The Impact of General Education Courses at Christian University on the Professional Ethics of Physical Therapy Students

This study aims to investigate the impact of general education courses at a Christian university on the professional ethics of physical therapy students. All participants voluntarily participated after agreeing to the study's purpose and content. This research employed a survey method, distributing online questionnaires via Google Forms to all enrolled students in the Department of Physical Therapy at a Christian university located in Chungcheong Province. Data were collected from a total of 243 respondents, and all responses were included in the analysis. The survey consisted of four sections: general characteristics of participants, items related to general education courses (8 items), personal ethical perceptions (9 items), and awareness of professional ethics in physical therapy (9 items). The findings revealed that most students achieved a grade of B or higher in general education courses, with an average course satisfaction score of 3.65±.86, indicating moderate satisfaction. Among the courses, those in the balanced education category received the highest satisfaction. Regarding personal ethical perception, participants recognized a high ethical responsibility due to the growing professionalism in physical therapy, while self-assessed ethical values were rated as average. Most respondents had no prior ethics education but acknowledged its necessity. For professional ethics, patient safety and protection, along with professionalism, were identified as priorities. Overall, participants demonstrated a high level of awareness across all items related to professional ethics in physical therapy. However, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between items related to general education courses and professional ethics was below 0.5, indicating no significant correlation between the two. While the relationship between general education courses and professional ethics was not confirmed, the findings suggest the need for the development of general education programs to help establish the professional values of physical therapy students in Christian universities.