An Assessment of Essential Anatomy Course Content in an Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

Pascoe, Michael A.; Rapport, Mary Jane

doi:10.1007/s40670-022-01574-1

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Although no other detailed core syllabus for musculoskeletal anatomy in a physical therapy curriculum has been published, the findings of this study are broadly similar to previous reports (Latman & Lanier, 2001; Mattingly & Barnes, 1994; Pascoe & Rapport, 2022). A survey of anatomy educators in American physical therapy programs approached the issue of content by assuming that obvious content was covered, and asked participants to rate anatomical structures deemed by the authors to be nonessential or of minor importance to physical therapists (Mattingly & Barnes, 1994).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The high number of items related to the vertebral column in the current study also corresponds with previous surveys (Latman & Lanier, 2001;Mattingly & Barnes, 1994). Similarly, the results of our study are consistent with the six musculoskeletal learning objectives Pascoe and Rapport (2022) recently identified as essential, from a list of 46 anatomy learning objectives that undergraduate physical therapy education students frequently question the clinical relevance of. While consistency is evident with past surveys, this study is more granular in terms of a providing a detailed list of anatomical structures.…”

Section: Pelvic Girdle and Lower Limbsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…There is no recommendation on how large a Delphi panel should be (Keeney et al, 2006; Moxham et al, 2014), but the final number of panelists (53) in this study is larger than those who participated in the musculoskeletal core syllabus for medical graduates (20) (Webb et al, 2019) and the majority of previous studies for other medical curricula including neuroanatomy (19) (Moxham et al, 2015), thorax (22) (Moxham et al, 2020), head and neck (20) (Tubbs et al, 2014), and teratology and embryology (24) (Fakoya et al, 2017). This larger panel, unlike previous surveys of physical therapy anatomy curriculum content (Armstrong & Rosser, 1996; Latman & Lanier, 2001; Mattingly & Barnes, 1994; Pascoe & Rapport, 2022), represents most global regions. However, it is noted that some regions such as Asia and Africa are under‐represented, which, despite our attempts to include educators from widespread geographical areas, may be a reflection of our recruitment process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, with respect to anatomy curricula, these three studies are limited to the level of regions (Armstrong & Rosser, 1996; Latman & Lanier, 2001) or subregions (e.g., suboccipital triangle) rather than individual anatomical structures (Mattingly & Barnes, 1994). A recent study (Pascoe & Rapport, 2022) surveyed a large group of physical therapy educators, students and clinicians in North America, and identified 16 (out of a total of 46) essential learning objectives from eight body systems for inclusion in undergraduate physical therapy education. Rather than an exhaustive list of all potential anatomy learning objectives, the 46 selected represented a sample of course objectives that were frequently questioned by students for their importance to entry‐level clinical practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

A core musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus for undergraduate physical therapy student education

2022

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Knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy is fundamental to physical therapy education.Although detailed anatomy syllabi have been developed for medical and other health professional students, none are available for training physical therapists. Therefore, the aim of this project was to produce a core musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus specific to physical therapy students, utilizing a modified Delphi approach. An international Delphi panel (n = 53) composed of anatomists and clinicians involved in physical therapy education considered a total of 2193 anatomical items arranged in four categories (musculoskeletal concepts; vertebral column; pectoral girdle and upper limb; pelvic girdle and lower limb). Using specific criteria, items were rated on the basis of whether they were considered essential knowledge for a competent physical therapy student, and were categorized as core, recommended, not recommended or not core. Of the 2193 items, 1700 (77.5%) were rated as core or recommended. For musculoskeletal concepts, 70% (233/332) of items were categorized as core/recommended. Approximately 80% of items in the other three categories were considered core/recommended-vertebral column (355/440), pectoral girdle and upper limb (513/657), and pelvic girdle and lower limb (599/764). This project presents a detailed musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus which may be used within a physical therapy curriculum. A key difference compared to published musculoskeletal anatomy syllabi for medical students is that a greater number of items are considered core/recommended (approximately 80% vs. 50%). These findings will now be considered and deliberated in accordance with the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists modified Delphi approach.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Pelvic Girdle and Lower Limbsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A core musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus for undergraduate physical therapy student education

2022

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“…A sample of 46 learning objectives from eight body systems were rated as “essential,” “useful but not essential,” or “not necessary,” with only 35% of the learning objectives deemed to be essential. This study underscores the necessity to involve clinicians supporting anatomy instruction ensuring that certain topics are not overtaught at a level of detail not required in clinical practice 11 …”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 84%

How do practicing physical therapists perceive anatomy education?

