International Collaboration in Manual Physical Therapy: An Educational Model

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Internationalization allows the world of higher education to become more connected. International partnerships between physical therapist education programs open new opportunities for learning and cultural exchange. Relatively few international collaborative immersion experiences have been described in the physical therapy literature. The purpose of this article is to describe a model of international educational collaboration between physical therapist education programs at 2 universities in different countries. This collaboration was unique because it provided qualitative analyses of data collected from hosts and guests during the experience. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. Eleven physical therapist students, 1 postgraduate student, and 2 faculty members from the University of Vermont (UVM) traveled to Bond University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. While at Bond University, guest participants collaborated with 36 students in the final year of the Doctor of Physiotherapy program and 11 faculty members in a 2-week international manual therapy collaboration. During this experience, students participated in manual therapy course work, seminars, and cultural activities. Journal data were collected from the students from UVM. Students and faculty members from Bond University were surveyed with quantitative and open-ended qualitative questions that were matched with the journal prompts used for the students from UVM. Interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was used to determine the meaning of this collaborative experience. Outcomes. The following 3 themes emerged from the student data: learning—the acquisition of new skills both professionally and personally; collaboration—the development of new relationships and opportunities with faculty members and students; and experiencing the “other”—observations made from immersion while abroad. Discussion and Conclusion. Themes identified were similar to those established within the literature. Participants gained life experiences from traveling and insight into their personal and professional goals. The international manual therapy collaboration between UVM and Bond University successfully initiated a new dialogue. The findings support the potential for future collaborative immersion opportunities between education programs to prepare emerging professionals to work in an increasingly global environment.