He has been actively involved with FSBPT since 2014 as a delegate/alternate delegate and served two terms on the Finance Committee. Journal of Physical Therapy Education32(3):209-217, September 2018. 9) Both nonwhite and disadvantaged students were influenced by values and interests, the patienttherapist relationship, and by inclusion and diversity; inclusion and diversity, in contrast, was barely identified by white students. Abstract. Advocacy within the Physical Therapy Profession - Athletico Recruitment strategies should target the areas captured by the open codes related to values + interests that emerged from the survey data (Table 7). This paper supports that utilizing information collected directly from students may help us identify promising practices for recruitment of URM students. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Perhaps one of the best ways to help improve the ability of Black Americans to enjoy the benefits PT has to offer is to provide education. What is diversity? The results of this disparity have been demonstrated in studies, such as the recent rehab therapy industry report that found that more than three-quarters of rehab therapy professionals identify as white, while the 2020 US Census reports just under 60 percent of the population is white. How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes. Underrepresented minority students did not report involvement with pre-PT clubs. Some error has occurred while processing your request. White paper on pharmacy admissions: Developing a diverse work force to meet the healthcare needs of an increasingly diverse society. American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. Age Regression: Trauma, Coping Mechanisms, and Therapy - Verywell Health Underrepresented minorities; Recruitment; Entry-level education; Workforce diversity. Author Michele Wojciechowski reports how several PTs' diverse backgrounds have helped them offer person-centered care that is sensitive to patients' needs and beliefs. Boards also must look at research and data to see if sanctions are harsher for minorities. The responses to the open-ended question about factors affecting students' decisions to pursue PT as a career were qualitatively analyzed/coded to iteratively identify and then group themes. While Board Source compiles information about other marginalized identities, the disproportionately low racial and ethnicity data stands out. If this observation holds true for other preprofessional students, guidance toward or development of undergraduate clubs for URM health care students might address this gap. The authors declare no conflict of interests. limited access to care, lower-quality insurance coverage, 6.5 percent of the U.S. physical therapy workforce identifies as Black or Latinx, National Association of Black Physical Therapists, Climate Anxiety and Eco-Grief: How Climate Change Hurts Global Mental Health, The Call of Leadership Now: BIPOC Leaders in a Syndemic Era, How Private Equity Is Swallowing Up Health CareAnd What to Do About It, Healing Justice Lineages: Disrupting the Medical-Industrial Complex. But it is not enough. 8 Hispanic and Black Americans have reduced odds of a therapy visit, while PT services in an outpatient setting seem to be attended mostly by whites. This is just another reason to engage in legislative advocacy, or even to donate to the PT-PAC. 2015;29:13-21. She was also a member of the National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI).In 2013, she was instrumental in the development, editing, and the selection of content for the board of nursings quarterly magazine, The Georgian Nurse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a multi-pronged approach to attacking racial disparity in health care, including: In the physical therapy profession, this means acting on the federal and local levels to ensure access to our profession is in place and that equal, unbiased care is provided to all. Since racial disparities are so widespread and may be dependent on a host of factors, there is likely no single factor that leads Blacks to have fewer therapy visits each year. Privacy Policy. 1. That . Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Factors Influencing Minority Students' Choice of Physical Therapist However, engaging in this dialogue is vital. Recently, the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy sought to increase its diversity. Each theme addresses opportunity gaps that occur based on inequities and disparities in the educational system and the deeply entrenched history of educational and economic disadvantages for many underrepresented groups.15-17 The PT educational community has not systematically developed these initiatives, although academic programs recognized for minority initiatives and achievement often have one or more of these initiatives very intentionally developed.18. At the basic, fundamental level, we are talking about human interactions and relationships. Improving cultural diversity awareness of physical therapy - PubMed We argue that this may be critical for efforts to increase recruitment and admission of URM students. A total of 886 students (35.2% of the survey sample) responded to the open-ended question regarding identifying and selecting PT as a career choice. J Phys Ther Educ. Access EIM Classroom for your coursework, videos, quizzes, and any other course material. Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Heidi advises on WebPTs product vision, company culture, branding efforts and internal operations, while advocating for the rehab therapy profession on a national and international scale. Within the nine closed-choice questions: two questions inquired about race/ethnicity; 1 question probed the extent of underrepresentation and disadvantaged background of each student; five questions targeted support systems and exposure from middle school through college, including advising, health care focused programs and clubs, and STEM programs that might have influenced decisions to pursue application to DPT programs; and 1 question asked what communication and social media tools are used by students. The physical therapy profession suffers from a serious lack of diversity, stymying industry growth and innovation and negatively affecting patient care.