Abstract
Background
In South Africa, newly qualified Physiotherapists transition to workplace during Community Service (CS), often in diverse healthcare settings and complex patients. The transition is complicated by the shortage of rehabilitation personnel, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. While higher education curricula should prepare students for the workplace, the roles and expectations of new therapists remain unclear. Assessing how well current curricula, incorporating the CanMEDS framework, equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes for entry-level CS practice will help to improve physiotherapy training practices. This study investigated the experiences of CS physiotherapists to inform curriculum design and graduate outcomes.
Methods
A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. Graduates were recruited during their CS year via a class group contact, with a snowballing approach to diversify the sample. Semi structured interviews were conducted over MS Teams, recorded, and transcribed. Reflexive deductive coding was used to interpret the data, which was analysed according to the CanMEDS roles and graduate outcomes, as well as barriers and facilitators during their transition to the workplace.
Results
Ten CS physiotherapists placed in five of the nine provinces participated. Most identified strongly with their core role as clinicians and felt well prepared for clinical service. However, aspects of roles linked to advocacy, leadership, and professionalism were more complex to navigate. The contexts of placements and the nuances of how the healthcare system operated in each province also impacted their experience.
Conclusion
Discussions revealed that the physiotherapy curriculum effectively prepared graduates in roles drawing on skills, theoretical principles, clinical reasoning, and lifelong learning. However, exposure to outcomes in roles as leaders, collaborators, and advocates were somewhat limited. These aspects were often not explicitly taught and impacted their transition. These roles, however, became areas of significant personal and professional growth during CS. The learning context is crucial, and embedding placements in more diverse settings could improve graduates' readiness. Where diverse placements are not feasible, curriculum design should ensure graduates can apply their skills in various settings. The variable professional support during CS suggests a need for an audit or policy review by professional and accreditation bodies.