Interpersonal skills education in entry-level physical therapy programs

The purpose of this study was to determine the current status of interpersonal skills (IPS) education in entry-level physical therapy programs with respect to content, course work requirements, and evaluation strategies. The disciplines of faculty members who teach IPS and their materials and methods also were explored. Using a 32-item questionnaire, we surveyed in 1984 all accredited baccalaureate (BS), certificate (CERT), and entry-level master's degree (MS) programs (N = 107) in physical therapy. Seventy-two responses (67.2%) were received, reflecting returns from 57 BS (64.7%), 5 CERT (83.3%), and 10 MS (76.9%) program respondents. Nearly all (97.2%, n = 70) of the respondents explicitly taught IPS in the classroom, but fewer of them evaluated learning (74.3%, n = 52). Overall, respondents teaching in MS programs consistently reported including a greater concentration of IPS content than the other two types of programs. All of the MS programs required specific IPS course work, compared with 50 (87.7%) of the BS programs and 3 (60%) of the CERT programs. Predominantly, faculty members who teach IPS are academically based physical therapists who use an extensive variety of methods and materials.