Background and Purpose. A primary outcome of concern to the California State University, Sacramento physical therapy program is the ability of graduates to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for licensure. The purpose of this case study was to identify the predictive strength of preadmission demographic factors, academic performance, and standardized test scores in graduates' ability to pass the NPTE. Case Description. Preadmission data from 11 years of graduates from a single Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) program (n = 320) were analyzed, including prerequisite grade point average (pGPA), analytic Graduate Record Examination (GRE), verbal GRE and quantitative GRE (qGRE) scores, sex, English as a second language (ESL) status, and NPTE test results. The bivariate association of each preadmission variable to NPTE success was assessed, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal cutoff score of each continuous variable. Multifactor logistic regression analysis was performed to determine which independent variables were most predictive of NPTE success. Outcomes. Of the 320 MPT graduates, 284 (88.7%) passed the NPTE on the first attempt and 305 (95.3%) passed on the first or second attempt. Of all MPT graduates, 182 (57%) were females, and 57 (18%) reported that English was their second language. All three of the GRE subscale average scores, pGPA, and ESL were significantly associated with NPTE outcomes. Persons with ESL were significantly more likely to need more than one attempt to pass the NPTE. The qGRE score was found to be the strongest predictor of NPTE outcomes in the multifactor logistic regression analysis, whether looking at first-time passing rates or second-time pass rates. Discussion and Conclusion. The strongest preadmission variable for NPTE success was the qGRE score of ≥29th percentile, and this cutoff score explained the variance predicted by ESL and pGPA. The admission committee used this data to implement an evidence-based admission's minimum threshold for qGRE. This case is an example of how a physical therapist education program can analyze its own data to apply evidence to its admission criteria that best serve the mission of the program.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects muscle tone, strength, flexibility, motor control, psychological outlook, cognition, and function. Exercise has been found to improve physical ability and psychological outlook, but the effect of yoga on individuals with PD has not been well researched. The purposes of this study were to identify outcome measures that were responsive to change in individuals with PD after an 8-week adaptive yoga program and to determine appropriate sample sizes for future studies. In a repeated measures design, 10 participants with a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 2 or 3 were tested prior to and after an 8-week control phase and again after they underwent an 8-week adaptive yoga program. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests revealed differences in time of measure that approached significance for the depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (p = 0.008) and the 30-Second Chair Stand (TSCS) (p = 0.013). The interaction between time of measure and gender approached significance for the Sit-and-Reach Test (SRT) (p = 0.08 and 0.03, right and left respectively), with male participants improving in sit-and-reach flexibility compared with female participants after intervention. The interaction between time of measure and age approached significance for the Single-Leg Balance test (SLB) (p = 0.007), with younger participants improving in SLB time after intervention. Power calculations found that a sample size ranging from 33 to 153 would be required to achieve significance at the 0.01 level in the various outcome measures in a future study of this design. The depression subscale of the HADS, the TSCS, the SLB, and the right and left SRT were the measures that changed following the yoga intervention and are recommended as outcome measures in future studies investigating the effectiveness of yoga for individuals with PD. This preliminary study supports further investigation of adaptive yoga using a randomized design and a larger sample size of individuals with PD.

Background and Purpose.Holistic admissions practices may be used to increase diversity in Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs by consideration of race and ethnicity, educational disadvantaged background, low socioeconomic status, and for persons from geographically underrepresented areas. This study describes the holistic review practices in the DPT program at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) reports the profile of socioeconomic disadvantage (SED), race, and ethnicity; analyzes the relationships between SED and racial identity; and reports acceptance rates by race and SED. The purpose of this study was to strengthen the evidence-based inclusion practices in the program's admissions processes and to offer a model to DPT programs that are seeking to assess and utilize admissions practices to increase the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the physical therapy profession.Case Description.The holistic review process at CSUS included weighting 4 Skills and Background Characteristics (SBCs) in determining admissions rankings that encompass the socioeconomic variables of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy's definition of underrepresented minorities (URMs): 1) second language skills, 2) economic background, 3) educational background, and 4) environmental background. Admissions data were collected on all matriculated students in the first 8 years of the program and all qualified applicants in the last 3 years. Retrospective data analyses explored the relationships between SBC scores, race/ethnicity, and acceptance into the DPT program.Outcomes.Nearly 1 in 3 matriculants were the first in their family to graduate from college, and nearly 40% claimed a race/ethnicity other than White alone. Total SBC scores were found to be statistically significantly associated with racial identity and for underrepresented racial minorities (URRMs). Economic, educational, and environmental disadvantages were statistically significantly associated with URRMs. Acceptance into the program was found to be significantly associated with fluency and all SED variables.Discussion and Conclusion.Admissions weighting of SBC factors led to increased linguistic, socioeconomic, and racial diversity. Methods used in this study may serve as a model to other US Doctor of Physical Therapy programs that are seeking to offset the disadvantages that URMs have in gaining acceptance into physical therapist education programs. The expanded use of data-driven holistic admissions practices may contribute to the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of the physical therapy profession.