Developing an Autonomous Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Practitioner:

1. Developing an Autonomous Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Practitioner: The Science and Art of a Clinical Education Program Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Radford University Harper, B., Jagger, K., Castleberry, J., Siyufy, A., Aron, A., Huth, R., Swanson, E., & John, E. Radford University, Roanoke, VA BACKGROUND & PURPOSE CYCLIC FEEDBACK & ASSESSMENT . Developing an autonomous clinical practitioner requires pedagogical rigor and creativity. The outcome of physical therapy education includes not only knowledge, but also the ability to analyze and prescribe efficacious therapeutic interventions. Evidence-based physical therapy practice demands the ability to clinically reason. Current practice demands higher order cognitive processing, in conjunction with application of affective domain skills that are tailored to the individual patient/client needs and abilities, expressed in an all-encompassing psychomotor therapeutic application focused on intervention, education, and prevention. Radford University’s three-year entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) curriculum has developed a unique repeating cycle of student assessments that embodies the ideals of physical therapy practice. Assessment occurs cyclically and continuously within each course, across courses during each semester, and annually utilizing written and practical competency examinations. This pedagogical assessment is step-lock, allowing a seamless integration of knowledge acquisition and psychomotor skills. Students are provided the opportunity to practice established knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) within three real-world diverse practice settings. Prior to clinical internships, the culmination of acquired KSAs are assessed within oral practical examinations in which the student demonstrates proficiency in all three domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Feedback acquired from students, academic faculty, and clinical faculty closes the loop and enhances the assessment process to ensure students are developing more complex cognitive, affective, and psychomotor abilities. This integrated evaluation process breathes life into the curriculum by ensuring that necessary adaptations and improvements occur annually in order to meet the program’s mission. The Radford University entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy graduate will be a patient management team member who is highly sought after to fill community patient care needs. Many undergraduate programs offer students individual classes with distinct content material that is not integrated into later coursework, and exposure to real-world situations is often offered at the end of the curricula. This segmented approach prevents using cumulative assessment and feedback to improve the students’ critical situational thinking. The presented model is intended to stimulate conversation regarding the potential for change within the traditional undergraduate setting. SUMMARY Radford University’s DPT program emphasizes the comprehensive practical skills needed in today’s healthcare environment. Integration of material across multiple courses and through continual assessment ensures students’ mastery and success. This pedagogical method of cyclical assessment could easily be emulated in programs whose goal is to produce graduates with critical reasoning skills and a proven ability to apply practical knowledge.