Alice Salzman, EdD
Alice Salzman, EdD, studies physical therapists' professional development, including the development of clinical reasoning, health literacy (including physical therapists' knowledge of health literacy concepts and use of effective teaching practices) and development of cultural competence.
Currently, Salzman is working with Lois Hedman, DScPT, as principal investigator on a project using qualitative methodology to examine physical therapist faculty’s perceptions of the affective behaviors that influence the development of clinical reasoning and how faculty addressed these behaviors. The project is funded by the Academy of Physical Therapy Education. Though scientists have described PT students’ development of professional or affective domain behaviors, research exploring the development of clinical reasoning and how affective behaviors influence its development is limited. Additionally, they are exploring the manner in which faculty have addressed any problematic behaviors. Salzman and Hedman believe identifying affective behaviors that influence clinical reasoning will provide support for educators’ expectations and assist faculty to foster students’ development. Knowing and addressing the barriers to providing feedback on students’ inappropriate behavior will assist in creating supportive environments where faculty address students’ problems early and improve student success during clinical education.
Links
- APTA Education
- Portraits of Persistence: Professional Development of Successful Directors of Clinical Education
- Accommodations for a Student With a Physical Disability in a Professional Physical Therapist Education Program
Current Projects
- Effect of health literacy level on the ability to recall and perform a home exercise program
- Core and associated faculty's perceptions of the affective domain behaviors that influence clinical reasoning
Synthesis Projects
Together with Marjorie Hilliard, PT, EdD, Salzman has developed a series of synthesis projects around health literacy. The first project used survey methodology to examine physical therapists' knowledge of health literacy concepts and use of effective teaching practices. The purpose of the current series of projects is to examine the effect of health literacy on the ability to recall and perform a home exercise program. Student groups designed and created a video of a physical therapist instructing someone in a home exercise program and developed and evaluated a rubric to assess researchers' ability to accurately assess people's performance of the home exercise program. The final synthesis group will be using the video and rubric to assess older adults ability to perform the home exercise program shown in the video.