Is there a correlation between length of employment and receiving a post-professional certification or residency in physical therapy? A pilot study

Abstract

Background: Various factors in recent years have been shown to negatively impact the physical therapy (PT) workforce in the United States, including decreased reimbursement, burnout, student debt, work-life balance, and more. Objective: To determine if there is a correlation between length of employment and receiving a post-professional certification or residency training in PT Methods: A convenience sample of 121 PTs completing a post-professional certification or residency program, or none, was obtained from a large multi-clinic PT group with an accompanying educational department. Data for each of the employed PTs in the cohort was obtained regarding the hire date, duration of employment before certification/residency, since certification/residency, and overall. Results: Only one certification, the pain certification, was correlated to longer employment versus no formal post-professional certification/residency training (p = 0.02). Results show that the mean duration of employment before the start of a pain certification (3.67 years) was significantly longer than sports physical therapy residency (0.52 years; p = 0.001), orthopedic physical therapy residency (1.13 years; p = 0.006)) and manual therapy certification (0.81 years; (p = 0.001). Following training, employment duration produced a less pronounced difference. Conclusion: Enrollment in a post-professional pain certification occurs later in the employment tenure compared to other certifications and residencies. Additional research is needed to explore the correlation between post-professional education and longevity of employment and other confounding variables.