Financial impact of COVID-19 on DPT students in the United States

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an impact on students with a change in method of delivery of education, loss of employment, food insecurity and increased stress levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students in the US.

Nine hundred four DPT students participated in a cross-sectional survey study, completing a 47-question survey including information regarding demographics, level of financial concern, reasons for and consequences of financial concern, student loan debt and employment.

Results indicate an overall increase in the level of financial concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two-thirds of participants who were employed part-time had disruption of employment. African Americans report higher levels of financial concern compared to Caucasians (P < 0.05). Asian/Pacific Islanders, African Americans and Hispanics report higher difficulty purchasing food compared to Caucasians (P < 0.05). Those with household income levels below $100,000 report higher incidences of needing to purchase additional equipment for online learning compared to higher household income (P < 0.05). Two-thirds of them feel that their employment will be impacted upon graduation, with half anticipating $100,000 and up in student loan debt.

The COVID-19 pandemic was considered to have a significant financial impact on DPT students. Race plays an important role when examining the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. DPT programs and employers need to be cognizant of the financial strain affecting DPT students and new graduates and seek support from government or private programs to assist students.