Physical Therapy and School Teaching

A previous post I made regarding chiropractic and physical therapist education has generated some interesting off-line discussion regarding a perceived lack of sensitivity that I displayed toward physical therapist educators. In the original post, I highlighted some of the problems in chiropractic education. The contention of course was not my criticism of chiropractic education. After all, everyone loves it when you beat up on the ‘other guy’, right? The point of contention was my suggestion that some physical therapist educators would have a difficult time being recognized as academicians. I alluded to Steve Rose’s (former chair of the physical therapy program at Washington University in St. Louis and true ‘giant’ in our profession) criticism that some physical therapist educators resemble ‘school teachers’ more than academicians.

Now, before any of you think I was criticizing school teachers, I assure you that I have the greatest of respect for school teachers, who work extremely hard in one of the most important professions known to mankind for far too little compensation and virtually no thanks from our society. The low regard our society has for our educational system is indeed sad, and its consequences for our country are far reaching (and we could go on and on here). Further, before you are tempted to ‘take me to the woodshed’ for having the audacity to demean the teaching profession, it may help knowing that my mother is the Superintendent of the Hoover City School System in Hoover, AL. I assure you that before you could ever reach me, she would herself hang me out to dry if she thought I was being critical of school teachers. Mom, I can explain...I promise. Not to belabor the point further…I love teachers!

The point is simply this – school teachers teach. In addition to teaching, members of a professional faculty have additional academic and scholarly responsibilities (ie, research). I am simply making an observation (and asking a question) wondering just how far we have come since 1982 when Steve Rose offered the original ‘school teacher’ analogy. I have never been privy to a CAPTE Panel (our educational program accrediting body) meeting, but I often wonder what the dynamics are like when the Panel debates whether certain faculty are satisfying their ‘scholarly activity’ requirements. How much ‘wiggling’ goes on behind closed doors regarding whether certain faculty are measuring up?

I would make the argument that far too few programs have a faculty who collectively satisfy their academic responsibilities. The point is not to be overly critical of well intended educators trying their best. I would submit that most faculty desire to achieve their scholarly expectations, yet many obstacles interfere with their ability to do so. Many faculty are not in academic environments that foster or encourage scholarly activity. Many also lack the necessary training. Although it’s much better than 1982, there are still too few credible PhD programs in the rehabilitation sciences. Although I hate to admit it, still others may be inclined to teach because they are tired of clinical practice and looking for the presumed ‘easy life’ of academia. There is little hope for these individuals, other than to help usher them out of our educational programs.

I am an eternal optimist. Our best days remain ahead, and we have made many strides forward. However, to help our readers make their own judgment as to just how far we have come, I have attached Steve Rose’s original editorial as published in 1982 in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT). By the way, much thanks to Edie Holmes and Tony Gauslin from the JOSPT office for digging this one out of the archives. The question is whether you could you copy and paste Steve’s comments into a current issue of JOSPT and have a difficult time knowing that his comments were made almost 25 years ago? Looking forward to hearing everyone’s thoughts.

John

Download Rose-JOSPT-1982-SchoolTeacherAcademia.pdf

Comments

[Melissa Ogle]

From the outlook of a recent student, I would like to say thank you for being willing to put emphasis on the matter at hand and also emphasizing that the best is yet to come. Having recently completed my PT educational requirements, I can relate to many of the educational issues discussed by Steve Rose (JOSPT-1982) such as completing student projects that merely complete course requirements and are predestined for failure secondary to a multitude of contributing factors. Although previous comments may have been interpreted as a lack of sensitivity, from an unassuming learner's perspective, directness from leaders in the field regarding the issue is crucial and essential for advancement of the profession.

Melissa

[Jason Silvernail]

John-
Right on, as usual. I am with Melissa, in that I would much rather have us all speak with directness about the issue than anything else.

It is great to go to places like Combined Sections Meeting and see poster presentations from my school (quick plug - www.scranton.edu) and see one of my professors there making a presentation.

However, I also see many of the same names and many of the same schools on the presentation boards and at the platform sessions.

We do indeed need to make sure our educators are clinicians and researchers as well as teachers.

J

[Anthony Delitto]

While it is heartwarming to see some agreement on the need for our academic programs to prioritize research, I am more than a little troubled at how it can be defined. Presentations at Combined Sections Meetings and other conferences are a step in the right direction, they are a far cry from peer-reviewed research publications. Peer-reviewed publication is what Dr. Rose was referring to in his manuscript. In fact, one of the biggest travesties in our profession is the belief that once a study is done and presented, it is now sanctioned as part of the body of physical therapy science, which is far from the truth. Ask yourself, if you were not there, how likely is it that you would even know about work being done by such researchers? Do not be so quick to give accolades to such presentations, and they make a mockery of what Dr. Rose was referring to as academia.

Here is another pearl from Dr. Rose: “if it is not published, you never did it.” When he talked of publication, he meant peer-reviewed in a reputable journal. Here is another test: take a look at some of the “researchers” who are presenting on the CSM or other circuits and run their names through either PUBMED or OVID. Their lack of taking their work to the next level would surprise many.

Here is a question that someone may be able to answer. If you go back to the presentations made at CSM or other conferences, how many were eventually published in a peer-reviewed format?

[Ira Gorman]

I am sorry I am getting into this late but it is a fascinating discussion with much disparate opinion in the profession. John, why don't you post this discussion on the APTA education list serve. It seems that you are speaking to the choir here.
Ira