ARE WE THERE YET? ARE STUDENTS PREPARED FOR THE LEAP TO EMPLOYMENT?

Objective. The purpose of this study was to determine the importance of entry-level expectations of Doctor of Physical Therapy graduates from the perspective of faculty, clinical instructors (CI), and employers in the inpatient rehabilitation, acute care and outpatient practice settings. Background. With the changes in the healthcare delivery system, the expectations of graduate therapists by employers, CIs and faculty needs to be evaluated. Methods. A survey was sent via web-link and asked participants to rank on a Likert scale the importance of 25 characteristics (identified by a Delphi study by Gaszi et al in inpatient rehabilitation) in the first 90 days of practice. Results. Usable surveys were received from 400 participants. Of the 25 characteristics, 2 characteristics –safe and reliable – were consistently rated as “very important” by 80% of all respondents across all settings. Seven of the characteristics demonstrated 70% of the respondents felt the characteristic was “important”: safe, ethical, recognition of red flags, integrity, reliable, responsible, and respectful. Significant differences between group ratings of 3 characteristics were evident in the acute setting: recognition of red flags, critical thinker & team player. 17.6% of respondents felt graduates were not meeting expectations. The employer group was overall more negative that graduates were not meeting expectations. Conclusion. The results show there are some differences between academic faculty and employers and CIs in their expectations from new graduates that should be considered as curriculum continue to develop in the changing healthcare arena. Grants. Acute Care portion of this study was supported by the 2013–2014 CHCS & CON Research Grant