Journal of Allied Health

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is an integral competency for physical therapists; however, a knowledge-to-practice gap exists and best educational practices to facilitate EBP-related behaviors are unclear. This study describes the effects of a multi-semester learning activity on student-reported EBP behaviors. Students (n = 34) in their second and third years of a Doctor of Physical Therapy program participated in a 4-semester learning activity including journal club participation and student research, with integrated learning objectives...

AIMS: Work engagement is an important component of occupational wellness. The purpose of this study was to compare work engagement between physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and to analyze relationships with participant demographics. METHODS: An online survey was emailed to all licensed PTs and PTAs in Texas, with 975 completed surveys returned. The survey consisted of demographic information and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9...

OBJECTIVES: Fatigue affects half of people with Parkinson's disease, but treatment options remain limited. A treatment protocol was developed for Parkinson's fatigue management. It aims to explore protocol feasibility and effectiveness and inform the design of subsequent larger study. METHODS: People with Parkinson's fatigue (n=10) participated in six weekly meetings. Participant enrollment and retention rate assess program feasibility. Program effectiveness was measured by perceived fatigue, sleep rating and quality of life at week 0, 6, and 12...

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the attitudes and beliefs of clinical practicing physician assistants (PAs) regarding work-related burnout and an assessment of resource availability and satisfaction. METHODS: A 38-item online survey was sent to accredited PA programs to solicit distribution among their alumni. RESULTS: There were 164 respondents. Most respondents were familiar with the concept of work-related burnout, with 85% identifying with experiencing burnout and 80% believing it is an expected occurrence in the medical profession...

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in the use of smartphone technology, which can be associated with several negative health effects such as neck pain disability. The present study explored the association between smartphone addiction and disability associated with neck pain among female health science students before and 2 months after the start of COVID-19 confinement. Data were obtained for this pilot study from 39 students before the pandemic and 2 months after the start of confinement using two self-administered questionnaires, the Neck Disability Index and Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between perceived self-efficacy and burnout among physician assistant (PA) educators. Additionally, the effect of gender, educator position, years of experience, and program accreditation status on self-efficacy was explored. METHODS: Program directors (PD) and principal faculty (PF) answered a survey that included demographics, General Self-Efficacy (GSE) Scale, and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Scale (MBI-ES)...

PURPOSE: Restrictions in access and affordability of health care across the world limits global health. Pro bono physical therapy through service-learning in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curricula has been proposed to address these limitations. However, there is a lack of research regarding best practice. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of improving global health in underserved populations by utilizing service-learning and pro bono PT through a systematic literature review...

With the advancement in our understanding of the causative agents involved with cancer, there has been a considerable amount of debate within the laboratory and cytology community regarding how best to screen for cervical cancer. This paper attempts to review the three different approaches to cervical cancer screening through the lens of the four facie prima principles of biomedical ethics, including the respect for autonomy, principle of beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Analyzing the debate on cervical cancer screening platforms through the lens of the four principles of biomedical ethics ensures a comprehensive examination of all facets of the discussion, including a review of not only benefits and harm but also ensures that the final policy is fair and respectful for all the stakeholders...

It has been shown that an educational framework that combines different learning methods, in which students are both active and independent learners, significantly improves student achievement and satisfaction--and that this is especially true for Generation Z. For this study, we examined the following teaching methods in a Practical Kinesiology course: the flipped classroom, a digital app, and simulated patients. Our findings revealed that students greatly valued hands-on practice and advance learning, and this was borne out in the overall high final grades in the course and in self-reported confidence levels...

BACKGROUND: Therapeutic alliance improves pain, disability, and quality of life outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a training protocol aimed at enhancing the therapeutic alliance in patients with chronic low back pain. METHODS: 19 physical therapists (DPT) and 16 student physical therapists (SPT) completed a therapeutic alliance training course with a quantitative questionnaire completed before and after the training along with a follow-up qualitative interview...

