Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Special Interest Groups: Framework, Perceptions, and Interprofessional Opportunities.

AIMS: Special interest groups provide opportunities for collaboration and networking, but a void exists in the literature regarding the impact of student special interest groups (SSIGs). The purposes of this study were to: 1) describe doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) student and faculty attendance and perceptions of SSIGs; 2) explore how student participation in SSIGs affected their perceptions of confidence with clinical decision-making, knowledge, and performance of clinical skill; and 3) explore perceptions of interprofessional opportunities within SSIGs.

METHODS: An electronic questionnaire was sent to 195 members in one physical therapy department. Members of an orthopedic SSIG (121 students, 14 faculty) and neurological SSIG (71 students, 6 faculty) completed the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square test were used to determine group differences, and Kruskall-Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine statistical significance between the three cohorts of students as related to SSIG attendance.

RESULTS: Participants found attendance valuable, with 70% and 69% of students reporting increased confidence in clinical decision-making and content knowledge from attending SSIGs. The majority of attendees reported that interprofessional attendance would increase the value of SSIG meetings. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between cohort year and attendance were observed in both the orthopedic and neurological SSIG results.

DISCUSSION: The SSIG model utilized in this study provides a framework for use by other educational programs. The positive perceptions by students and faculty indicate the value of such meetings. SSIGs must be further explored to determine their impact on learning and professional development in DPT students as well as opportunities for interprofessional collaboration.