Factors Influencing Intent to Stay for Faculty in Physical Therapist Education Programs: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In May 2022, the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy announced a "nationwide shortage of faculty" in entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs across the country. As the number of physical therapist education programs continue to grow, concerns with faculty shortages increase. REVIEW OF LITERATURE: Research on reasons faculty stay in entry-level DPT programs is limited. With a nation-wide shortage of faculty and the continued growth of DPT programs across the country, more investigation into faculty retention is warranted. SUBJECTS: Two hundred forty-four participants responded to the quantitative survey. Ten program directors (PD) and 10 faculty members (FM) completed a qualitative interview through Zoom. METHODS: This mixed-methods design included a quantitative survey across 264 accredited DPT programs followed by 20 qualitative online interviews. Multiple regression was completed for the data analysis, and a phenomenological approach was used to explore perceptions of job satisfaction and organizational commitment on intent to stay. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-six subjects (mean age = 50.04 ± 9.54 years; males = 63, females = 173; PD = 55, FM = 180) were included in the analysis. The multiple regression model significantly predicted intent to stay for all participants, F(9,211) = 12.43, P < .001; adj R2 = .32. Commitment to the organization was the greatest predictor of intent to stay, ß = 0.61, t(0.622) = 5.05, P < .01. Three themes with 6 subthemes emerged from the qualitative analysis, the impact of leadership, making a commitment, and the Covid crisis. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION: Encouraging leadership to focus on structural factors such as striving to establish FMs as part of the departmental team, allowing autonomy and flexibility in the teaching role, building transparency and openness with communication, and focusing on realistic and equitable workloads could potentially increase intent to stay for faculty in entry-level DPT programs.

Stress, Anxiety, Depression, and Perfectionism Among Graduate Students in Health Sciences Programs.

Graduate students in occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant, and speech-language pathology programs in the United States were surveyed using an online questionnaire in spring 2020. The 1,916 students reported on mental health diagnoses and completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale and three Hewitt-Flett Perfectionism subscales. Students in all four programs scored significantly higher than national norms on depression, anxiety, and stress; and females scored higher than males on anxiety and stress. There were small differences between students in the four programs, with speech-language pathology students demonstrating higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. First-year students had higher levels of anxiety than third-year students, and third-year students had lower levels of stress than both first-year and second-year students. All three perfectionism subscales were positively, although weakly, correlated to depression, anxiety, and stress. Finally, students reported significantly higher rates of anxiety after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic than prior to the pandemic. These findings can be used to inform health science graduate programs of concerns related to student stress, anxiety, and depression as they re-evaluate program or curricular design.