An Innovative Model for ISL: Comparison of DPT Student Outcomes Between Virtual and In-person Experiences

Abstract

Purpose/Hypothesis: International service learning (ISL) opportunities have become more common in higher education because of the potential benefits to student participants. However, in 2020 when COVID-19 hit and international travel came to a standstill, most DPT programs were unable to allow their students to participate in ISL. The purpose of this study is to show comparisons between the impact of a required short-term on-line ""virtual"" ISL experience on the level of empathy and/or frequency of demonstrating the APTA core values in DPT students compared with a more traditional in-person ISL trip. Number of Subjects: 32 students from a single DPT program Materials and Methods: In the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021, 32 students from a single DPT program in the US participated in an on-line ISL “virtual trip” to a hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The trip was set up through a collective effort between faculty from the DPT program and rehab staff from the hospital and consisted of a 4-day online interaction that included cultural immersion, educational sharing, and patient consultation. Before and after the trip, students completed the APTA Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE). Comparisons were made between the outcomes of these measurement tools and the outcomes of 8 students who had participated in an in-person ISL trip to Costa Rica prior to the pandemic. Results: Levels of empathy and awareness of the APTA core values were measured with the JSE and APTA Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values Self-Assessment pre- and post-ISL experience using descriptive statistics. The respective pre- and post-ISL experience scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The mean score for the virtual trips’ JSE pre-ISL experience were 113.62 and increased to 118.25 post ISL experience (t = -2.996, p = .005, std. dev. = 8.73). The mean score for the APTA core values pre-ISL experience was 280.66 and increased to 300.53 post-ISL experience (t = -4.166, p < .001, std. dev. = 26.99). This was in comparison with the results of the in-person pre-pandemic trip to Costa Rica where the mean score for the JSE pre-ISL experience was 99.25 and increased to 114.25 post ISL experience (p = .069) and the mean score for the APTA core values pre-ISL experience was 278.92 and increased to 289.30 post-ISL experience (p = .401). Conclusions: Comparisons between data from the two trip formats indicate that there is actually a larger statistically significant difference between the impact seen on students participating in the virtual trip than in-person trips. Clinical Relevance: Participation in ISL experiences has been shown to positively impact multiple attributes of students that are consistent with future success in clinical settings, including improved confidence, cultural awareness, adaptability, and critical thinking. The results of this study suggest that a virtual trip may positively impact certain aspects of a student’s professional and personal growth but with a lower cost and potential for student risk compared to an in-person experience.