2015;95:39-50. Strive to understand the feedback and implement it if possible or, if not, explain why the board cannot implement it to ensure that the speakers know the board is listening to them, they are being heard. Adrienne D. Price, RN, BA, MSN, obtained her associates of science in nursing from Macon State College, her bachelor of arts degree from Mercer University, and her masters of science in nursing from the University of Phoenix. Disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic: A clarion call for preventive cardiology. Salome Brooks is an associate professor of physical therapy, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences at Springfield College. Racial diversity in the rehab therapy industry. Given that demographic data informed by the recently expanded URM definition (including self-report of disadvantaged background) were available at the time this manuscript was prepared, parallel data from PTCAS, and in some instances from Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), were used to support the representation of the student sample who responded to this survey. A 2019 study in the American Journal of Surgery looked at who utilized rehabilitation services after hospital discharge following a trauma event. In summary: Data on disadvantaged backgrounds have not been routinely collected by PT education programs or by the PT profession. J Phys Ther Educ. At the basic, fundamental level, we are talking about human interactions and relationships. (Learn more here.) 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. Currently there are 43 House and seven Senate cosponsors, but we need more support to get this passed. Compared to their white counterparts, Black Americans were significantly less likely to access rehab services, like outpatient PT. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2006;20:14-21. The quest for diversity in the classroom. Dillon LS, Tomaka J. NPTE predictors in a Hispanic-serving institution's physical therapist education program. A Discussion of Diversity in Physical Therapy Regulation - FSBPT American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. Diversity & Equity are Rendered Meaningless Without Inclusion - LinkedIn Healthcare providers must take positive action to ensure barriers to care are removed, education about beneficial services is delivered, and racial bias in care is squashed. The adoption of the new URM definition and its application to data collection through PTCAS begins to change the way we approach diversity in education, which should ultimately change the way the profession measures its progress toward meeting the diversity needs of the health care workforce. Students reporting as Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, or as being from two or more races were more likely to indicate having graduated from High Schools and school districts with low graduation rates and low advancement to college. Underrepresented minority students reported high use of online resources and lower use of advisors and faculty in obtaining information about the profession and about preparing to apply to professional graduate education programs. She served the national association as a member of the ethics document revision task force. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. What do we gain with diversity? Shiyko M, Pappas E. Validation of pre-admission requirements in a Doctor of physical therapy program with a large representation of minority students. One question asked students to indicate the age at which they decided to become a PT. That is to say, there is no diversity. Students who identified as white (alone or in combination with other categories) responded to the survey more than any other group; compared to white respondents, only 11.91% of respondents represented all other racial categories, alone or in combination. Racial Disparities in Access to and Outcomes from Rehabilitation Diversity in the Mental Healthcare Profession: Then and Now - Psychology Therapists are naturally altruistic, kind, and intently focused on the patient experience, and with a diverse pool of therapists in our clinics, we can improve the experience of so many more patients. By reviewing PTCAS data (201516) after its adoption of questions that probe underrepresentation and disadvantage and by reporting on a survey of enrolled PT students, a preliminary picture will be described including 1) factors students consider in selecting a PT career and 2) differences in the composite of factors across nonwhite and disadvantaged groups. If thats not enough to sway your opinion, Im going to leave you with one last factual tidbit. It is essential to build trust and transparency. The PT profession has not examined the disadvantaged profile of its applicant pool or student demographic, but this expanded URM definition now supports . Theres no denying it. She served the national association as a member of the ethics document revision task force. