Chatham’s PT Program Adapts Hands-On Learning to a Hands-Off World
As we’ve witnessed during the latter half of our Spring semester, virtual learning during COVID-19 has its own set of unique challenges, even while it helps maintain our sense of community (not to mention, we get to see all our professors’ pets). But what about programs that necessitate experiential, in-person learning as part of their competency requirements? The faculty and students of Chatham’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program adapted to the “new normal” of pandemic PT studies with aplomb, and provided a blueprint for what alternative learning could look like in the fall. We spoke to Curriculum Director and Professor Susan B. Perry, PT, DPT and Associate Professor Jason Woollard, PhD, MPT about the challenges and triumphs of adapting hands-on learning to a hands-off world.
What are some of the adaptations the Physical Therapy Program made during Spring and Summer 2020?
Curriculum Director and Professor Susan B. Perry, PT, DPT
Sue Perry: As you can imagine, much of physical therapy education consists of professional interaction during “hands-on” learning, such as how to test a painful shoulder, or, how to assist someone with a brain injury to stand up and walk. It is impossible to practice these skills and physical distance at the same time. So we were faced with how— and when— to help our students safely achieve competence in these skills before they proceeded to working with actual patients. Some PT programs had students demonstrate their skill via video by practicing with roommates, family members, even stuffed animals. While we utilized this strategy to some degree, our faculty was committed to providing in-person practice and faculty feedback.
We took three steps to allow this to happen. The first was to continue lecture and small-group learning via Zoom, while postponing the laboratory sessions. This required students to learn classroom and lab skills in series, rather than in parallel— a challenge for teachers as well as learners. The second was to move our laboratory space to the large study space on the second floor at Eastside. When we were permitted by the Department of Health and the University to resume in-person labs, we were able to do so in a larger, well-ventilated space. We are grateful for the University’s support to make this temporary move of a large amount of equipment possible.
Finally, faculty were careful to assign students to geographic “bubbles” to limit their in-class interaction. The second year class was divided into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin [Editor’s note: Hufflepuffs, please don’t @ us], while the first-years consisted of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins! They had close contact with one primary lab partner, and, when groups needed to be larger, only students within their assigned bubble.
How did students respond to these changes?
Jason Woollard: Initially, there were some students leery of these changes and some felt stressed by the inability to neatly follow a schedule as would have been done normally. However, after a couple weeks, the students seemed to settle into this new way of conducting online education and they seemed much more at ease with the process.
SP: Our students have been flexible and resilient, while remaining motivated and enthusiastic for their classwork and chosen profession. Our Program is extremely proud of their ability to trust the faculty, work hard, and ultimately achieve the same level of competence as prior cohorts of students who were not faced with the challenges of a pandemic.
JW: After the initial stress of changing the class format for learning, our students really responded with an evident commitment to self-learning and thorough preparation for our Problem-based learning modules. Overall, given the amount of change our students had to undergo, I was impressed by their ability to adapt to the new normal and work hard to learn the content. They also had some long days in the lab once we were allowed to return to campus labs, and they did not complain. There were even a good amount of students who would stay after labs to practice with their lab partner.
What effect do you think this modified learning style has had on the program, both students and faculty?
JW: Our students in the DPT program really showed how committed they are to their development as physical therapists. They worked hard and adapted well to a significantly altered delivery of course content. Their performance on exams was just as good as the performance has been over the past several years.
SP: Personally, I have appreciated the physical therapy faculty leadership and collegiality that has allowed us to succeed together for the benefit of our students and their future patients. I expect this to continue into the future, long after we can look at this difficult experience in the rearview mirror!
Interested in learning more about our Physical Therapy program? Check out their website. If you’d like to learn more about Chatham’s plans for returning to campus in Fall 2020, please click here, and make sure to fill out our feedback form if you have questions or comments.