This process resulted in a comprehensive glossary for physical therapist clinical education; changes to several current terms, including "internship" and "full-time clinical education experience"; and the addition of new terms, including "preceptor" and "site coordinator for clinical education." New terminology will provide standard language for consistent communication and a common framework for all stakeholders.
Lengths of longitudinal resin canals in Pinus taeda (loblolly pine) wood were determined by 1) peeling offthe bark and measuring the canals, visible as white lines along the surface, to the nearest mm, and 2) photographing aseries ofcross sections (4000) ofknown thickness with a movie camera, and sub sequently using a film editor and frame counter to ca1culate lengths. The values yielded by the. two methods were not significantly different and indicate that the less time-consuming method of peeling and measuring lengths is as reliable as the cinematographic technique.
Introduction.
Most physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) education programs require applicants to complete observation hours (ObHr) before admission. Observation hours are believed to enable the prospective PT and PTA student to gain knowledge about the profession and increase chances of success in academic programs; however, few studies have examined these relationships. The purposes of this study were to: 1) examine the relationship between the number of ObHr completed and indicators of success in a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program, 2) identify PT and PTA student opinions and perceived value of the required ObHr, including the number of hours needed to make an informed decision to pursue physical therapy as a career, and 3) identify clinical instructor (CI) opinions about the perceived value of ObHr and their impact on clinic productivity.
Methods.
Part 1 was a retrospective cohort study, examining data from 323 students who matriculated into a DPT program during a 6-year period (2009–2014). The relationship between admission variables (undergraduate grade point average [GPA], undergraduate math/science GPA, verbal Graduate Record Examination [GRE], quantitative GRE, age, and total ObHr) and outcome variables (National Physical Therapy Examination [NPTE] success, DPT probation status, and DPT GPA) were examined. Parts 2 and 3 focused on perceived value of ObHr gathered from surveys of PT and PTA students and CIs.
Results.
The number of ObHr was not a significant predictor of NPTE success, DPT probation status, or DPT GPA. Most PT (92%) and PTA (83%) students believed that ObHr positively impacted their decision to pursue physical therapy as a profession and that they needed 40–60 hours to make this decision. Most CIs (64%) do not believe that reducing ObHr opportunities would result in an increase in the number of full-time clinical experiences offered by their clinic. An overwhelming majority of the CIs (95%) believed that ObHr are meaningful for prospective students.
Discussion and Conclusion.
Observation hours were perceived as being valuable by both PT and PTA students and CIs. Observation hours may be useful to prospective PT students to help determine whether they pursue a career in physical therapy. However, there is no evidence that ObHr impact DPT academic performance. Physical therapist students may need fewer ObHr to confirm a career choice than what some programs currently require.
Aerobic and resistance exercise training programs produce an abundance of physiologic and clinical benefits in patients with heart failure (HF). Improved maximal aerobic capacity, submaximal aerobic endurance, muscle force production, perceived quality of life, and skeletal muscle characteristics are among the more established outcomes resulting from these rehabilitation techniques. Moreover, both aerobic and resistance exercise training appear to portend a low risk to patients with HF when appropriate exercise prescription methods are followed. While the aforementioned training techniques will undoubtedly continue to be at the center of a well-formulated rehabilitation program, other adjunctive interventions, which are presently underutilized in clinical practice, may prove beneficial in patients with HF. Specifically, both neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and inspiratory muscle training (IMT) appear to significantly improve several physiologic, exercise, symptomatologic, and quality-of-life parameters. NMES targets skeletal muscle abnormalities, whereas IMT primarily targets the weakened respiratory musculature, both often encountered in patients with HF. A PubMed search using relevant key words identified 19 original investigations examining the impact of NMES (13 studies) and IMT (6 studies) training programs in patients with HF. The resultant review (1) provides a summary of the original research outcomes of both NMES and IMT in patients with HF; (2) addresses current research gaps, providing a direction for future investigations; and (3) provides clinical scenarios where NMES and IMT may prove to be beneficial during the rehabilitation of patients with HF.
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