Understanding Leadership Development in DPT and MOT Graduates at AdventHealth University Via Focus Groups

Abstract

Purpose/Hypothesis: Leadership in healthcare influences and inspires the actions of others to accomplish goals leading to success at all levels within healthcare organizations. While previous research has suggested that leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors developed during graduate education, professionals require opportunity for implementation. Similarly, faculty engaged in curriculum design would benefit from understanding how these leadership traits develop to enhance student learning opportunities. Therefore the objectives of this study were to understand what influenced the development of leadership knowledge, skills, and behaviors of Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) and Masters of Occupational Therapy (MOT) graduates at AdventHealth University (AHU), and to discern whether this leadership was developed as a result of graduate education, versus prior experience or outside activities. Number of Subjects: Forty-three DPT and MOT Class of 2022 Graduates were eligible for participation, 10 consented to participate. Materials and Methods: A literature review on both leadership and focus groups guided researchers in creating and conducting the study. A detailed narrative was created for focus group questions. Researchers anticipated conducting focus groups with approximately 50% of the graduates, or when saturation was reached in emerging themes. Participants eligible for participation were emailed and those that agreed to participate, reviewed a consent form, and were sent a link to an online session. Focus groups were conducted virtually, via Microsoft Teams, and recorded to develop a transcript. The transcripts were exported, de-identified, validated for accuracy, and then original transcripts videos were deleted. Transcripts were analyzed for emerging themes via NVivo, and an outside expert reviewed a sample of the data for validity. Results: Ten graduates consent to participate: 4 MOT (4 females); 6 DPT (3 male, 3 female). Three weighted themes regarding leadership development emerged from the focus groups: 1) experience gained via on-campus curriculum (43.8%), 2) experience gained via off-campus curriculum (30%), and 3) exposure to quality leadership (26.3%). Upon further data analysis, graduate responses revealed a progression in the attainment of leadership skills over time. Conclusions: Focus groups were effective in assessing leadership development in DPT and MOT graduates as saturation was reached during thematic analysis. It was noted that development of leadership was attributed to the educational program and not previous experiences. These findings can be utilized to guide future curriculum design and continue to incorporate on campus curriculum opportunities for effective leadership development. Clinical Relevance: On campus curriculum experiences that influenced leadership development included group projects and simulation experiences, while off campus experiences included opportunities for interprofessional collaboration in the clinic. These experiences should remain a priority in curriculum design for graduate education of future leaders, and if not currently incorporated, consider faculty education to develop valuable learning experiences.