Current State of Entry-level Physical Therapy Oncology Curricula in the United States: A Faculty Survey

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of oncology rehabilitation education in current physical therapist educational programs in the United States, including oncology rehabilitation content characteristics, delivery, and instructional resources.

By 2030, more than 21 million survivors of cancer in the United States (US) will be living with multisystem side effects depending on the treatment delivered. In addition, the sociopsychological factors associated with cancer treatment require that physical therapists are equipped with a unique body of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Insufficient cancer rehabilitation education is problematic across the health care spectrum.

Program directors at 235 US physical therapist educational programs.

An online survey was developed in REDCap using the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialist's Description of Specialty Practice: Oncology Physical Therapy as a guide. An electronic link to the survey was sent to the email of the chair/program director at 235 Commission for the Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education-accredited programs.

The overall response rate was 40.4% (95/235) and represented 36 of the 50 states. Private universities represented 54.3% of the responses, and 65% of the surveys were completed by core faculty. Four programs reported having an independent oncology course, ranging from 1 to 3 credit hours. Integrated content hours averaged 14.8 contact hours (range: 1-60) in the 69 reporting programs. Fifty-four percent of respondents were aware of published rehabilitation cancer guidelines. The majority of respondents (62%) felt their students received adequate instruction related to oncology rehabilitation. Certified lymphedema therapists (68%) were primarily responsible for teaching the oncology content. Goodmans' Pathophysiology text was most reported (87%), whereas 38% used evidence-based research in Rehabilitation Oncology Journal. About half of the respondents (52%) reported offering students full-time clinical experiences in oncology rehabilitation.

This survey demonstrated how oncology rehabilitation education is incorporated into physical therapist educational programs and highlights areas for improvement. The results from this study lay the groundwork for developing core competencies for prelicensure education in oncology rehabilitation.