Professional and Personal Physical Therapist Development through Service Learning in Collaboration with a Prisoner Reinsertion Program: A Qualitative Study

Isabel Rodríguez-Costa, Ma Dolores González-Rivera, Catherine Ortega, Joana-Marina Llabrés-Mateu, María Blanco-Morales, Vanesa Abuín-Porras and Belén Díaz-Pulido
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Isabel Rodríguez-Costa: Nursing and Physiotherapy Department, Alcala University, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Ma Dolores González-Rivera: Biomedical Sciences Department, Alcala University, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
Catherine Ortega: Physical Therapy Department, Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas University, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Joana-Marina Llabrés-Mateu: Consellería d’Educació, Universitat I Recerca del Govern Illes Balears, 07009 Palma, Spain
María Blanco-Morales: Faculty of Sport Science, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Vanesa Abuín-Porras: Faculty of Sport Science, Universidad Europea de Madrid, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Belén Díaz-Pulido: Nursing and Physiotherapy Department, Alcala University, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 24, 1-11

Abstract: There is a great concern whether Physical Therapy students upon completion of their educational program are ready and equipped with the requisite skills to construct and implement a successful patient intervention with culturally diverse groups. The purpose of this study is to describe the professional and personal physical therapist development of Physical Therapy students after participating in Solidarity Activities in Collaboration with a Prisoner reinsertion program as a service-learning course. A qualitative approach was used. A convenience sample of twenty physical therapy students doing service learning and one teaching professor were included. Student diaries were analyzed. Semi-structured interviews were done to explore five students’ and the professor’s judgements. Internal and external observations and filling out structure field-notes were also used as data triangulation in order to build the conceptual model. The main findings include that the application of knowledge and practice of skills in different environments are the most important skills attained with this service learning. Five key themes emerged from the data analysis, namely: application of knowledge, adaptation to different environments, improving communication with patients, assisting people and providing treatment with self-confidence. A recommendation is that Physical Therapy programs include workplace practice in different environments to enhance the development of professionalism among students.

Keywords: development; physical therapy student; prisoners; service learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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