How Do Virtual Communities of Practice Enhance Professional Connections and Social Capital?

Introduction: Communities of Practice (CoP) were created to up-skill educators and to mitigate the disruption to physical therapist assistant (PTA) education because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding CoP involves considering individuals and their interactions, making this project significant for pioneering CoP among PTA educators, and using social network analysis (SNA). The research question for this mixed-methods concurrent triangulation study was "To what extent did the network structure of virtual CoP reflect PTA educators' perceptions of participation and mentorship?"

Subjects: Forty of 60 CoP members participated in this study.

Work Engagement Among Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants.

Aims: Work engagement is an important component of occupational wellness. The purpose of this study was to compare work engagement between physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and to analyze relationships with participant demographics.

Methods: An online survey was emailed to all licensed PTs and PTAs in Texas, with 975 completed surveys returned.

Job Satisfaction and Productivity Requirements Among Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants.

Background: Job satisfaction is a concern within many professions and may lead to decreased employee recruitment and retention. The purpose of this study was to compare the level of job satisfaction in PTs and PTAs and to analyze relationships between job satisfaction, demographics, and productivity requirements.

Methods: 245 PTs and PTAs in Washington state completed a survey consisting of demographic information and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), which measures job satisfaction within nine subscales.

Hip-Muscle Activity in Men and Women During Resisted Side Stepping With Different Band Positions.

Context: Weakness or decreased activation of the hip abductors and external rotators has been associated with lower extremity injury, especially in females. Resisted side stepping is commonly used to address hip weakness. Whereas multiple variations of this exercise are used clinically, few data exist regarding which variations to select.

Resisted Side Stepping: The Effect of Posture on Hip Abductor Muscle Activation.

Study Design: Controlled laboratory study, repeated-measures design.

Objectives: To compare hip abductor muscle activity and hip and knee joint kinematics in the moving limb to the stance limb during resisted side stepping, and to determine whether muscle activity was affected by the posture (upright standing versus squat) used to perform the exercise.

Background: Hip abductor weakness has been associated with a variety of lower extremity injuries.

Burnout among physical therapist assistant program directors: a nationwide survey and analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess burnout in directors of physical therapist assistant (PTA) programs and to analyze the relationship between individual and institutional variables and burnout.

Methods: Surveys were completed by 120 directors from accredited PTA programs. The surveys consisted of demographic information and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES).

Injury type and incidence among elite level curlers during world championship competition.

Our objective was to investigate the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries sustained by elite level curling athletes during international competition. This study was conducted during the 2008 World Men's Curling Championships. All registered athletes and the tournament medical team were given report forms for documenting injuries that occurred during the tournament.