Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Title

Career Choice Factors for Nova Southeastern University Physical Therapy Students

Authors

Daisy Tam, Nova Southeastern University

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Health Care Sciences - Physical Therapy Department

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1998

Publisher

Nova Southeastern University

NSUWorks Citation

Daisy Tam. 1998. Career Choice Factors for Nova Southeastern University Physical Therapy Students. Master's thesis. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, College of Health Care Sciences - Physical Therapy Department. (175)
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_pt_stuetd/175.

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify the path for choosing physical therapy as a career.

Subjects: The subjects were 100 first year students and 82 second year students enrolled in the entry level Master's Physical Therapy program at Nova Southeastern University.

Methodology: The 21 Item attitude inventory and demographic information survey was used to collect data. A pilot study was conducted on 10 subjects to determine whether any changes or clarifications should be made to the questionnaire, but no recommendations were indicated. The surveys were distributed and collected by the researcher in a classroom setting.

Results: In addition to the inherent nature of physical therapy as a profession that helps people, students who choose physical therapy as a career do so for a variety of other reasons. External factors such as good salary, job availability, regular working hours, and prestige are the most appealing features of this profession.

Conclusion: Students choose physical therapy for many reasons. They enjoy helping people and receiving gratitude from patients. They also appreciate the variety of work settings that physical therapy has to offer as well as the prestige and job availability. They also value the close relationships physical therapists have with their patients.

Disciplines

Physical Therapy