Abstract
Introduction: Little research exists investigating the personal and professional outcomes of postprofessional physical therapy (PT) training. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive, web-based survey study was to determine self-reported outcomes from a postprofessional PT fellowship program, including graduate professional, educational, and research involvement; perceptions of the impact of training on clinical and professional attributes; changes in employment and income; and barriers to training.
Methods: Graduates of a part-time, hybrid-model, multisite orthopedic manual PT fellowship program were invited to complete the web-based survey. Descriptive data analyses were performed for all quantitative data, and responses to questions were analyzed and categorized into themes.
Results: Of the 77 fellowship graduates, 75 (97%) completed the survey. Graduates were involved in teaching; 43% (32/75) filled lead instructor roles in PT education programs. Further, 75% (57/75) were involved in research. The mean (SD) and median (range) increase in annual gross income was $9560 ($17,545) and $2,500 ($0-$125,000), respectively. Perceived areas with the largest impact of training included clinical reasoning, patient-centered and evidence-based practice, and professionalism. Life balance and family commitments were frequent barriers during training.
Discussion: Graduates noted substantial perceived professional, clinical, and financial benefits to fellowship training. Limitations included lack of a control group and surveying participants from a single program. Future research should determine the influence that program and participant-related factors have on personal and professional lives of graduates and on clinical outcomes.
Level of Evidence: Descriptive survey, level 3.