The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The Critical Challenges and Opportunities in Physical Therapy Education and Research
Purpose
The purpose of this educational session is to engage in a reflective dialogue about the critical areas for education research in physical therapy that align with key challenges in the current physical therapist education environment, as identified in the findings from the national study, Physical Therapist Education for the 21st Century (PTE-21), and to ground that dialogue in contemporary education research in the health professions. The session uses “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” metaphorically in order to stress the importance of confronting these challenges if physical therapy and physical therapist education are to thrive in the future.
Methods and/or Description of Project
Physical therapist education faces many pressing challenges at the systems level. Educating for the 21st century demands an interdependent framework of basic, clinical, and systems sciences. The systems level is complex with multiple interrelated factors contributing to how these challenges impact physical therapy practice in the long term. Four critical challenges that must be addressed immediately are:
Insufficient academic-clinical partnerships
Shortages of qualified faculty
Slow responses to society’s needs
Risk averse leadership
The responses to each of these challenges, if they are to be effective, must be based in well-designed educational research. Given the complexity of each, the challenges for educational researchers are substantial. While the profession has some basic research work available to help understand the challenges and begin to develop solutions, there is not a sufficient depth of research available to help the professional wisely choose the best responses. Nor has there been a comprehensive, coordinated effort in the profession to guide that research so that the efforts address critical problems, are deliberate and grounded in sound theory, and thus, more likely to yield useful information. If education research is to make contributions to the professions’ efforts, it is important that the stakeholders understand the context of each of these challenges and how some educational and clinical institutions have successfully responded to them.
Physical therapy researchers in basic science and clinical research have generally well identified priority areas for research that align with priority problems and funding; the same cannot be said for education research. Identifying the research that needs to be done to address these critical challenges can provide the priorities to allocate necessary resources (personnel, funding, etc.) for research.
Results/Outcomes
This session will:
*address each of these four “horsemen” challenges, supported by data from the PTE-21 study and its recommendations and calls for actions,
*identify the types of educational research needed to address these challenges, and
*provide a basis for this work from the broader health professions educational research work.
Two experts in physical therapy research and education will provide critical commentary on the recommendations put forward. Finally, professional leaders will comment on the current role and activity of the profession in moving forward on developing a viable and successful educational research agenda.
Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme: Through the Looking Glass: Transforming Physical Therapy Education
The profession needs to engage in critical reflective dialogue as a means to "transforming physical therapist education." This session uses findings from PTE-21 national study aligned with four areas of critical challenge that then serve as the basis for critique from leaders from research and the profession. This engaging session and dialogue will identify priority areas for education research to address these challenges.
References
REFERENCES
Albanese M, Mejicano G, Gruppen L. Competency-based medical education: A defense again the four horsemen of the medical education apocalypse. Acad Med. 2008; 83: 1132-1139.
Carline J. Funding medical education research: opportunities and issues. Acad Med. 2004; 79: 918-924.
Craik R. Editorial. PTJ has no silo. Phys Ther. 2015;95:1602-1604.
Cooke M. A more ambitious agenda for medical education research. J Grad Med Educ. 2013; 5: 201-202.
Gwyer J, Hack LM. Editorial - A challenge. J Phys Ther Educ. 2015;29 (2):4,5.
Gwyer J, Hack L, Jensen GM, Segal R, Boissonnault W. Future directions for educational research in physical therapy. J Phys Ther Educ. 2015; 29 (4): 3-4.
Gonzalo J, Haidet P, Papp K, Wolpaw D, Moser E, Wittenstein R, Wolpaw T. Educating for the 21st century health care system: an interdependent framework of basic, clinical and systems science. Acad Med. 2017; 92: 35-39.
Irby D, Cooke M, O’Brien B. Calls for reform of medical education by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 1910-2010. Acad Med. 2010; 85(2):220-227.
Jensen GM, Nordstrom T, Segal R, McCullum C, Graham C, Greenfield B. Education Research: Visions of the Possible, Phys Ther. 2016;96:1874-1884.
Jensen GM, Nordstrom T, Mostrom EM, Hack LM, Gwyer J. A national study of excellence and innovation in physical therapist education: Part 1 – design, methods, and results. Phys Ther. (accepted for publication).
Jensen GM, Hack L, Nordstrom T, Gwyer J, Mostrom E. National study of excellence and innovation in physical therapist education: Part 2: call for reform. Phys Ther. (accepted for publication).
Jette A. Towards systems science in rehabilitation. Phys Ther. 2016;96:270-271.
Jette A. 43rd Mary McMillan Lecture. Face into the storm. Phys Ther. 2012;92:1221-1229.
Jette DU. Physical therapist student loan debt. Phys Ther. 2016;96:1685–1688.
Jette D. 19th Annual Pauline Cerasoli Lecture: Unflattening. J Phys Ther Educ. 2016;30:4-10.
Portney L. 17th Annual Pauline Cerasoli Lecture: Choosing a disruptive path toward tomorrow. J Phys Ther Educ. 2014;28:4-14.
Wartman S, ed. The Transformation of Academic Health Centers: Meeting the Challenges of Healthcare’s Changing Landscape. Boston, MA; Academic Press; 2015.
Course Objectives
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will be able to:
Identify major challenges facing physical therapist education that could result in serious risk to physical therapist education and practice if not addressed.
Discuss key education research questions that align with finding solutions to these challenges.
Discuss the advantages of building on the work done in health professions education to help develop educational research in physical therapy.
Instructional Methods
Presentation, panel critique and audience interaction
Tentative Outline/Schedule
SESSION OUTLINE/TIME:
The challenges and the educational research that can help meet them (45 mins)
Responses from the expert commentators (Jette and Craik) (25 mins)
Responses from the professional leaders (Boissonnault and Dunn) (25 mins)
Audience responses (20 mins)
Conclusions (5 mins)