Photo: American Physical Therapy Association. Transforming the Profession: Reflections of 2019 Minority Scholarship Award Recipients
The above photo depicts the faces of many different physical therapists from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds overlaid with a rainbow tint and heart.
In the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of wounded soldiers returned home with debilitating injuries following the fierce fighting of the First World War. In response, a small group of female civilians banded together to create a new profession called, “reconstruction aides”- today, we know them as physical therapists. Physical therapists can be found in all types of settings and PT is routinely listed among the most fulfilling professions. As a PT student, I am constantly reminded of why I love this field, but along with that, I am reminded that our profession is not without its shortcomings. As a profession, we lack diversity and representation.
Data from the APTA workforce analysis shows that the profession has been and continues to be white and female dominated. Although the profession has put forth the effort and seen growth in its representation over the years, many barriers still exist, making this profession inaccessible for some. First is that many individuals in the public have little to no experience with physical therapy and therefore may not even consider it an option. Along with this, the price of a three year-long Doctor of Physical Therapy program (on top of the four years of undergraduate education that is required beforehand) is daunting and can deter many individuals from lower socioeconomic classes. In recent years, we have seen a push for more diverse groups of applicants across all academic settings, but in my opinion, DPT programs specifically are lagging in terms of outreach, marketing, and educational practices.
Even within our own profession, we have systems that benefit some and exclude others. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is physical therapy’s professional organization that serves to advance the profession through advocacy, lobbying, and continuing education. According to the 2019 APTA member demographics, 84.3% of members were White, 3.5% were Hispanic or Latino, 2.5% were Black or African American, 6.9% were Asian, 0.4% were American Indian or Native Alaskan, and 2.4% were other/two or more. The question then becomes why do we see such a large gap between White and minority membership? The answer to this question might become a bit clearer given the fact that the cost of membership to this organization is $295/year. Additionally, PTs are not required to be members of the APTA to practice. For many from a lower socioeconomic background, the burden of student loans and mismatch between the cost of the degree and salary might deter practicing therapists from spending $300 a year on a membership. If we truly want to strive for diversity and inclusion in this profession, we must ensure that everyone has a voice and a seat at the table.
Many physical therapists also face barriers when it comes to disability in the classroom and workplace. A 2022 pilot study performed by a student physical therapist revealed that, in a sample of 707 licensed physical therapists, 113 self-identified as having a disability. Of the 51 that were diagnosed with their disability prior to applying to a DPT program, only 37.3% disclosed their disability during the application process and of the 76 who were diagnosed prior to applying to their job, 25.3% disclosed to their employer; however, this same study showed that 70% of PTs were comfortable disclosing their disability to their patients. We can hypothesize that PTs, may be hesitant to disclose their disability to other PTs because they fear being seen as less competent or discriminated against and the reality is that when PTs try to hide their disability from their educators and/or employers, they are not receiving the appropriate accommodations and thus, are not able to do their best work. How different might our profession look if instead of perpetuating stereotypes and stigma, we acknowledged their experiences and welcomed them for all that they are?
Fortunately, many within the profession have acknowledged this ongoing problem and are actively making efforts to counter it. Within UIC’s DPT program, there are several ways that students and faculty collaborate to work towards inspiring diversity. For starters, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) advisory committee is made up of students and faculty who serve to ensure fair and equitable treatment of all students in the program by creating safe and welcoming spaces. Another way the UIC DPT program is working to diversify physical therapy is through the Health and Wellness Academy (HWA). Once a week, UIC DPT students go to a local elementary school to teach children about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. Having positive interactions with physical therapy at a young age opens doors for these children that might not have been presented otherwise. Finally, UIC incentivizes and rewards students who choose to work on diversity projects by offering a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Scholarship award. Many other programs in the country as well as the APTA share in this same commitment to diversity; however, we as a profession, must continue to seek out diversity and encourage belonging for all.
References:
1. APTA Physical Therapy Workplace Analysis
2. Emma Chambers, Anrea Nicole Bowens, C. Scott Bickel. Disability Representation and Disclosure Among Licensed Physical Therapists: A Pilot Study. [Poster presentation]. 2023 APTA Combined Sections Meeting, San Diego, California, United States.
