Abstract
Purpose: This study aimed to clarify what newly-licensed physical therapists are capable of performing without supervision by senior therapists. [Does this revision reflect your intended meaning?]
Methods: Interviews were conducted on fifteen physical therapists who had experience in staff training. During the interviews, participants were asked such questions as “In your opinion, what capabilities do therapists require in order for them to work without supervisions by senior therapists?” Their responses were analyzed by content analysis.
Results: The interview results were divided into seven main categories and 50 subcategories. The seven main categories comprised “enhanced knowledge in clinical rehabilitation and physical therapy,” “ability to perform sound clinical reasoning,” “therapeutic skills,” “communication skills,” “social manners and conscience,” “ability to improve oneself” and “self discipline.”
Conclusion: The present results indicate that newly-licensed physical therapists are expected to acquire a broad range of abilities in the workplace before they begin treating patients independently. The seven categories, which conform to the three fundamental areas of educational target taxonomy, illustrate the key professional capabilities that physical therapists must develop during the early years of their career.
