Designing a Course to Acculturate Professional Behaviors of International Students in Physical Therapy Education
Purpose: To describe a course designed to enhance the acculturation of international students prior to entrance into a DPT program.
Description: The University of Nebraska Medical Center DPT program has a Global Health Opportunity track in which international students work on a master’s degree and complete a DPT. The current students are from China and meet all requirements of the DPT and graduate admissions, including a high proficiency in English (e.g. TOEFL ³ 90). All students have undergraduate degrees in medicine, rehabilitation therapy or medical sciences from universities in China. While these students have performed well in the didactic DPT curriculum, we noted a trend in professional interactions and communication which interfered with clinical performance and required remediation. To proactively circumvent these issues, we designed a course to develop an understanding of American culture, the US healthcare system, and professional behaviors required of physical therapists. Topics focused on themes of personal development, professionalism, interprofessional relationships, and communication. The course used self-reflection learning methods including mind maps, personal learning plans, and reflection papers to facilitate self-awareness and develop capacity for self-directed learning. Innovative Improv techniques and exercises taught communication skills related to body language and listening. Several experiences occurred in the community and the university setting to encourage practice of learned skills. This included interacting with an older adult fitness client and receiving feedback on this interaction from a DPT-2 student and engaging with stroke support group participants. The final project was an oral presentation with an impromptu question and answer session.
Summary of Use: We held a focus group with course participants to explore the impact of the course. The outcomes that emerged were: 1) increased self-confidence (“braver” to initiate conversations and share opinions), 2) enhanced communication skills (the utility of body language, listening, conversational communication, and initiation of conversation), 3) understanding of professional behaviors (appropriate dress, respect for others, patient-first language), and 4) self-reflection skills (better understanding of self and prioritization). In addition, we held a focus group with the DPT-2 students who were paired with the international students for the older adult fitness center experience. The feedback that emerged was that the international students interacted well with the DPT students and fitness center clients (introduced self, asked questions, utilized appropriate body language). In the self-reflection papers, we found that the course enhanced student perceptions of self-confidence and communication and reduced anxiety surrounding their interactions with others.
Importance to Members: With the internationalization initiatives of universities to increase diversity among student populations and enhance cultural exchange, it is imperative that US DPT programs provide education to acculturate international students to American culture and the US healthcare system.