Determinants of Physical Therapy Students’ Process of Choosing a Place of Employment: A Study Based on Principal Component Analysis

Abstract

[Purpose] This study examined the determinants of physical therapy students’ process of choosing a place of employment, with the aim of supporting their smooth job search activities. [Subjects and Methods] Among the fourth-year students who belonged to the Department of Physical Therapy of our university as of April 2016, 144 consenting to cooperate with a questionnaire survey were studied. [Results] As determinants of their process of choosing a place of employment, the students attached importance to supervising physical therapists’ understanding, executives’ understanding of rehabilitation, and the establishment of high-quality technical guidance in the clinical setting. Through principal component analysis, personal and regional affinity, working conditions, environments for postgraduate education, the location, and self-realization were extracted as principal components. [Conclusion] Interpersonal relationships based on supervising physical therapists’ understanding and the establishment of high-quality training systems in hospitals/facilities were shown to determine physical therapy students’ process of choosing a place of employment.