Learning to be a physiotherapist: a metasynthesis of qualitative studies

The health system is increasingly engaging in a wider concept of health which includes lifestyle conditions and well being as well as disease. This challenges physiotherapy educators to take an active role in preparing students for modern health care. Few studies have explored the experience of learning to be a physiotherapist from the student perspective to help illuminate the learning process. The aim of this study was to gain a higher level of theoretical understanding of the longitudinal process of students' learning to be a physiotherapist across the curriculum.

A metasynthesis design was used to analyse the findings of four individual research studies, based on interviews with a cohort of 18 physiotherapy students. A qualitative phenomenographic approach to analysis was adopted within the metasynthesis.

Three patterns of learning, described as 'Learning to cure body structure', 'Learning to educate about movement problems' and 'Learning to manage peoples' health' indicate differences in the focus of learning, the ways in which learning occurs, the learning partners and the context of learning.

A variation in patterns of learning identified in students' experience of learning to be a physiotherapist reflects different views of knowledge and learning throughout the education programme which progresses the theoretical base on which models of education can be developed.