Physical therapist assistants: Perceived roles under accreditation criteria

The present study investigated newly graduated physical therapist's and physical therapist assistant's perceptions of the role of the physical therapist assistant based upon accreditation criteria for physical therapist assistant programs. Participants for this study consisted of a random sample of newly graduated physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who were members of the American Physical Therapy Association. A response rate of 66.4% was obtained by a survey questionnaire.;Perceptions of the role of the physical therapist assistant was summarized using descriptive statistics. Chi square analysis was used to determine any differences in responses between physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. Discriminant analyses were used to determine whether demographic and other factors predicted the pattern of responses. The results from this study show that overall, both physical therapists' and physical therapist assistants' perceptions of the role of the physical therapist assistant are consistent with accreditation criteria. However, perceptions of the physical therapist assistant were more congruent with the accreditation criteria than the physical therapist. There were certain items in which their perceptions were incongruent with criteria. Some of the patterns of responses could be predicted by demographic and other factors.