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | APTA A special acknowledgment is given to Johnette Meadows, PT, MS, APTA Program Director for Minority and Women's Initiatives whose insights and enduring efforts helped inform the work of the DTF. What is the health regulatory role in addressing culturally responsive healthcare? Behavioral change starts from within and requires a commitment of time, effort, and emotion. Educationally disadvantaged background was reported by 34% of the total sample. He currently owns a private practice that has been operational since 2008 and also works per diem as a Home Health Physical Therapist in a local regional hospital.In 2011, Ruggie was appointed to the Oregon Physical Therapy Licensing Board and completed his second four-year term in 2019. Additionally, organizations such as the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the National Association of Black Physical Therapists (NABPT) regularly host educational courses to share relevant information on topics ranging from DEI initiatives to cultural competency. We further examined this relationship using the relative frequencies of the axial codes per selective code across the three groups (Figure 2). Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. It affects how we think, feel, act, handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Bridging the PT Diversity Gap Posts by EIM | Evidence In Motion Jesus Dominguez is an assistant professor of clinical physical therapy in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at University of Southern California. We currently have a bill on the table, The Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act (H.R. Specifically, nine survey questions were closed-choice, asking students to select one or more responses from a predetermined list of options, and two questions were open-ended. So what can be done to improve access to PT services and to ensure positive outcomes for people of color? As an industry, we must ask ourselves why. Instead of approaching each statutory requirement in isolation, the board decided that it made more sense to develop a holistic approach. Finally, the frequencies of codes per respondent were summed and percentages determined for analyses. Am J Pharm Educ. Lets do this! But the issue goes even deeper than mistrust. An overwhelming majority90 percent of patientsof those who could benefit from physical therapy are not receiving it. With a projected attrition rate of 3.5%, APTA estimates the country will have a shortage of 26,969 physical therapists by 2020. The survey was opened on March 1, 2015 and it was closed on May 1, 2015. This warrants further investigation. Another part of the issue is the woeful lack of racial diversity within the physical therapy provider workforce. However, engaging in this dialogue is vital. This benefit is harder to quantify, but perhaps just as important as anything described to this point. 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. Diversity is important, and we have to talk about it. She also served a five-year term on the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee and the APTA Reference Committee. She served the New Jersey Chapter as Secretary and President, and as a delegate and chief delegate to the House of Delegates. Phys Ther. Wolters Kluwer Health Keyword Highlighting The purpose of this position paper was to examine recruitment into PT education through the lens of the new URM definition by examining how students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds make the decision to pursue a PT career. Access EIM Community to see your Plan of Study, update your email, address and more. Take a look at this table: It compares data from the US census, our 2019 industry survey, and the APTAs survey of its member demographics. Physical Therapists in Short Supply | AMN Healthcare 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. She has been involved with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy as a member of the FSBPT Membership Survey Task Force, a member of the FSBPT Resolutions Committee, the Chair of the FSBPT Re-entry to Practice Task Force, and a recipient of the FSBPT Outstanding Service Award in 2018. Underrepresented minorities; Recruitment; Entry-level education; Workforce diversity. The open-ended questions of the survey allowed us to probe the utility of the data collected through PTCAS, and indeed the outcomes are meaningful toward informing recruitment strategies. Students who identified as having disadvantaged backgrounds were nearly equally impacted by factors related to values + interests as they were by personal experience in making their decisions to pursue a PT career. These shortcuts rely on intuition and generalizations, and they often bypass objectivity. Efforts really need to begin in middle school. Therefore, BIPOC patients are often hesitant to seek the care that they need. 2. 2010;39:138-142. Education for physicians may also be helpful. We can be better, together, but only if we continue to challenge ourselves to discuss diversity, recognize the issues, and work collectively to solve them. We sit at a critical juncture in the US healthcare system when it comes to embracing diversity, equity, and justice. 