Racially Minoritized Student Experiences in Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs

By Melissa Yeung, PhD, Bowling Green State University

Doctorof Physical Therapy (DPT) programs in the United States are a graduate degree between two and four years in length. Students who graduate from DPT programs are allowed to go on and be licensed physical therapists. The enrollment sizes of DPT programs can vary, ranging from 30-110 students per cohort. As such, the support provided by DPT programs can also vary. Some programs may assign each student to a single advisor, while other programs structure their support based on small groups assigned to a single advisor. In some cases, there may also be little to no support provided to DPT students. Additionally, the student population of DPT programs are lacking in diversity. In 2022, about 70% of all students enrolled in DPT programs were White, 4% Black, 7% Latine, and 9% Asian, with less than 1% of students being Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Native and Indigenous, respectively (2022 ACAPT Annual Report, 2022)

Existing research suggests that racially minoritized undergraduate and graduate students experience racism and racial microaggression on campus. Such racialized experiences have an impact on the student experience, student sense of belonging, and academic success (Holley & Gardner, 2012; Hubain et al., 2016; Lilly et al., 2018; Maton et al., 2011). There is, however, a paucity of research focusing on the experiences of students enrolled in health professions programs, specifically, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs. Recent studies on the experiences of physical therapy students focus specifically on admissions, academic outcomes, and clinical experiences (Buccieri et al., 2013; Engelhard et al., 2016; Kume et al., 2019; Roll et al., 2018; Roman & Buman, 2019; Wheeler et al., 2018; Wolden et al., 2019). Preliminary studies on Black and Latinx DPT student experiences show that students do experience racial microaggression (Yeung, 2023.) which has a negative impact on student sense of belonging and academic success (Naidoo, Clock, et al., 2020; Naidoo et al., 2022, 2021; Naidoo, Yuhaniak, et al., 2020). The aim of this study is to explore the broader experiences of physical therapy students of color enrolled in DPT programs and how they may influence student sense of belonging and student success.

This qualitative study was significant in four ways. First, it allows racially minoritized physical therapy students to create a narrative of their experiences in a field dominated by White students. Second, it explores the ways in which racially minoritized students’ academic success may be influenced by racism and racial microaggression. Third, due to similarities in admission requirements and curriculum models, findings of the study may be applied to other health profession education programs. Finally, it contributes to existing knowledge in the field of Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM) by introducing perspectives of racially minoritized students enrolled in DPT programs.