Predicting performance on the Physical Therapist Assistant licensure examination

• Main Author: Schengel, Jonna K.
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarly Commons 2014
• Subjects: Community college education; Physical therapy; Health and environmental sciences; Education; Admission criteria; Anatomy; College gpa; National physical therapy examination; Physical therapist assistant; Prerequisites; Educational Administration and Supervision; Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/69; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=uop_etds

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was any relationship between student success as defined by grades in earned in basic sciences of anatomy and physiology as well as overall college grade point average with the score on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students. This pilot study examined the first two cohorts of PTA students at the College of the Sequoias from 2012 and 2013. Correlations and multiples regressions were the primary quantitative methods used to determine which prerequisites were most likely to predict passing the NPTE. Demographic information of ethnicity and age, did not show any significant correlation with score on the NPTE-PTA. Further analysis determined that both anatomy and overall grade point average had statistical correlations. However, overall college grade point average was the only variable that contributed significantly to the NPTE score. Therefore, overall grade point average was used to develop a predictive admission formula that can be used for further research and analysis. The procedures for this pilot study can be used to duplicate the study on a larger scale and continue to build a predictive admission formula that has the potential for establishing a consistent admission criterion for PTA programs. The long range goal of this study has been to help identify students who have the greatest potential to pass the NPTE and become employed as a PTA.