Oregon has four statutes, one executive order, and one governing initiative that all compelled the board to examine its diversity. To that end and in pursuit of positively impacting the profession that has given so much to me, I created the Rizing Tide Foundation to help nurture a more diverse and inclusive physical therapy workforce. 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. The coding of the third reviewer was then compared to the coding of the two primary reviewers, and a weighted kappa of 0.919 was calculated. 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. Students from URM backgrounds reported different critical decision ages, as well as different use of or preference for resources to learn about the PT career and to prepare for application to DPT programs. How to Facilitate and Engage in Healthy Decision-making Processes. 1. Unfortunately, the overall disparity of URM applicants to physical therapist education programs is paralleled by a lack of racial and ethnic diversity among program faculty. Become a member of Nonprofit Quarterly. This position paper reports on a survey conducted by the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy's Diversity Task Force designed to examine recruitment into PT education through the lens of the new URM definition, with a focus on how students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds decide to pursue a PT career. Some error has occurred while processing your request. 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. 2009;23:29-36. Understanding that there is racial bias in health care is the first step to curing the problem. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Physical Therapy There are tons of patients who are lacking trust in their providers because they don't feel that their providers really care. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. 2802/S. I recognize that this, all around, is a very tough topic to discuss, but its one that we absolutely cannot ignore, especially when the US in the midst of so much racial turmoil. Diversity in the Mental Healthcare Profession: Then and Now - Psychology Racial Disparities in PT and Rehab Outcomes. American Council of Academic Physical Therapy. Monahan B. "The lack of diversity in allied health fields is shocking less than 5% of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists are Black. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) appointed her as the Promising Practice Consultant for Discipline on the Committee for the Commitment to Ongoing Regulatory Excellence (CORE). After looking into the problem, the organization realized that the judges could hear the women auditioners high heels and, thus, could identify their gender. Industry data, even beyond WebPTs, indicates again and again that theres a serious diversity problem in the rehab therapy industry. And it does not matter which setting the referral is made to. Only 6.5% of our workforce identifies as one or the other, even though the communities cumulatively account for more than a quarter of the countrys population. 2012;76:151. These numbers paint the most objective possible picture of the state of our workforce. 1997:72-77. This post was written with assistance from Dana Gundrum, WebPTs Culture Captain. Before we coded, we used a random numbers generator to randomly select 142 responses from both the white and disadvantaged groups, so as to assess 142 open-ended responses for all three groups (ie, 142 was the maximum number in the nonwhite group). If we want to make a serious effort to diversify our profession, one of the most important steps will be making physical therapy education more accessible to more people. Equality and Diversity Counselling Tutor She served the national association as a member of the ethics document revision task force. 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. In December 2018 and November 2020, the board held diversity strategic planning meetings. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. J Phys Ther Educ. Biases arent just limited to race, ethnicity, and gender; they can crop up around religion, age, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic class. Wolters Kluwer Health Leveling the field in physical therapy | UDaily 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. Studies addressing these issues report that racial and ethnic disparities persist even when demographic factors, such as socioeconomic status, level of insurance, and comorbidity conditions are controlled. You do not know what you do not know. make sense of changing conditions and improve infra-structure in their organizations. Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. The American Journal of Surgery. 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. doi:10.1016/j.apmr.2017.02.027, Graham JE, Chang PFJ, Berges IM, Granger CV, Ottenbacher KJ. Promoting diversity: Recommendations for. This study of the perceptions and experiences of physiotherapists identified a lack of ethnic diversity within the profession. 