Huhn Karen, Costello Ellen, Healey William E, Hilliard Marjorie Johnson, Maring Joyce, Plack Margaret
Karen Huhn is the professor at MCPHS, 10 Lincoln Square Worcester, MA 01608 (
Ellen Costello is the professor and interim chair in the Department of Health, Human Function & Rehabilitation Sciences at the George Washington University.
J Phys Ther Educ. 2025 Jun 1;39(2):133-139. doi: 10.1097/JTE.0000000000000379. Epub 2024 Oct 25.
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students have reported learning new behaviors, enhanced self-awareness, and personal and professional growth during their first year of DPT school. The purpose of this study was to explore in greater depth, through semistructured interviews, the student perceptions of self-identity and social identity.
Seventeen early second-year DPT students from 3 universities.
This investigation is an extension of a larger multisite study. Qualitative interviews were employed to enable the use of a constructivist lens to explore the importance of personal context in participants' experiences during the first year of DPT school.
Students across programs shared similar characteristics and experiences. Three themes emerged: DPT students share common perceptions of themselves and classmates; sociocultural experiences shaped their actions and perceptions of self; and students recognized the need to change to be successful. The voices of the older second-career students and racially minoritized students were uniquely different from other participants.
Doctor of Physical Therapy student experiences are similar across programs except for older students and racially minoritized students. Early professional identity formation was noted as well. A richer understanding of the personal characteristics, influential sociocultural factors, and student perceptions of self and classmates could enable educators to customize supports and educational strategies to help students understand the role their past and present experiences play in shaping their professional identities.
物理治疗博士（DPT）专业的学生报告称，在DPT学习的第一年，他们学会了新行为，增强了自我意识，并实现了个人和职业成长。本研究的目的是通过半结构化访谈更深入地探讨学生对自我认同和社会认同的看法。
来自3所大学的17名DPT专业二年级初期学生。
本调查是一项更大规模多地点研究的延伸。采用定性访谈，以便从建构主义视角探讨个人背景在DPT专业学生第一年学习经历中的重要性。
不同课程的学生具有相似的特征和经历。出现了三个主题：DPT专业学生对自己和同学有共同的看法；社会文化经历塑造了他们的行为和自我认知；学生们认识到需要做出改变才能取得成功。大龄第二职业学生和少数族裔学生的观点与其他参与者有明显不同。
除了大龄学生和少数族裔学生外，不同课程的物理治疗博士专业学生的经历相似。研究还发现了早期职业身份的形成。更深入地了解学生的个人特征、有影响力的社会文化因素以及学生对自我和同学的看法，有助于教育工作者定制支持措施和教育策略，帮助学生理解他们过去和现在的经历在塑造职业身份中所起的作用。