Rompolski

Fojas

Taylor

2023

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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The purpose of this investigation was to explore the perceptions of the sufficiency and relevancy of physical therapy anatomy education among early, mid, and late career physical therapists. A survey was distributed via email through clinical networks in the greater Mid‐Atlantic region, the American Physical Therapy Association Pennsylvania chapter (APTA‐PA), and the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) Educational Research division. 194 physical therapists responded to the survey. The survey included questions regarding how anatomy was learned in physical therapy school and Likert scale questions investigating opinions of anatomy education. Frequencies were calculated to determine the methods of anatomy education and Likert scale responses. One‐way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the Likert scale responses from the groupings of survey participants. Respondents across all years of practice felt that their anatomy education was sufficient and relevant to their clinical practice and that schools dedicated enough time to teaching anatomy. Respondents who had a dissection component in their anatomy curriculum were more likely to view dissection as essential. Length of time in practice did not influence opinions on the sufficiency or relevancy of anatomy education. Dissection continues to be included in most physical therapy anatomy courses and perceived as essential for learning. Practicing physical therapists' anatomy education was viewed as sufficient and relevant with few recommendations for change. Perceptions of clinicians should be incorporated into curriculum design and reform and be gathered on an ongoing basis as more students from programs without anatomical donors graduate and enter clinical practice.

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Human anatomy curriculum reform for undergraduate nursing students: An exploratory study

Yao,

Cheng,

Wang

et al. 2024

Clinical Anatomy

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This study aims to cultivate students' independent learning capacity, promote the interdisciplinary integration of “nursing + anatomy,” and establish a curriculum system to enhance applied nursing abilities based on project‐based teaching reform of everyday clinical nursing operations. A total of 151 second‐year (class of 2021) undergraduate nursing students at a Chinese university were selected for this study. By adjusting the curriculum, reconstructing the teaching contents, employing the “hybrid + flip” teaching method based on BOPPPS (bridge‐in, outcomes, preassessment, participatory learning, post‐evaluation, summary), and implementing a teaching system based on the “three re‐three linkage,” a Human Anatomy curriculum with a focus on basic anatomical knowledge was developed and connected with nursing clinical operation practice. The restructuring of the course content received unanimous recognition from both the teaching staff and the students. Notably, students in the class of 2021 achieved significantly higher grades than did students in the class of 2020, who received traditional face‐to‐face instruction (p < 0.01). These results indicate enhanced clinical application skills among the former group of students. following the implementation of instructional reforms during one semester, students exhibited notable improvements in motivation, program implementation, self‐management, and interpersonal communication. A statistically significant increase in overall scores for self‐directed learning capacities over the preinstructional period was observed (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the findings of the student satisfaction surveys reflected highly favorable perceptions of the enriched instructional format, high levels of course engagement, frequent faculty–student interactions, and augmented overall competence. The practical implementation of the reform in the context of a Human Anatomy course for undergraduate nursing students led to significant positive outcomes, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Students' clinical application abilities and self‐directed learning capacities notably improved, while overall satisfaction with the course remained high.

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An Assessment of Essential Anatomy Course Content in an Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Program

Cited by 4 publications

References 41 publications

A core musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus for undergraduate physical therapy student education

A core musculoskeletal anatomy syllabus for undergraduate physical therapy student education

How do practicing physical therapists perceive anatomy education?

Human anatomy curriculum reform for undergraduate nursing students: An exploratory study

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