Does Relevant Work Experience Influence Academic Success? A Retrospective Study of Doctor of Physical Therapy Students

Purpose: Relevant work experience is a factor considered in holistic admissions practices of many health profession education programs. The benefits of observation hours on student career choice and subsequent academic success have been explored. Many programs additionally consider paid work experience as a factor in admissions decisions; however the influence of relevant work experience on academic outcomes is unknown. This study examined relationships between paid physical therapy related work experience and performance in a DPT program. Method: Data from 945 applicants resulting in 191 matriculants to a single DPT program were included. Employment history for all applicants was coded as either directly related to physical therapy or not. Chi square, Mann-Whitney U, and Spearman statistics were calculated to evaluate relationships between physical therapy related work experience and DPT program outcome measures, including admission decision, program grade point average (GPA), academic probation, and National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) results. Results: No significant relationships were found between physical therapy related work experience and DPT program outcome measures. Higher Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores (p=.003, r=.22) and program GPA (p=.001, r=.354) were positively correlated with passing the NPTE on the first attempt. Students who had been on academic probation during the DPT program were statistically less likely to pass the NPTE on the first attempt (p=.001, Phi=.369). Conclusions: Findings suggest that physical therapy related work experience has no influence on academic performance in a DPT program. Admission committees should consider this when setting holistic admission rubrics. Further research should evaluate the potential non-cognitive benefits of relevant work experience for healthcare students.