Browsing by Person "Glover, Peter"

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Commencing taught post-qualifying education: barriers facing physiotherapists. Oral presentation at the World Confederation of Physical Therapy Congress, Vancouver, 2-6/06/2007
(Elsevier Science B.V. Amsterdam, 2007) Glover, Peter; Bulley, Catherine
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore the personal perspectives of physiotherapists regarding their perceived barriers to commencing taught physiotherapy-related Master's level study(MLS). RELEVANCE: With rapidly increasing knowledge there is a requirement for continuing professional development to enable evidence-based practice. Taught MLS provides guidance in this development; greater understanding of barriers facing physiotherapists in undertaking MLS will enable facilitation in clinical and educational environments. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 9 volunteers (8 female, 1 male, mean age: 36 7.29) was recruited. Participants were: engaged in part-time taught MLS; registered with the United Kingdom's professional regulatory body; working within the National Health Service, and possessed a minimum of four years clinical experience. METHODS: A qualitative, interpretative, phenomenological study was undertaken with the assumption that reality is individual and all viewpoints are valid. Following ethical approval, individual, semi-structured interviews (mean time: 67 minutes) were conducted using an interview schedule. Questions were derived from a literature review and two developmental interviews with Master's graduates. ANALYSIS: Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a summary was member-checked to ensure that initial interpretations were appropriate. Data analysis was conducted using the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis. This focuses on analysis and interpretation of the participants' words in context to gain deeper understanding of their experiences. Quotations that communicated similar meanings and ideas were grouped to form themes. Where conceptual links were identified, key themes emerged. Peer verification of this analysis was conducted to increase rigour and involved reflexive discussions with an experienced qualitative researcher. RESULTS: Three key themes emerged that described the barriers to MLS in different environments: educational, working, and social. There were several barriers associated with the educational environment; participants frequently expressed self-doubt regarding academic abilities, often related to past educational experiences. They also described negative emotions due to unfamiliarity with the environment and content of MLS. These seemed particularly strong amongst participants who were only qualified to diploma level, as they felt their previous education did not prepare them for MLS. Barriers associated with the working context included a lack of professional support, especially in relation to funding and study leave. These led to social barriers as clinicians were anxious about having insufficient time and finances to fulfil their social roles. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of this group of post-qualifying students suggest that clinicians who have not previously studied at degree level may face greater barriers to commencing MLS than those with a degree, due to self-doubt and unfamiliarity with higher education. Prior to commencing their study participants had perceived the experience of MLS as potentially threatening, and were concerned about the time and financial resource implications. Further exploratory research into how to effectively address the barriers highlighted in this study is required. IMPLICATIONS: The perceived barriers to MLS communicated by this group of physiotherapists may be reduced by improving links between clinical and educational environments, thereby increasing familiarity and enabling discussion of the resources required for MLS. This may lead to greater professional and financial support for qualified physiotherapists who wish to commence MLS.
Factors facilitating physiotherapists to undertake taught master's education.
(Elsevier Science B.V. Amsterdam, 2007) Glover, Peter; Bulley, Catherine
PURPOSE: To explore the personal perspectives of physiotherapists regarding the factors that facilitated them to commence their taught physiotherapy-related Master's Level Study (MLS). RELEVANCE: There is a lack of contemporary research into the factors that encourage physiotherapists to undertake formal post-qualifying study. With rapidly increasing knowledge there is a requirement for continuing professional development (CPD) to enable evidencebased practice. Taught MLS provides guidance in this development. Greater understanding of the factors assisting clinicians to undertake MLS will enable more effective facilitation in clinical and educational environments. PARTICIPANTS: A purposive sample of 9 volunteers (8 female, 1 male, mean age: 36 7.29) was recruited. Participants were: engaged in part-time taught MLS; registered with the United Kingdom's professional regulatory body; working within the National Health Service, and possessed a minimum of four years clinical experience. METHODS: A qualitative, interpretative, phenomenological study was undertaken with the assumption that reality is individual and all viewpoints are valid. Following ethical approval, individual, semi-structured interviews (mean time: 67 minutes) were conducted using an interview schedule. Questions were derived from a literature review, two developmental interviews, and two pilot interviews. ANALYSIS: Interviews were transcribed verbatim and a summary was member-checked to ensure that initial interpretations were appropriate. Data analysis was conducted using the framework of interpretative phenomenological analysis. This focuses on analysis and interpretation of the participants' words in context to gain deeper understanding of their experiences. Quotations that communicated similar meanings and ideas were grouped to form themes. Where conceptual links were identified, key themes emerged. Peer verification of this analysis was conducted to increase rigour and involved reflexive discussions with an experienced qualitative researcher. RESULTS: Four key themes emerged that described the facilitating factors in different environments: social, educational, clinical, and working. Within the Social Environment, participants commented that a settled home life and future domestic plans influenced their MLS commencement. There were several facilitators associated with the Educational Environment; some individuals expressed positive emotions towards learning, while others were seeking the challenge of MLS. Also, the content of the Master's programmes being clinically relevant and accredited, and the flexibility of the modular structure were motivating factors for some participants. Regarding the Clinical Environment; some individuals indicated a desire to develop their skills within their professional role, or for career progression. Finally, Working Environment facilitation came from the provision of professional support, the expectation for CPD, and interactions with colleagues with experience of MLS. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of this group of post-qualifying students suggest that the factors facilitating them to undertake MLS were varied and individualised. Their facilitators could be practical, personal or professional in nature. Further research into the facilitators to undertake various types of post-qualifying education is required to generate a body of evidence to help develop effective mechanisms for supporting clinicians in their formal CPD. IMPLICATIONS: Educational institutions may need to consider promoting the professional and personal benefits of undertaking their programmes to encourage clinician enrolment. Whereas employers offering practical professional support may also aid facilitation.
Influences on physiotherapists when deciding to study at Masters level: An exploratory study
(2008) Glover, Peter; Bulley, Catherine; Howden, Stella
Within the physiotherapy profession, there are increasing expectations in relation to specialization and life-long learning. This has led to increasing prominence of Masters level study as a route for professional development. Despite this, little is known regarding the thought processes of physiotherapists in relation to postqualification study. This qualitative study aimed to explore the influences on physiotherapists when deciding to undertake taught Masters level study. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine physiotherapists in two Scottish Higher Education institutions. Thematic analysis highlighted motivators and barriers that were intrinsic and extrinsic to the individual. Physiotherapists were strongly influenced by the desire to develop professionally, but had to overcome barriers such as lack of confidence to study at this level and lack of familiarity with the context and content of Masters level study. Findings suggest that increasing the familiarity of clinicians with aspects of Masters education would facilitate them in their decision to undertake postqualification study. Increasing early support strategies for Masters students would enable them to gain confidence and continue with their studies.