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Dannemiller L1, Rapport MJ1
1University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Physical Therapy, Denver, United States
Background: The Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy (APPT) of the American Physical Therapy Association has made efforts to improve pediatric physical therapy (PPT) education, however there has been a lack of collective understanding of the specific pediatric content that needs to be taught, how best to teach it, and how to measure educational outcomes. In response to this need, APPT leadership committed support for collaboratively engaging educators in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL). An Education Summit was held in 2012 that resulted in the publication of Essential Core Competencies in Pediatric Physical Therapy. Since 2014, this paper was cited at least 38 times and interest in entry-level DPT education has continued to grow. Seeking continued advancement, the APPT held Education Summit II, in November 2017 by convening selected PPT educators from across the US to discuss current gaps in education research and explore collective project ideas. As an outcome of that Summit, three working groups emerged with targeted questions and focused projects.
Purpose: The purpose of this session is to highlight the process used by the APPT to engage a representative group of educators in dialogue, discussion, and collaboration around the educational outcomes of all DPT graduates. Secondary objectives are to analyze the outcomes of this process and to consider potential application of the process to educator groups in other specialty areas and international physical therapy education programs.
Methods: The development, planning and implementation of two Education Summits required dedicated faculty and clinical volunteers committed to improving the education of entry-level DPT students. Criteria for Summit participation were created and chosen participants had pre- work to prepare for each Summit. The construction of each focused on a creative process of collaboration and representative decision-making to engage participants in SOTL projects, resulting in completion and dissemination of several guiding manuscripts and additional evidence to support decisions in teaching of pediatric content in entry-level curriculum.
Results: Two successful Education Summit meetings have occurred over 4 years, attended by a diverse group of pediatric physical therapist academic and clinical educators representing a broad geographic area, multiple perspectives, and varied years of experience. This process resulted in several published manuscripts related to the core competencies followed by a series of articles highlighting PPT education in a peer-reviewed journal. Three working groups were established at Education Summit 2 and remain actively engaged in their respective research projects.
Conclusion(s): The Education Summits supported by the APPT were effective at yielding papers, projects, new research endeavors, collaborations and infrastructure for future education research about teaching and learning of PPT.
Implications: The Summit process highlighted the importance of establishing a set of competencies to which all pediatric content can be measured in DPT education. Current research projects will provide evidence about attributes of excellence in PPT education, assessment and value of experiential learning, and the need to establish a research agenda for achieving higher levels of competence among DPT graduates. The Summit process may propel other educational groups toward focused scholarship that will guide quality physical therapist education.
Keywords: DPT Education, Pediatric, Scholarship of teaching and learning
Funding acknowledgements: No funding has been received for the summative presentation of this information.
Purpose: The purpose of this session is to highlight the process used by the APPT to engage a representative group of educators in dialogue, discussion, and collaboration around the educational outcomes of all DPT graduates. Secondary objectives are to analyze the outcomes of this process and to consider potential application of the process to educator groups in other specialty areas and international physical therapy education programs.
Methods: The development, planning and implementation of two Education Summits required dedicated faculty and clinical volunteers committed to improving the education of entry-level DPT students. Criteria for Summit participation were created and chosen participants had pre- work to prepare for each Summit. The construction of each focused on a creative process of collaboration and representative decision-making to engage participants in SOTL projects, resulting in completion and dissemination of several guiding manuscripts and additional evidence to support decisions in teaching of pediatric content in entry-level curriculum.
Results: Two successful Education Summit meetings have occurred over 4 years, attended by a diverse group of pediatric physical therapist academic and clinical educators representing a broad geographic area, multiple perspectives, and varied years of experience. This process resulted in several published manuscripts related to the core competencies followed by a series of articles highlighting PPT education in a peer-reviewed journal. Three working groups were established at Education Summit 2 and remain actively engaged in their respective research projects.
Conclusion(s): The Education Summits supported by the APPT were effective at yielding papers, projects, new research endeavors, collaborations and infrastructure for future education research about teaching and learning of PPT.
Implications: The Summit process highlighted the importance of establishing a set of competencies to which all pediatric content can be measured in DPT education. Current research projects will provide evidence about attributes of excellence in PPT education, assessment and value of experiential learning, and the need to establish a research agenda for achieving higher levels of competence among DPT graduates. The Summit process may propel other educational groups toward focused scholarship that will guide quality physical therapist education.
Keywords: DPT Education, Pediatric, Scholarship of teaching and learning
Funding acknowledgements: No funding has been received for the summative presentation of this information.
Topic: Education; Paediatrics; Education: methods of teaching & learning
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: University of CO
Ethics committee: Colorado Institutional Review Board
Reason not required: Ethics approval is not required because this abstract does not reflect an experiment, quantitative study, qualitative study, or case report that includes human subjects. This abstract is focused on presentation of a process that has stimulated the development of multiple studies and manuscripts that support Pediatric Physical Therapy education.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
