Attitudes toward the physical therapy profession among physical therapy students at the School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao

Abstract

The purposes of this research were 1) to study the attitude towards the physical therapy profession among physical therapy students, and 2) to compare the attitudes towards the physical therapy profession between students based on years of education and gender. An attitude measurement towards the physical therapy profession questionnaire was used to collect data, which consisted of 40 questions divided into 6 areas including 1) social values, 2) desired characteristics of the physical therapy profession, 3) professional ethics, 4) physical therapy practice, 5) community physical therapy practice and 6) relations with co-workers, patients, and patients’ relatives. The results found that there were 189 respondents, with an average age of 20.86 ± 1.31 years. Of those respondents, 173 were female (91.50%). The results of data analysis revealed that
1) physical therapy students' attitudes towards the physical therapy profession were at the best level in all 6 areas, 2) statistical differences were found between students in different academic years concerning attitudes towards the profession in terms of the desirable characteristics of the physical therapy profession, community physical therapy practice, and relations with co-workers, patients and patients’ relatives, and 3) no statistical differences were found between genders in terms of attitudes towards the physical therapy profession in all 6 areas. In conclusion, the attitudes of physical therapy students towards the physical therapy profession were at the best level. Attitudes toward the physical therapy profession among students in different academic years were different in some domains.