Consonance and dissonance between educational outcomes and professional practice in physical therapy: An analysis of perceptions

There is dissonance between the perceptions of physical therapist educators and physical therapist practitioners regarding physical therapy education and professional practice. The purpose of this study is to examine these perceptions to determine where consonance and dissonance exist between the educational outcomes and professional practice. Survey questionnaires were mailed to 334 physical therapist educators and 400 physical therapy practitioners. Data were collected from 38% (N = 128) and 37% practitioners (N = 148) to answer the following three research questions: Which educational outcomes are most important for professional practice? How well prepared are graduates to meet the practice expectations of the educational outcomes?; What learning experiences or environments are most effective for achieving the educational outcomes? Practitioners were also asked to characterize their current level of confidence in professional practice. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed minimal differences between educators' and practitioners' perceptions of the most important educational outcomes for professional practice. There were, however, significant differences between educators, and practitioners' perceptions on how well prepared graduates are for practice upon graduation, and the loci for most effective learning. Educators perceived graduates to be better prepared for practice than practitioners reported. Educators also identified formal education, i.e., classroom, labs, and clinical education, as the most effective experiences and loci for achieving educational outcomes. In contrast, practitioners reported work experiences, continuing education, and other life experiences as the most effective experiences for achieving educational outcomes. Despite the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and educational programs' efforts to create greater consonance between physical therapists, education and practice, dissonance still exists. Collaborative efforts between educators and practitioners in curriculum assessment, clinical education, and helping graduates transition from the classroom to the clinic are needed to ensure greater consonance between education and practice.