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. Please try after some time. The physical therapy profession is no exception to this - the lack of diversity in the physical therapy field does not mirror the U.S. population nor has it improved with the growth of the profession. When surveyed about the role of minority faculty in decision-making for applying to or attending a DPT program, all students disagreed more than agreed that minority faculty impacted their decisions (Table 6); however, both Hispanic and nonwhite students compared to non-Hispanic and white students reported that the presence of minority faculty was impactful. But the issue goes even deeper than mistrust. In part, this is tied to how the general public perceives physical therapy as ancillary to primary care rather than as a first line of treatment. Or will we let these noble values simply languish as buzzwords? One of the best paths to lasting change within the industry involves recruiting more racially diverse students to the physical therapy profession. 2. Institutional racism in the health care system. Although personal experience with physical therapy was the primary influence on white students' decision to pursue a PT career, values and interests were equally impactful on this decision for disadvantaged students. Get new journal Tables of Contents sent right to your email inbox, Academy of Physical Therapy Education, APTA, http://www.aacp.org/governance/HOD/Documents/White%20Paper%20on%20Admissions%202015.pdf, http://www.acapt.org/docs/default-source/reports/diversity-task-force-final-report.pdf?sfvrsn=2, http://www.capteonline.org/uploadedFiles/CAPTEorg/About_CAPTE/Resources/Aggregate_Program_Data/AggregateProgramData_PTPrograms.pdf, http://www.ptcas.org/uploadedFiles/PTCASorg/About_PTCAS/PTCASApplicantDataRpt.pdf, http://www.acapt.org/images/AC-1-13_URM_Definition_PASSED.pdf, https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00#headnote-js-a, JOPTE_32_2_2018_03_05_MOERCHEN_JOPTE-D-18-00035_SDC1.pdf; [PDF] (162 KB), Purposeful Recruitment Strategies to Increase Diversity in Physical Therapist Education, Articles in PubMed by Victoria Moerchen, PT, PhD, Articles in Google Scholar by Victoria Moerchen, PT, PhD, Other articles in this journal by Victoria Moerchen, PT, PhD, Privacy Policy (Updated December 15, 2022). Phys Ther. Your email address will not be published. It invades every aspect of our culture, and it has created a situation where people of color consistently realize barriers to certain aspects of our society. Please address all correspondence to Victoria Moerchen. Physical Therapists in Short Supply | AMN Healthcare The data nonetheless allowed for a preliminary exploration of similarities and differences in students' pathways to selection of a PT career when race, ethnicity, and disadvantage were considered. However, wed be remiss if we didnt look below the surface of this gap in accessibility and recognize the contribution of racial inequity. RC 11-17: Diversity in Physical Therapy? - PT Think Tank Earlier this month, WebPT made a lot of people on Facebook very, very angry. Cultural Competence in Therapy: All You Need to Know Underrepresented minorities; Recruitment; Entry-level education; Workforce diversity. National Association of Black Physical Therapists, Inc. | NABPT Racial Disparities Lead to Poor Mental Health Care for Black Americans 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. American Academy of Family Physicians. 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 . Utzman RR, Riddle DL, Jewell DV. There is an obvious lack of diversity in the profession, but I believe the problem starts in the lack of diversity in physical therapy program applicants. Racial diversity in the rehab therapy industry. 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. A total of 2,513 students completed this survey, yielding a response rate of approximately 10%. White paper on pharmacy admissions: Developing a diverse work force to meet the healthcare needs of an increasingly diverse society. 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. 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. This article is based on a 2020 Annual Meeting Webinar panel discussion with Anne Wallestad, Ruggie Canizares, Nancy Kirsch, and Adrienne Price. Compared to their white counterparts, Black Americans were significantly less likely to access rehab services, like outpatient PT. We argue that this may be critical for efforts to increase recruitment and admission of URM students. I believe that this homogeneity prevents us from delivering the best possible care experience to each and every patient who seeks therapy treatment, and we have to talk about it. APTA Centennial Scholars: 'This Really Bodes Well for the Future' Each axial code could only be counted once per each response although each response could be captured with more than one axial code. Nuciforo MA. Respondents indicating Hispanic ethnicity represented 5.7% of the respondents, and this ethnicity was spread among all racial categories. Identify ways in which the lack of diversity in healthcare directly impacts healthcare outcome; Evidence-based strategies that educators can utilize to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare; Chris Owens PT, ScD, OCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT graduated from the University of Connecticut and received a BS in the Allied Health Sciences Program in Physical Therapy in 1993. These are the top 7 challenges that are affecting PT's, as well as some suggestions on what you can do to overcome them: 1. Disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic: A clarion call for preventive cardiology. While numerous studies have investigated the therapeutic effects of ECT and its mechanism, much less research has been conducted regarding the mechanism behind the cognitive side effects . This failure to access post-discharge rehab services may lead to poorer functional outcomes, which are often seen in the Black population. Is Physical Therapy Covered By Insurance? Vongvanith VV, Huntington SA, Nkansah NT. Out of about 35,000 PTA test-takers in a recent five-year span, 66% provided race and ethnicity information at registration: If we compare this to the data of 2019 PTA graduates, with 71% identifying as White, there is a positive trend toward diversity. 