DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Researcher Positionality

My experiences with racially minoritized students in DPT programs is informed by my professional work experiences as a graduate enrollment management professional at two DPT programs. My interest in this study is motivated by previously completed research, where participants described racialized experiences as enrolled physical therapy students (Yeung, 2023.). Their experiences were supported by existing literature that discusses how Black and Latinx students enrolled in graduate programs experience racism, microaggression, and isolation (Borrego et al., 2018; Cuellar & Gonzalez, 2019; Ramirez, 2011, 2013; Walkington, 2017). In this qualitative study, I am interested in understanding the experiences of racially minoritized students enrolled in DPT programs and how these experiences may have an influence on student sense of belonging and student academic success.

Methodology

The central question to this study is: What is the experience of racially minoritized students enrolled in DPT programs? Supplemental questions for this study include the following:

• What are the challenges experienced by racially minoritized students enrolled in DPT programs?

• How do resources offered by DPT programs contribute to racially minoritized student success?

Participants were recruited across the United States through social media channels and special interest groups belonging to the professional organizations of each state. The recruitment call yielded a total of 42 responses, out of which 22 interviews were completed. One participant did not approve of the interview transcript, and was therefore withdrawn from the study.

Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were the primary method of data collection for this study. Three interviews for each participant are used to provide context, allow the reconstruction of experiences within the focus of this study (Seidman, 2006), and provide depth to the participant experience that a single interview does not

(Lauterbach, 2018). This allows the participant to establish context and explore previous experiences, focus on the specific experiences of enrollment in DPT programs, make meaning of their experiences, and reflect what it means for their ability to be successful in their education (Seidman, 2006). Each interview was approximately 30 minutes. Interviews were then transcribed and coded through NVIVO to determine themes.

To establish trustworthiness of the data, a combination of a reflexive journal, member-checking, and peer debriefing was used in this study. These mediums increase the reliability of the data by checking biases, establishing objectivity, and increasing the accuracy of transcription and coding. This enriches the counter-narrative and adds context to the participant’s narrative.

Findings

A total of four themes emerged from this study. The findings of this study suggest that the experiences of racially minoritized DPT students centered around the availability of support, relationships with their peers, the importance of representation, and how their identities influenced their enrollment choices in selecting a DPT program to enroll.

The importance of being close to one’s support system greatly influenced participants’ choice to matriculate in their specific DPT programs. Nicole stated the importance of being home after her husband was discharged from the military, “So when he got out of the military and we were from <<state>>, we knew we were coming back home”. Leo also described the importance of being close to home when he selected a DPT program to enroll in because “this was the first time that I was moving out. And so to only be like an hour and 10 minutes away from home is comfortable for me.” It is important to add that Leo was from a major metropolitan area and therefore a commute time of an hour was average for the city he was in.

The availability of support was also important for participants in this study. This was underscored by Cade, who described the experience of being a DPT student as “Only people who understand being a PT student are people who were DPT students. And people who