedness increased in our students throughout the course of the graduate physical therapy curriculum.Discussion and ConclusionStudents involved in service-learning coursework imbedded throughout a graduate physical therapy program had increases in civic-mindedness. Service-learning coursework may be an effective way to develop civic mindedness in graduate students.

Background and Purpose. Grand Rounds is a teaching methodology that has existed in various forms in medical education for centuries. When a student-run pro bono clinic identified a growing challenge of providing continuity of care for clients and a lack of preparedness in students, they implemented a Grand Rounds model of case presentation within the curriculum.  The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation and assessment of Grand Rounds as it attempts to improve both the continuity of care for the clients and the learning experience for the students involved in a student-run pro bono clinic.Case Description and Evaluation. The Student Board divided the student physical therapists and the clients into three teams. Each team of students would meet every three weeks to discuss the clients on their caseload. More advanced students helped to mentor the more novice students and a faculty member would facilitate the discussions.  Outcomes. After eight months of implementation, the Student Board gathered evaluative data from students, supervisors and client. The program evaluation was approved by the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Analysis of the data collected revealed that the students grew more confident and effective in their ability to implement and advance the physical therapy program. Discussion and Conclusion.  The program evaluation confirmed that the implementation of teams and Grand Rounds positively impacted students' confidence and ability to collaboratively treat and advance clients and their physical therapy program in the student-run pro bono clinic.  The program evaluation was not effective in thoroughly assessing the impact that the model had on clients and their recovery. Further evaluation should be conducted with client outcomes measures. Recommendations for the modification and improvement of Grand Rounds emerged.

The American Geriatrics Society and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Section on Geriatrics (now known as the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy) released essential competencies for practitioners working with older adults to address the aging population. Experiential learning is an important component of physical therapist education to reinforce concepts learned in the didactic curriculum and provides valuable practice for students. The purpose of this case report is to describe an experiential learning activity that provided first-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students' opportunities to interact with older adults and perform functional screening activities. First-year DPT students participated in screens at 2 community sites that serve older adults. Students learned about the components of the screen during their \"Lifespan Adulthood\" class. Components of the screen include demographics, the Functional Comorbidity Index, a Likert-scale question on Fear of Falling, the Geriatric Depression Scale-4, and the Short Physical Performance Battery. Students practiced their assigned component in class prior to the screening event. Students performed the screens at the community site with older adult clients and then had to interpret the results of 1 client as a class assignment. Supervising faculty noted that students were able to facilitate the flow of clients from one screening station to the next, guarded appropriately, and provided appropriate client education. Students had challenges with psychomotor tasks (eg, gait speed timing, making initial contact with the older adults) and required guidance when vital signs fell outside of a normal range. Strengths of the interpretation assignment included thorough literature-based rationale for screening and description of the individual components of the screen. Students experienced challenges with identifying the overall functional picture of a particular client based upon the completed screening data. This screening event addressed components of the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy essential competencies. Adding reflection pieces and additional practice time may improve interpretation of screening. However, the students' interpretation matched their skill level as first-year DPT students. Progression through the didactic and clinical education curriculum will further reinforce essential competencies.

Physical therapist students are increasingly engaging in international clinical education (ICE). The growth of international engagement has been accompanied by appeals to ensure that these experiences are conducted in an ethical manner. Although detailed guidelines have been developed to guide global health training in general, they do not specifically address all aspects relevant to ICE in physical therapist education. The purpose of this study was to systematically develop recommendations for the implementation of ICE in physical therapist education to promote ethical practice. An initial virtual focus group of 5 physical therapist faculty with expertise in ICE provided input to review and revise global health training guidelines previously developed by non-physical therapists. The revised guidelines were distributed to a pool of 19 physical therapist faculty with ICE experience for additional review and revision through 3 online Delphi survey rounds. The participants accepted 31 of the original guidelines with or without revisions, rejected 2 guidelines, and developed 10 new guidelines or subguidelines. Most notably, they rejected a guideline related to students pursuing training outside of a structured program, stressing that ICE should never be done outside of a formal program. The primary limitation is that the study included only faculty from sending institutions and thus lacked the voices of the host institutions, students, partner organizations, or funders. This study systematically produced guidelines for ICE in physical therapist education using a range of ICE experts from sending institutions. The recommendations may be used by educators and other decision makers to optimally design new ICE opportunities or to improve existing ones. Additional validation should be done to ensure relevance for all stakeholders.

highlights the findings and application of Cochrane reviews and other evidence pertinent to the practice of physical therapy. The Cochrane Library is a respected source of reliable evidence related to health care. Cochrane systematic reviews explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of interventions--medications, surgery, education, nutrition, exercise--and the evidence for and against the use of diagnostic tests for specific conditions. Cochrane reviews are designed to facilitate the decisions of clinicians, patients, and others in health care by providing a careful review and interpretation of research studies published in the scientific literature) Each article in this PTJ series summarizes a Cochrane review or other scientific evidence resource on a single topic and will present clinical scenarios based on real patients to illustrate how the results of the review can be used to directly inform clinical decisions. This article focuses on exercise for the management of osteoporosis in women postmenopause. Which, if any, approaches to exercise reduce loss of bone mineral density or reduce the chance of fractures in women who are healthy postmenopause?