The influence of ageism, experience, and relationships with older adults on physical therapy students' perception of...

Increased exposure to geriatrics throughout a student's professional education has been reported to improve the desire to work in this area; however, factors that influence the perception of geriatric physical therapy may prohibit students from actively seeking those experiences.

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of geriatric physical therapy by first-year graduate physical therapy students.

A qualitative case study research approach was performed.

Three focus groups were completed using students enrolled in their second semester of a graduate-level physical therapy program. Dialogue was reviewed and coded by three raters. Twenty-five subcategories of open-coding terms were triangulated and grouped into 4 themes via axial coding.

Four themes emerged: (1) ageism exists in health care, (2) personal and professional experiences serve as a framework for students' perception of geriatrics, (3) interpersonal relationships formed within geriatric practice are highly valued, and (4) additional contextual barriers exist in geriatrics.

To meet the needs of a highly skilled geriatric workforce, students should participate in enhanced geriatric experiences in didactic coursework as well as within interprofessional geriatric clinics throughout their education.