Title: Engaging Student Voices About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Physical Therapy Education: A Report on Survey Development
Name: Andie Catterson
Primary Presenters: Christine Eble and Andie Catterson
College of Health Sciences
Clinical Doctorate
Faculty Sponsor(s): Dr. Victoria Moerchen
Engaging Student Voices About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Physical Therapy Education: A Report on Survey Development
Background: Racial diversity among healthcare workers does not reflect the US population. This has negative health implications for patients from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds. Increasing representation within the healthcare workforce is essential to reduce health disparities, and healthcare education programs are key to achieving this outcome. Physical therapy (PT) is one healthcare profession that critically lacks diversity and has not identified successful academic retention strategies to increase diversity within its workforce. To develop successful retention strategies in PT education, we must first determine what PT students from URM backgrounds identify as supports and barriers to their educational persistence. A survey of PT students will be conducted to address this gap.
Purpose: To pilot this survey with a group of pre-graduate healthcare students from URM backgrounds to assess clarity of survey questions as well as relevance and appropriateness of content.
Methods: A 19-item online survey was developed with questions in five categories: supports and barriers, retention strategies, inclusion, campus climate, and microaggressions. Response options utilize Likert scale, multiple choice, and open-ended methods. For purposes of this pilot study, students answered 2 additional questions: total time for survey completion and querying emotional distress in response to survey content. Twenty-five percent of pilot respondents will also participate in an interview to examine face validity of the survey questions.
Results: Stage 1 pilot survey review and face validity outcomes are pending.
Conclusion: Stage 1 pilot results will direct modification of the draft survey to improve clarity and content of questions, to assure culturally sensitive language, and to identify questions that may evoke emotional distress. The second draft of the survey will then be piloted with graduating PT students from majority and URM backgrounds and modified again, before being distributed to enrolled PT students across the US.
Thank you for taking on this important issue. This is a great first step to move this topic forward. I am excited to see the survey and ultimately the responses to the survey.
Great job, Andie and Christine!
It will be so interesting to compare results from URM and ‘majority’ students to identify the differences in perception. PT as a profession needs a more representative workforce!
Beautiful job with your presentation. I am excited to work with you to see this project to completion. This topic is so important, and the careful steps you are taking to get this survey strong before you distribute speaks to your willingness to slow down to do quality research. Your topic and your participation in this conference makes all of us in PT so proud!