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Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science

School of Health Professions > Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science > LEARN PT lab

Leveraging Education And Research iN Physical Therapy (LEARN PT) Lab

LEARN PT Lab graphicThe mission of the Leveraging Education And Research iN Physical Therapy (LEARN PT) lab is to promote excellence and collaboration to optimize physical therapy education.

The lab has developed a comprehensive research project to assess learner progress in physical therapy doctoral degree programs in four domains (professionalism, communication, clinical reasoning, adaptability) across the program. The innovative assessment tool (LEARN PT Rubric) can be completed by students, faculty, and/or clinicians. Combined with student reflections, it will provide a robust assessment of learner progress in these four domains.

In addition to the above, scientists in the LEARN PT lab seek to understand the following:

1. The impact of interprofessional education and/or practice on physical therapy students.
2. The effects of the use of lab technique videos in physical therapy education.
3. The facilitation of clinical reasoning throughout physical therapy education.
4. The use of simulation, integrated across the continuum of physical therapy education.
5. The impact that grit and resiliency has on performance in clinical performance in physical therapy education.
6. The use of the humanities to facilitate broader domains of health professions education.
7. Factors that influence teaching and learning in clinical education.
8. Predictors of student clinical performance

Meet the LEARN PT Lab Research Team

group photo of the lab team

Lab team members above (from left): Jason Rucker, Stacia Troshynski-Brown, Mildred Oligbo, Yvonne Colgrove, Scarlett Morris, and Stephen Jernigan.

View the researchers' bios:

Research Funding

PTRS pilot grant – $17,417
PI Steve Jernigan; Co-Investigators Yvonne Colgrove, Jason Rucker, Stacia Troshynski-Brown, Mildred Oligbo, Scarlett Morris
01/07/19
Funded 01/2019-12/2019
Major goal:

Photo of student presenting next to video screen

Publications and Presentations

LEARN PT Home

Last modified: Jun 25, 2019

Contact the lab

913-588-6912
(TTY 711)

sjernigan@kumc.edu

Activities and Updates

LEARN PT Lab team members presented at the Innovation in Occupational and Physical Therapy Education Summit in Omaha, Neb., in June. Colgrove and Troshynski-Brown presented "Beyond the Classroom: Using Learning Theory to Solve Student Problems." Morris and Troshynski-Brown presented "Development of an Overarching, Longitudinal Curricular Rubric." Jernigan and Rucker presented "LEARN PT: Developing a Collaborative Education Research Laboratory."

Mildred Oligbo received the American Physical Therapy Association's Minority Faculty Development Scholarship Award. She was recognized for this honor during the association's annual conference in Chicago in June. In addition, she was selected for the Kathlyn ‘Kitty’ Reed Occupational Therapy Scholarship for her achievements in the therapeutic science doctoral program.

At the 2019 School of Health Professions Student Recognition Ceremony, Steve Jernigan, LEARNPT lab director, received the 2019 Stata Norton Distinguished Teaching Award. The award recognizes excellence in teaching as well as outstanding contributions by the recipient in his or her profession.

Physical therapy student Callie Lane has been selected as the physical therapy discipline long-term trainee in the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program for 2019-2020. She will be working with Mildred Oligbo of the LEARNPT lab and other faculty in this interdisciplinary disability leadership training program at KU Medical Center.

Lab team members presented at the Kansas Physical Therapy Association's 2019 Spring Conference held April 12-13, 2019, in Wichita. Jason Rucker was awarded the Best Platform Presentation Scientific Inquiry Award.

KU was well represented at the American Physical Therapy Association's 2019 Combined Section Meeting in Washington, D.C. Lab team members Stephen Jernigan, Scarlett Morris, Mildred Oligbo, and Jason Rucker presented at the event, January 23-26, 2019.

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