Leadership Development in Physical Therapy: Moving Toward a Community of Transformative Practitioners
Purpose/Hypothesis: Physical therapy as an emerging profession is committed to establishing its identity and solidifying its role as a leader in health care. With expertise in human movement, wellness, and disease prevention, physical therapists possess invaluable knowledge and skill to influence public health and enhance patient recovery without increasing cost. Physical therapists have the opportunity to transform the delivery of public health services to meet current and future needs. A major challenge, however, is a dearth of leadership development in preparation programs. Because most physical therapists have not received formal education or explicit training in leadership, a problem of practice exists. The purpose of this study was thus to understand how implementing professional development activities affected (a) leadership among physical therapists and physical therapy students, and (b) the creation of a community of practice at a private outpatient physical therapy clinic. It was hypothesized that participation in professional development activities would improve understanding of leadership among participants and initiate the development of a community of practice.
Number of Subjects: Seventeen participants took part in this study including physical therapists (n = 8), physical therapy students (n = 5), occupational therapist (n = 1), and administrative office staff (n = 3) from the outpatient clinic.
Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods action-research design was used to address the specific problem of practice. The intervention included a series of professional development activities designed to foster transformational leadership and a community of practice among participants. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from three surveys, individual interviews, and small group interviews.
Results: Analysis and triangulation of data indicated positive changes were made in understanding transformational leadership, engagement in community service, relationship building among coworkers, communication, and community of practice after participation in the professional development. The results also identified the need for continued relationship development, conflict resolution, and building strong teams.
Conclusions: The results describe a feasible method of leadership development and sustainability of a community of practice to inspire transformative practitioners who lead in the clinic and the community.
Clinical Relevance: Because a paucity of literature related to leadership development in physical therapy exists, findings from this study may prove useful to the field. The results suggest the professional development is a viable and promising method of creating a community of practice and improving the leadership skills of physical and occupational therapists, physical therapy students, and staff for a small outpatient therapy clinic. It may be prudent for employers, the American Physical Therapy Association, and entry-level and post-graduate education programs to consider developing more professional development opportunities to address the lack of leadership within the profession.