National Study Examining Excellence and Value in Physical Therapist Residency Education: Part 2—A Call to Action

Abstract

This Perspective provides a crucial set of actions with corresponding recommendations aimed at propelling the physical therapy profession toward excellence in residency education. The conceptual model includes elements of excellence in the delivery and outcomes of physical therapist residency education and the domain of value experienced by stakeholders impacted by physical therapist residency education. Linked to the conceptual model, the 15 actions, and 28 recommendations draw from (1) the Physical Therapist Residency Excellence and Value (PT-REV) study, (2) the Physical Therapist Education for the 21st Century (PTE-21) study, and (3) research in the learning sciences. This paper proposes a transformative call for decisive and consistent reform directed toward residency programs, residents, sponsoring organizations, and the physical therapy profession. Physical therapist residency education, initiated over 23 years ago, is no longer in its infancy with critical gaps in its maturation that need to be addressed systematically by stakeholders across the profession, thus improving the profession’s ability to respond to changing societal needs. This Perspective serves as a call to action and provides specific recommendation for what is needed to promote and achieve excellence in physical therapist residency education to improve the professions’ ability to adapt to changing societal needs.