9. J Allied Health. PT Magazine. Guidelines for Continuing Professional Development, Continuing Competence Articles & Resources, ProCert Activities Certified through 2021, Credentialing Organizations for Non-US Candidates, A Collective Approach to Increasing Fairness and Reducing Bias on the NPTE, Model Practice Act: Reviewed, Revised, and Ready for Action, Revised Model Practice Act: Spotlight on Animal Physical Therapy, Enhancing Healthy Practice through Self-Reflection, President's Perspective: The Importance of Understanding the Physical Therapy Workforce, Professional Issues with a PT Practitioner Who May Have a Substance Use Disorder, Exploring the Challenges of Regulating a 'Hands on' Profession in a 'Hands off' Era, Physical Therapy Reaches Across Borders with the PT Compact, Presidents Perspective: The Case for Evidence-Based Regulation, The CBA Forum: Kudos for Bridging the Great Divide. RC 11-17: Diversity in Physical Therapy? - PT Think Tank Equality and Diversity Counselling Tutor Underrepresented minority students did not report involvement with pre-PT clubs. 20. Utzman RR, Riddle DL, Jewell DV. This is something we discussed during the 2018 Graham Sessions: the financial cost of obtaining a DPT is out of control, and were preventing lower-income would-be applicants from considering PT as a career path because its just too expensive. Oregon Board of Physical Therapy. Respondents indicating Hispanic ethnicity represented 5.7% of the respondents, and this ethnicity was spread among all racial categories. Race/ethnicity and outcomes following inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture. 18. However, once again, there is reason for optimism when looking at the data for PT test takers: However, it is essential to remember that the test taker data is incomplete. Nancy has been involved with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy in the following capacities: she served two terms on the Finance committee and also served on several task forces, in addition to the Board of Directors. 'Isn't it all Whites?' Ethnic diversity and the physiotherapy and B.W.Y.) Am J Pharm Educ. Abstract. Code development based on review of all responses resulted in 40 open codes that were condensed into 12 axial codes which were ultimately captured by two selective codes: Experience and Influence and Values and Fit (Table 7). Given this focus and the limitations of the small number of open-ended responses, we broke the data into three nonmutually exclusive groups for qualitative analysis: white (N = 729), nonwhite (N = 142), and disadvantaged (N = 232). If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. Kimberly Brown, MD, MPH is an emergency medicine physician, speaker, and best-selling author. I truly believe we need to diversify the field to be able to push the field of physical therapy forward. Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Additionally, individuals may wonder if the given labels are appropriate for them, so they may opt to just not to share that data instead. 5) URM students reported using online resources more than advisors and faculty to obtain information about preparing for and applying to DPT programs. 2017;4(4):599-606. doi:10.1007/s40615-016-0263-7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The shortage of health care professionals from underrepresented groups significantly undermines the national effort to reduce health disparities and achieve a health care workforce that matches the US demographic.1 To prepare more diverse graduates, professional physical therapist (PT) education in the United States must recruit, admit, and retain a student body that is congruent with the demographics of our rapidly changing population. Many historically marginalized groups face challenges such as poverty, stigmatization about going to therapy, and the potential lack of cultural awareness from those outside their culture . Improving cultural diversity awareness of physical therapy - PubMed In December 2018 and November 2020, the board held diversity strategic planning meetings. This failure to access post-discharge rehab services may lead to poorer functional outcomes, which are often seen in the Black population. National Association of Black Physical Therapists, Inc. | NABPT Modeling a more equitable and inclusive environment creates an environment of empathy, understanding, and justice for our patients. Zoher Kapasi is the director and professor of the Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University. Nuciforo MA. Once the orchestra began asking auditioners to take off their shoes, the number of women hired increased dramatically. Privacy Policy. You do not know what you do not know. Board members should actively invite those who are not at the table. So if a referral to PT is made, why would Black Americans not attend therapy? Thoughts from the 2018 Graham Sessions: Why PTs Can't Transform - EIM 16414 San Pedro Avenue Suite 805, San Antonio TX 78232 888.709.7096, 2023 Evidence in Motion, LLC. Even if we have state-mandated initiatives, how the board adopts these initiatives can make a huge difference. Thank you so much for touching this topic. Any meaningful solution must also include employing people of diverse backgrounds at all levels within the industryfrom practice leaders and clinical staff to administration. Racial/ethnic composition of survey respondents compared to the PTCAS Applicants 201516 Application Cycle4 was lower for all categories except American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and white respondents (Table 1). Personal experience was a strong influence for all groups, but is the primary influence for white students (Figure 2A). So do patients experience different outcomes from PT and