Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice: Exploration of Teaching Approaches to Educate Students on the...

Care provided by physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) requires intraprofessional collaboration. Research suggests that Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students graduate with inadequate education regarding the role, scope of practice, utilization, and supervision of PTAs, as well as the elements that comprise effective intraprofessional teams. DPT programs must create educational opportunities for students to learn about and practice working intraprofessionally. Study objectives were to: 1) describe teaching approaches used in DPT-PTA programs pertaining to intraprofessional teaming; and 2) examine whether DPT-PTA programs promoted intraprofessional inclusion.

Qualitative case-study. DPT and PTA program directors were conveniently sampled from U.S. accredited programs. Interview questions queried participants about teaching approaches dedicated to effective intraprofessional collaboration and if DPT-PTA programs promoted intraprofessional inclusion.

Nineteen interviews were conducted, 7 with DPT and 12 with PTA program directors. Three themes emerged from the data: 1) variable incorporation of intraprofessional teaming; 2) curricular influences; and 3) perceived value and understanding. Programs with greater depth of exposure used multimodal teaching and assessment approaches, face-to-face interaction, and promoted understanding of each other's roles.

The current work expands a framework previously developed that identified elements for effective intraprofessional teaming which could guide instruction in DPT and PTA curricula.