Physical Therapy: Student Shadowing Programs

A Case Study on Engaging Students: from a Former Student and Trainer in the Physical Therapy profession

Introduction to Physical Therapy

In 2013, the degree program for physical therapy transitioned from a masters degree into a doctoral program. After that transition, students would no longer be able to pursue a master’s degree for physical therapy, they would need to graduate from an accredited program to qualify for board certification. This transition started to take root when the first doctoral students graduated from Creighton University in Nebraska in 1996 (Mathur, 2011). The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a leader in the physical therapy field, and works on updating educational requirements, accreditations, and a professional network of therapists and students. Since its founding in 1921, the APTA has worked with the American Medical Association (AMA) to make educational programs cohesive, patient focused, and aligned with medical advancements (Jones, 2017).

Student Shadowing Requirements

Today, in order to apply for a DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy) program, a student must have a long list of pre-requisite courses, a bachelor’s degree, and 75-300 hours of clinical shadowing. While hands-on experience is not often required, a large percentage of applicants will have experience as a Rehabilitation Tech, a Physical Therapist Assistant degree, or a position within a physical therapy practice. Clinical shadowing is not well regulated, and opportunities vary by the host organization. Shadowing is different from clinical rotations, as students are often not allowed to be hands-on with patients. Most clinics who have students shadow have them sit in the clinic, or help fold laundry, and observe. Shadowing is a great opportunity to see the field in action, understand the day-to-day of the job, and start getting a foundation of clinical practice.

Here is an image of the inside of a physical therapy clinic, and some of the exercise equipment that can be used during the treatment sessions.

Curiosity

In shadowing a physical therapist, curiosity is evoked through showing a student what a day in the field looks like. Often, students are introduced to the field through sports, prior injuries, or just curious about various healthcare fields. Students often have the option to shadow for a single day, or over the span of several weeks or months. They can follow a patient through several weeks of care, see their improvement, and learn how those improvements were made through evidence-based practice, manipulations, and other physical therapy tools. Another option to invoke curiosity is to encourage students to keep the patient's company while they perform routine exercises during their session, with the patient’s consent. This builds confidence, public speaking skills, and can give a student insight into what caused the injury and how the patient’s life has been impacted. Curiosity is the first step in looking into career choices as a student, and how to start down an educational path towards it. Shadowing can be a great step in learning about that career, and helping shape the decision of what fields to look into.

Here is a patient who tore her ACL while mountain biking and had to be on crutches and in a fully locked leg brace for seven months. She was in physical therapy for a year.

Motivation through Goal Setting

Shadowing is completely built through student interest, pursuit, and follow through. According to Reiser and Dempse (2018), projects often fail due to a lack of goal setting, or the false belief that a conclusion will occur later. Students may have the curiosity to look into shadowing, but don’t know where to start, or have the motivation to research where to begin. The first goal is to learn about what resources are available and get your first observation dates booked. A lot of schools have shadowing opportunities and a network already in place for students to access, or a simple internet search and phone call to local practices is a great place to start. Students are motivated by accomplishing these goals, finishing shadowing hours, and learning about new things. If a student does not follow through with this, it can cause failure. For example, do I have questions prepared for the clinician? What questions did I have about my time observing? Was I professional in my presentation, attitude, and communication? These are all questions to consider when setting goals and making contacts in the field that can come in handy later in the student’s career.

Collaboration

Collaboration is an important part of shadowing, and helps a student be engaged in how they are learning. Do they play an active role in setting up their shadow opportunities, or just expect someone else to tell them when to show up? Are they paying attention, asking questions when appropriate, and being courteous to patients and staff members? In a past interview with Heather Z., a Regional Trainer with a local physical therapy company, she stated that her company has an age restriction on student observers due to past issues with them causing distractions, being inappropriate, or playing on clinic equipment (Jones, 2021). Students learn through collaborating with staff, patients, and clinicians. They can watch and learn, ask questions, and even practice exercises themselves to demonstrate for patients, when appropriate. Reiser and Dempsey state, “the collaborative effort typically requires the lead designer to serve as a project manager...and all are partners in the process” (p. 28, 2018). The collaborative environment in a clinical setting allows the student to be in control of what they learn and how they choose to use that knowledge and information.

Conclusion

Shadowing is a great tool for students to learn about career fields and help decide future paths they may want to take in their education and professions. It allows students to shape their own experience, have a hand in where they learn, and how much information they retain, ask about, and gather from that experience. It’s a great tool to encourage individual study and have students seek their own internships and contact local businesses and organizations.

Notes:

Photos were taken by the author.

Heather Z., a Regional Trainer in physical therapy company agreed to let me use her statements in this case study. I had interviewed her previously in Summer 2021 for a research project. Please find the reference below:

Jones, E., 2021. The Administration of Physical Therapy: Looking towards the future in healthcare leadership. [online] Academia.edu.

References:

Fraticelli, T., 2021. Shadowing a PT: What you need to know. [online] PTProgress | Career Development, Education, Health. Available at: <https://www.ptprogress.com/shadowing-a-pt-what-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=What%20is%20Shadowing%3F,is%20really%20something%20to%20pursue.> [Accessed 16 September 2021].

Jones, E., 2021. The Administration of Physical Therapy: Looking towards the future in healthcare leadership. [online] Academia.edu. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/52544505/The_Administration_of_Physical_Therapy_Looking_towards_the_future_in_healthcare_leadership> [Accessed 16 September 2021].

Jones, E., 2017. THE HISTORY AND PROFESSIONALISATION OF PHYSICAL THERAPY. [online] Academia.edu. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/40198805/THE_HISTORY_AND_PROFESSIONALISATION_OF_PHYSICAL_THERAPY> [Accessed 16 September 2021].

Mathur S. (2011). Doctorate in physical therapy: is it time for a conversation?. Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada, 63(2), 140–145. https://doi.org/10.3138/physio.63.2.140

Reiser, R. A., & Dempsey, J. V. (2017). Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (4th Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780134237039