Entry-Level Physical Therapists’ Perceptions of Initial Employment

As physical therapy (PT) grows as an autonomous profession within the ever-changing healthcare system of the United States, PT educators strive to provide students all the training that they require for a career in professional clinical practice. Although graduates of PT education programs receive a doctoral degree, their preparedness to succeed in their early career is unclear. The purpose of this qualitative research study is to investigate the perceptions of entry-level physical therapists (PTs) toward early professional practice and their initial employment choices. Entry-level PTs that have been employed full-time for one year or less were interviewed to gain an understanding of their experiences with connection to the conceptual framework of social cognitive career theory (SCCT), professional socialization, and clinical reasoning. Interview and focus group session analysis yielded four themes related to this phenomenon: professional identity, confidence, communication, and hands-on. Findings demonstrated that entry-level PTs commonly had direct influences of PT that were experienced earlier in their life, much of their professional socialization was learned during the graduate education and was still incomplete, and clinical reasoning skill development is an important underlying factor in their clinical education experience and during their search for employment.