Sebelski C.1
1Saint Louis University, Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, St. Louis, United States
Background: The rapidly changing world of health care, calls for interprofessional collaboration and development of public policies necessitate a conscious deliberation of the status of leadership within the profession of physical therapy. Leader self-efficacy is the personal judgment or conviction that one can successfully execute the leader behavior or desired course of action to produce certain outcomes. Two constructs of leader self-efficacy are leader action self-efficacy (capabilities to organize the psychological necessities) and leader self-regulation efficacy (motivation to garner success). (Hannah et al, 2012). There is a significant influence of positive/high self-efficacy on the leader identification and general performance in the workplace. (Bandura, 1977) The perceptions of physical therapists on leader self-efficacy are not known. The demographics of the physical therapists show a higher percentage of females than males without a corresponding ratio of females in leadership positions. This is the first study of leader self-efficacy of physical therapists.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of physical therapists in the United States of America on the topic of leader self-efficacy.
Methods: Subjects : 646 physical therapists
A recruitment email was sent to personal contacts and publically available email addresses. Snowball sampling was used for the online delivery of the Leadership Efficacy Questionnaire (LEQ). Physical therapists were queried on their perception of confidence for the constructs of leader self-efficacy. The questions requested each respondent to give a score from 0 (no confidence) 100 (totally confident) for each statement beginning with As a Leader I can. Additional demographic questions were at the end of the survey.
Results: The LEQ indicated a moderately high confidence self rating on both leader action efficacy and leader self-regulation efficacy. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females on the scores of leader action self-efficacy (males:M = 72.24, SD = 16.74; females :M = 72.38, SD = 16.41) or the scores of leader self-regulation efficacy (males: M = 78.82, SD = 14.60; females: M = 78.68, SD = 16.55). Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference when considering the components of therapist age, patient care setting, and board certification in an area of practice.
Conclusion(s): In the United States, there are fewer physical therapists in higher education leadership positions than expected and the ratio of women in leadership positions does not match the skewed ratio of females over males demonstrated within the profession. The scores of the LEQ alone can neither explain the lack of physical therapists in higher education leadership positions such as deans, vice presidents, etc. nor the lack of a corresponding gender ratio in administrative positions.
Implications: The large study population will assist in the establishment of baseline knowledge of the perceptions of physical therapists on leader self-efficacy. Establishment of a baseline of information regarding the perception of physical therapists leader self-efficacy is essential as the profession continues to resolve the calls for strong leadership through the examination of entry level education curriculum for leadership topics and to prepare graduates for full participation in the changing landscape of health care
Funding acknowledgements: This is unfunded research.
Topic: Professional issues
Ethics approval: Approval from the investigators dissertation committee and the Saint Louis University Behavioral and Social Sciences Institutional Review Board (IRB# 25654).
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