Date of Award
1-31-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
School Name
College of Health Professions
Department
Health Professions
Major Advisor
Dr. Megan Danzl
Second Advisor
Dr. Lyndsey Blair
Third Advisor
Dr. Elizabeth Ulanowski
Abstract
Vestibular rehabilitation, commonly performed by physical therapists, aims to improve the function and quality of life of individuals experiencing dizziness, vertigo, or disequilibrium. Vestibular curricular variation across physical therapy programs may lead to discrepancies in the self-efficacy of entry-level physical therapists to manage this population. The purpose of this study was to examine self-efficacy in vestibular rehabilitation in entry-level physical therapy and identify facilitators and barriers to its development. An online, cross-sectional survey design was utilized for quantitative and qualitative data collection, including a modified version of the Physiotherapist Self-Efficacy (PSE) Questionnaire, from new graduates and students preparing to graduate. Data analysis included descriptive and interferential statistics and a qualitative description content analysis approach. The PSE demonstrated good validity and reliability to measure self-efficacy. On average, participants felt ‘neutral’ in preparedness to manage a vestibular caseload. Exposure to vestibular rehabilitation on clinical rotation was the only program characteristic that resulted in significant differences in self-efficacy. Self-efficacy positively correlated with clinical rotation exposure, program-reported cumulative hours, and program-reported lecture hours in vestibular rehabilitation. Themes regarding facilitators and barriers included clinical exposure, skills practice, content expert and mentorship, curriculum exposure, and content and patient complexity. Based on the results, inclusion of a content expert to lead vestibular curriculum is worth consideration as are efforts to ensure all students receive exposure to vestibular rehabilitation in the clinical setting. Future research could investigate the optimal quantity of curricular hours and student outcomes based on content expert involvement and different types of psychomotor assessments.
Recommended Citation
Hulls, Colin, "Exploring Vestibular Rehabilitation Self-efficacy in Entry-level Physical Therapy" (2025). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones. 200.
https://scholarworks.bellarmine.edu/tdc/200