Summit Description:
Over the past 50 years, the degree awarded in entry-level physical therapist education has evolved from post-baccalaureate certificates in physical therapy to baccalaureate and master’s degrees, and ultimately to the clinical doctorate. Throughout this continued development of the profession, there has been an emphasis on adding curricular content based on emerging physical therapy research and clinical practice trends, as well as from advancing specialization and the publication of minimal entry-level core competencies in each clinical specialty area. This additive approach fosters curricular bloat, a swelling of “what else” needs to be covered in the curriculum without taking learning and learners into consideration. We are often driven by more is more - not less is more. Equal attention is needed not only to what could be removed, but what learner outcomes for physical therapists are needed that align with societal health and health care needs. This begs the question, “What is entry-level DPT education?” Graduate feedback suggests DPT students leave their programs feeling full (bloated) rather than ‘hungry’, ready to continue as adaptive learners curious for ongoing learning that is critical to our practice, profession, and society. As the scope of practice and the clinical degree required to practice has evolved, the curricular content focus has increased and contributed to the propensity for unwarranted variation in DPT education. Unwarranted variability in curricular and assessment practices contributes to fragmentation for learners and ultimately fosters negative outcomes in PT practice. While we consider moving towards competency-based physical therapy education and defining entrustable professional activities for the profession, we must also consider clarifying warranted variability from unwarranted variability in our curricula and assessment practices. The 2023 PTLI Disruptive Innovation Summit focused on considering the steps required to reduce both curricular bloat and unwarranted variation in DPT education.