Minority applicants to physical therapist education programs 2010–2012

Abstract

Background. In 2011–2012, despite comprising 35% of the US population, minorities comprised 20% of applicants to and 15% of enrolled students in accredited physical therapist education programs. Solutions aimed at addressing current disparities in health care may include educating physical therapists in environments reflecting the increasing diversity of the US population. Objective. The purposes of this study were: (1) to describe the underrepresented minority (URM) applicant pool to Physical Therapist Centralized Application Service (PTCAS) member programs and (2) to investigate differences in application patterns between white and URM applicants in 2010–2012, including total number of programs to which they applied, likelihood of applying out of state, and application to programs with minority faculties. Design. This was a national, retrospective descriptive study. Methods. De-identified data for 11,690 applicants in 2010–2011 and 13,462 applicants in 2011–2012 were obtained, including applicant demographics, selected metrics, and admission decisions. Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance with multiple comparison procedures (Tukey honestly significant difference test) were used to investigate differences between white and URM applicant metrics and application patterns. Results. White applicants achieved significantly greater grade point average and Graduate Record Examination scores than Hispanic and African American applicants. Although there were no significant differences in the average number of programs applied to between white and URM applicants, Hispanic applicants were significantly more likely to apply to programs within their state of residence. Underrepresented minority applicants were significantly more likely to apply to programs with minority faculties. Limitations. This study did not attempt to generalize the results beyond PTCAS institutions. Conclusions. Hispanic applicants demonstrated a significantly increased likelihood of applying within their state of residence. Underrepresented minority applicants demonstrated a significantly greater tendency to apply to PTCAS member institutions with minority faculties.