rehab due to a referral problem? American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. As part of the framework, the board developed questions to help guide them: Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to work towards actively. The authors wish to acknowledge staff at ACAPT and APTA in assisting with their work. This leaves many patients of color unable to find a provider from their same racial or ethnic background, potentially resulting in worse health care outcomes . Additionally, URM students also identified patientPT relationships and inclusion + diversity as important in their decision-making. Some error has occurred while processing your request. However, I find the gap to be across the board in healthcare. By investing in students, were investing in the future of the physical therapy profession. Her primary passion is being a key advocate for her patients and aiding to diminish health disparities among minority groups through avenues of mindfulness and optimizing health & wellness. Acknowledging the critical partnership between boards and executives, and the impact of that partnership on overall organizational success, BoardSource helps nonprofit leaders invest in their leadership partnership by providing research, thought leadership, and practical supports that help transform board structures, dynamics, and perspectives. The ACAPT DTF identified a need to determine what factors most significantly contribute to a student's decision to pursue a PT career and, within this, to understand the similarities or differences in the process by which URM students make this decision. This definition was subsequently adopted by ACAPT in October 2013 and in June 2014 the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) House of Delegates adopted an amended definition of URM that is specific only to physical therapy education, realizing that increased diversity in education will translate to an increase in diversity within the profession.5,6. Actions You Can Take to Support Diversity in Your PT Practice - WebPT This position paper continues important conversations about supporting URM students into the PT profession. Of the 8% of Americans with self-reported arthritis who attend at least one in-office PT visit each year, Black Americans are less likely to attendeven after variables like insurance, income, and education level are corrected. 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. There was one theme in our Facebook comments that really stood out to me. To date, this has not been achieved, and the diversity gap in professional PT education is widening. 10. Cultural Competence in Therapy: All You Need to Know This can only help us in our relentless pursuit of reducing the percentage of patients (more than 90%) who have a musculoskeletal diagnosis but dont seek PT care. Holistic, systemic change will require partnerships with other organizations, especially educational institutions, to address the need for more professional candidates from under-represented groups in the educational pipeline. 2009;101:836-851. There are many initiatives and programs with the centrality on diversity in physical therapy programs, however there still remains a paucity of . 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. Diversity Among Survey Respondents Compared to 20162017 CAPTE, Survey Respondents Report of Disadvantaged Background by Race, Age at Which DPT Students During 2015 Decided to Pursue PT as a Career Option, Sources of Support Used While Exploring Physical Therapy as a Career Option, Presented in Relative Order of Most Used to Least Used Based on the Data Collapsed Across All Respondents, Referral to DPT Program for Academic Planning by Race, Role of Minority Faculty in Decision to Apply to and/or Attend a DPT Program, Coding Schema that Emerged From Examining the Open-Ended Responses to the Question Please Describe Any Other Factors Affecting Your Decision to Pursue a Physical Therapist Career, Frequency of Axial Codes by Groups Within Selective Code Categories: (A) Experience and Influence, (B) Values and Fit. Please address all correspondence to Victoria Moerchen. When variables like insurance, income, and education level are corrected, however, only the Black population continued with reduced odds of a therapy visit. As a physical therapist, Dr. Howard's interest lies within outpatient orthopedic & sports physical therapy. And the more students see other physical therapists who look like them and are successful at what they do, the more students will consider this as a career path for themselves. Requiring a cultural competency credit in continuing education credits (as of April 2020), Evaluating licensing criteria for foreign-trained/immigrant populations, Implementing diversity and inclusion training for PT board members to facilitate board awareness and create the proper lens for policymaking, Planning to collaborate with educational communities to ensure a diversified pipeline of professionalsmore specifically, the board is exploring creating outreach programs to middle and high school students, Looking into expanding the diversity of the board via public member appointments to offset the relative lack of diversity in the profession. This "disorder" was thought to be a mild form of leprosy in which the only cure was to become white.