Contributing Factors in Students' Choice of a Physical Therapist Assistant Career: A Contrast with the Physical Therapist Career Pathway

Abstract

The health care professions have gained significant notoriety as one of the fastest growing career opportunities in the country. In particular, physical therapy has gained a reputation as a vital and significant member of the health care team. The physical therapy field has struggled to provide adequate services to meet patients' needs due to the shortages of physical therapists. In 1967, in response to the unavailability of skilled physical therapists, the physical therapy field expanded its professional practice by developing and implementing educational programs to train physical therapist assistants. This career development has head to two distinct academic career paths, the physical therapist and the physical therapist assistant. Recently the academic career of a PT has expanded to a doctoral degree. The physical therapist assistant remains an association degree program, unchanged since 1967. The expansion of the educational demands of the physical therapist has prompted this study to understand and identify those factors that influenced a student's decision to pursue a physical therapist assistant career path rather than a physical therapist career. A quantitative study was developed and surveyed to all the program coordinators of accredited PTA schools in the United States. The program coordinators were asked to distribute this survey to the PTA students. The data gathered were analyzed in a descriptive manner through frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The student was two-fold: identifying those factors that contributed to students choosing a PTA career and the future plans of the PTA graduate to advance towards a PT career. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]