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. 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. (Learn more here.) 15. modify the keyword list to augment your search. 7. Andrews A, Johansson C, Chinworth S, Akroyd D. Cognitive, collegiate, and demographic predictors of attrition in professional physical therapist education. In fact, it will only make us better. Another part of the issue is the woeful lack of racial diversity within the physical therapy provider workforce. Survey responses were downloaded and, where possible, quantitatively summarized. Two of the authors (V.M. 2017;4(4):599-606. doi:10.1007/s40615-016-0263-7. Author Michele Wojciechowski reports how several PTs' diverse backgrounds have helped them offer person-centered care that is sensitive to patients' needs and beliefs. 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. Another part of the issue is the woeful lack of racial diversity within the physical therapy provider workforce. They need to know the board will accept and listen to them to feel comfortable. Brett Sears, PT, MDT, is a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience in orthopedic and hospital-based therapy. Closing this opportunity gap of a career club that draws and supports URM undergraduate students would benefit the diversity of the health care workforce, broadly. Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Minority Applicants to Physical Therapist Education Programs 2010-2012 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. Before we begin, please know that Im opening this conversation in good faith, and that I want to promote thoughtfulness and genuine discussion, not anger. I want to gain actual data from underrepresented groups to see if there is a common theme related to why physical therapy programs do not receive a more diverse pool of applicants. 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. Members receive unlimited access to our archived and upcoming digital content. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. We can learn from webinars, articles, books, research papers, conferences, and more. Highlight selected keywords in the article text. 1) With data collapsed across race and ethnicity, 34% of the sample reported educational disadvantage, 9.6% reported economic disadvantage, and 4.5% reported geographic disadvantage. What elements of diversity should physical therapy boards be working on? While jurisdictional legislation may prevent specific data collection, there should still be some available options. There are plenty of resources available to those who wish to learnfrom . Lets start with the objective facts. 10. 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. Research shows that this diversity gap prevents many BIPOC patients from finding providers who they perceive can identify with themand this can lead to differences in treatment outcomes. Research indicates that, in some cases, Black Americans suffer from worse rehabilitation outcomes when compared to white, non-Hispanic counterparts. Im going to say this outright: diversifying the therapist pool and making an active effort to combat our biases will not hurt us. 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 second open-ended question asked students to describe factors affecting their decision to pursue PT as a career. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox. Am J Pharm Educ. Relatedly, students from disadvantaged backgrounds were more influenced by factors related to Values and Fit than by Experience and Influence. Additionally, two open-ended questions were designed to further our understanding of influences on students' decision to pursue PT education. Phys Ther. In the U.S., prospective clinical psychologists spend 10 or more years in higher education, typically earning a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate. A good starting point would be greater understanding the factors and causes of the lack of diversity within the profession. According to Health Affairs, minority providers often choose to work in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), to a disproportionate extent. If diversifying the industry means that we can help reach the patients who need us the most, then I say we should redouble our efforts to open the industry doors, so to speak. Additionally, URM students also identified patientPT relationships and inclusion + diversity as important in their decision-making. Prioritizing Minority Mental Health | Health Equity Features | CDC These themes should be