Examining the relationship between students' perception of servant leadership by physical therapy faculty mentors and interprofessional socialization

Abstract

[EMBARGOED UNTIL 5/31/2024] Interprofessional collaborative practice, requiring providers from two or more disciplines to effectively work together, is considered necessary to enhance health outcomes at the individual, organizational, and system-level in the United States. Accordingly, professional programs within higher education are now mandated to incorporate pedagogical strategies preparing students for collaborative care. Regrettably, physical therapy students report decreased readiness to engage in collaborative care as compared to peers, being associated with socialization practices reinforcing disciplinary silos and autonomous practice. Resultantly, the identification of strategies increasing interprofessional socialization, identified as the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes underlying socialization toward interprofessional collaborative practice, is suggested. Importantly, faculty mentors can play an important role in graduate students' socialization process, although the use of explicit leadership frameworks to inform faculty development and mentorship programs in physical therapy education is sparse. Servant leadership is recognized as a valuable framework aligning with the principles of interprofessional socialization and the physical therapy profession's core values. Unfortunately, studies examining the relationship between students' perception of servant leadership by physical therapy faculty mentors and interprofessional socialization are lacking. In efforts to increase interprofessional socialization in physical therapy education, bolster the theoretical link between the principles of servant leadership and collaborative care models, as well as inform future faculty development and mentorship programs, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between students'perception of servant leadership by physical therapy faculty mentors and interprofessional socialization.