Award Date

5-1-2024

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Committee Member

Daniel Young

Second Committee Member

Catherine Turner

Third Committee Member

Keoni Kins

Fourth Committee Member

Brandi Varnado

Fifth Committee Member

Dustin Clow

Sixth Committee Member

Merrill Landers

Number of Pages

63

Abstract

Individuals who participate in Fine Arts such as orchestra, dance, and theater at high levels are predisposed to injury. Many of these injuries are preventable, and when not adequately managed, they can result in lost rehearsal time and prevent participation in performances required for degree completion. While collegiate athletes typically have access to healthcare resources such as a team physician, athletic trainer, and physical therapist, collegiate performing artists often must navigate the healthcare environment on their own. Furthermore, available healthcare providers may lack knowledge and experience working with performing artists and be less able to treat the unique healthcare needs of these individuals adequately. Thus, the purpose of this servicelearning project is to create a mutually beneficial relationship between the University of Nevada Las Vegas Department of Physical Therapy (UNLVPT) and College of Fine Arts (CFA) for the benefit of students from both disciplines.

To address this local gap in healthcare, a group of six second year UNLVPT students completed five hours of professional development coursework related to screening and treating performing artists and then provided pro-bono physical therapy services and dance screens for CFA students over one academic year. Through hands-on practice of clinical skills coupled with faculty mentorship and grand rounds, student physical therapists refined their clinical reasoning and enhanced peer collaboration. Student physical therapists and faculty mentors met regularly to discuss quality improvement strategies in real time to refine and enhance clinic operating procedures.

During this project, student physical therapists provided 16 individual patients a total of 48 skilled physical therapy treatment sessions, and three individuals received an evidence-based injury prevention screen for dancers. This project's outcomes were iv assessed via satisfaction surveys for CFA students, post-project reflective journaling for PT students, and an information interview with one CFA faculty member. Given that verbal feedback was received from only one professor in the CFA, the generalizability of the faculty satisfaction assessment is limited. The response rate for the CFA student satisfaction survey was 37%, and 24% of CFA students met all therapy goals. Common themes found in the comments from the CFA student satisfaction survey included attentiveness of PT students to patients’ needs and desire for increased clinic hours of operation. Common themes found in the reflections of the PT students included improved confidence and opportunity to enhance clinical reasoning skills with mentorship. While no definite conclusions can be drawn from this limited data from CFA students and faculty, the positive feedback and constructive criticism offers promise for the continued improvement of the project and ongoing collaboration between the Department of Physical Therapy and the College of Fine Arts.

This project outlines a potential model for student physical therapist service learning that can enrich physical therapy education, while also enhancing the unique skills of physical therapists to better serve individuals within the collegiate performing arts community who may be underserved. This service-learning project design may inform similar projects in academic settings and with similar community needs.

Keywords

Physical therapy; Pro-bono clinic; Student-run clinic; Student-led clinic; Performing artists; College of Fine Arts; Service-learning

Disciplines

Physical Therapy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1530 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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