visibly incorporated into recruitment strategies and evident on educational program and/or professional websites. He has been actively involved with FSBPT since 2014 as a delegate/alternate delegate and served two terms on the Finance Committee. Physical Therapy & Sexual Misconduct: What You Need to Know, Caring for a Loved One After Total Joint Replacement Surgery, Breast Cancer Treatment Barriers for Black Women, Mastectomy and Breast Reconstruction: Considerations for Black Patients, Benefits and Considerations for In-Home Physical Therapy, Breast Cancer Risk: Disparities That Affect Black Women, Physical Therapy for a Pectoralis Major Tear, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Exist in Every State, Report Finds, The Intergenerational Impact of Racism on Health, Type 2 Diabetes Management Barriers in People of Color, Physical Therapy for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome, Key facts on health and healthcare by race and ethnicity, Disparities in the COVID-19 pandemic: A clarion call for preventive cardiology, Rehabilitation services use and patient-reported outcomes among older adults in the United States, Race/ethnicity and outcomes following inpatient rehabilitation for hip fracture, Follow-up disparities after trauma: A real problem for outcomes research, Institutional racism in the health care system, Racism, inequality, and health care for African Americans, Disparities in access to outpatient rehabilitation therapy for African Americans with arthritis, CDC COVID-19 response health equity strategy: Accelerating progress towards reducing COVID-19 disparities and achieving health equity, Lack of availability of outpatient physical therapists who can meet the needs of Black Americans, Location of PT offices may affect accessibility for Black Americans, Hours of operation and ease of scheduling office visits for PT may not fit the needs of Black Americans, Family responsibilities, lack of time, or lack of child care, Federal government intervention to collect and analyze data and to ensure health and social programs address the needs of the Black community, The use of public health officials to connect providers, educators, transportation, and service organizations to help improve health access and outcomes in the Black community, The use of community organizations to connect people of color to appropriate medical services and to help remove barriers to those services, Education of healthcare providers to the specific needs of Black Americans and to create collaborative models of care across the healthcare spectrum. At time of authorship, Ms. Ross was the director of Academic Services of the American Physical Therapy Association. Though the word "diversity" itself simply means having variety, true diversity in a professional setting requires more than hiring a couple people who look different than . You may search for similar articles that contain these same keywords or you may Promoting Diversity in Physical Therapy - MossRehab Physical Therapy Centralized Application Service. The field's continued lack of diversity stems from educational barriers. Mental health is just as important as physical health at all stages of life. Zoher Kapasi is the director and professor of the Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Emory University. 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. Programs and initiatives that encourage more students to consider becoming a PTA or PT are great opportunities for collaboration between APTA and FSBPT. According to CAPTE, in 2019, the majority of graduates from PTA programs were white: When looking at thePTAs in practice from 2016-2017, it is evident that more work needs to be done to have a more inclusive profession: While this is not where we want to be, there are some reasons for optimism. Kaiser Family Foundation. These challenges may include organizational intent and leadership. Recruitment strategies should then be tailored specifically to these practices to attract URM applicants for PT education. 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. Orchestra hopefuls would perform their audition pieces behind a screen in an effort to avoid bias. Efforts really need to begin in middle school. Your message has been successfully sent to your colleague. To be able to achieve this goal, PT educators must be culturally competent as well. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. Diversity & Equity are Rendered Meaningless Without Inclusion - LinkedIn Benjamin Rush, often referred to as the "father of American psychiatry" and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, described "Negroes as suffering from an affliction called Negritude .". She also served a five-year term on the APTA Ethics and Judicial Committee and the APTA Reference Committee. 8. Recruitment strategies should target the areas captured by the open codes related to values + interests that emerged from the survey data (Table 7). What do we gain with diversity? However, a major drawback of ECT is its cognitive side effects. She received the Lucy Blair Service Award and was elected a Catherine Worthingham Fellow from National APTA and received an Outstanding Service Award and the President's Award from the FSBPT. This suggests lack of relationships with academic and professional mentors.