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Lynchburg Journal of Medical Science

Abstract

Background: Professional values are foundational to physical therapy practice and are emphasized throughout Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education. Although identity formation literature suggests that core values may persist after graduation, less is known about how workplace context, career stage, and clinical performance relate to the long-term enactment of values among practicing clinicians.

Purpose: To examine whether professional values among DPT alumni differ across demographic groups, career stages, and outpatient settings, and to explore associations among organizational support, workplace value alignment, and historical educational performance.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted among University of Lynchburg DPT alumni employed in outpatient practice settings. Alumni completed a 26-item survey incorporating elements of the American Physical Therapy Association Professionalism in Physical Therapy Core Values Self-Assessment instrument and an additional measure of organizational support and workplace value alignment. Fifty-one eligible respondents met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis (9.6% of alumni contacted; 13.3% response rate). Internal consistency was good (Cronbach α = .87). Reliability analyses were not conducted separately for individual subscales. Nonparametric analyses, including Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson, and Spearman correlations, were used to evaluate group differences and associations.

Results: Respondents reported high endorsement of patient-centered professional values, including communication, shared decision-making, and patient advocacy. Societal behaviors, including political advocacy, volunteerism, and pro bono service, were reported less frequently. No statistically significant differences in composite professional value scores were identified across sex, generation, career stage, or outpatient practice setting (P > .05). Organizational support differed across graduating cohorts (H = 22.01, P = .024,  η²  = .28). However, post hoc comparisons were not significant after adjustment for multiple comparisons. Cohort-level Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) measures were not significantly associated with current professional value scores.

Conclusions: DPT alumni reported strong patient-centered professional values across demographic groups and practice settings, whereas societal-level professional behaviors were less frequently endorsed. Findings suggest that workplace context may influence value enactment and support the importance of organizational environments that facilitate advocacy, community engagement, and value-congruent practice.

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