PURPOSE: To analyze the ability of pre-matriculation metrics to predict difficulties during the first year of a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program with a pass-fail grading system. METHODS: Undergraduate cumulative, science, and pre-requisite grade point averages (GPAs) and verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) percentiles were collected during the admissions process of 190 students in an accredited DPT program at a southeastern US private university between 2019-2021...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many healthcare education programs to alter teaching methods, leading to a transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning. This study aimed to evaluate how curricular changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced student performance in a medical laboratory science (MLS) program. MLS student exam scores, final course grades, and Board of Certification performance data were investigated to determine how changes made to curriculum and delivery influenced program outcomes for students completing the program before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Nebraska Medical Center...

The problem investigated in this study is the low student enrollment for American Indians at a private higher education institution in the southcentral United States. The purpose of this research was for data collection from students, faculty, and staff to provide recommendations for possible solutions to improve American Indian student enrollment, as addressing this issue will help to improve health disparities of the American Indian population. The underserved American Indian population can benefit from educated American Indian healthcare professionals to improve healthcare outcomes in the region...

ISSUE: As healthcare educators, we must continually evaluate innovative technologies and practices that may assist us in meeting the complex needs of individuals. In this study, we sought to address some barriers associated with using virtual reality (VR) to assess an interprofessional team of students' knowledge of and practice with telehealth and their ability to address psychosocial health. METHODS: A non-experimental, descriptive, embedded (explanatory quan/QUAL) mixed methods design of 240 students enrolled in the IPE Journey of Professional Trans-formation, Fall 2022...

During the 2019-2020 academic year, the Southeast Missouri State University College of Education, Health, and Human Studies initiated a college-level Interprofessional Education (IPE) Committee to identify methods for collaboration, interprofessional research opportunities, and cross-disciplinary learning experiences. The IPE Committee determined that IPE was an installed component of the healthcare majors, without significant interactions between programs, and non-healthcare programs were omitted from formal IPE efforts...

PURPOSE: The inclusion of interprofessional education (IPE) is essential for the health professions curricula and establishes the expectation of collaborative patient-centered care. The COVID-19 pandemic has required educators to develop innovative methods for IPE student engagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a college-based virtual IPE activity for first-year health profession students and measure their interprofessional socialization and values (ISVS) toward IPE teams...

Periodicals in the biomedical and natural sciences differ in fundamental ways, such as whether they use an impact factor. Peer review is considered another key element in scientific publications, but also can be viewed as having various flaws, e.g., poor in detecting fraud, highly subjective, prone to bias, expensive, and easily abused. Single-blind peer review is the traditional model in which reviewers know the identity of authors, but the reverse is not true, thereby raising a related concern that there is a serious power imbalance...

BACKGROUND: Competition for clinical education sites is a known challenge for academic programs in allied health education with clinical sites reporting a variety of reasons for declining to participate in clinical education. In 2022, the Clinical Education Task Force (now Clinical Education Committee, CEC) of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions embarked on a project with the objective of creating an evidence-based resource that could be used by multiple professions to support the case for site participation in clinical education...

BACKGROUND: As the education of more health professional students continues to evolve, it is crucial to consider how these students are taught about the social determinants of health (SDOH). While these concepts are regular language within the field of public health, they are new within most health professions education programs. Thus, faculty may be grappling with how to teach SDOH concepts to their students. METHODS: Using theatre as a guide, scenarios were developed to expose health professions students to the SDOH...

Spatial ability is the capacity to comprehend three-dimensional structures and positional relationships and to mentally manipulate these structures and relationships to predict the outcome correctly. Spatial ability, which requires extensive knowledge of three-dimensional relationships, contributes to success in endeavors such as studying human anatomy, a foundational component of rehabilitation science curricula. This investigation explored relationships between anatomy course grades, learning preferences, and spatial abilities of graduate healthcare students from two fields of rehabilitation science...