Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy as a Career Choice – Perspective of Students
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Abstract
Background: Cardiorespiratory physiotherapy (CRP) is a vital specialty addressing the growing burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases; however, it remains less preferred among physiotherapy students compared with other specialties, potentially impacting future workforce distribution. Objective: To assess the perceptions of final-year Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students regarding CRP as a career choice and to identify factors influencing their specialization preferences. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among 178 final-year DPT students from LUMHS-affiliated institutes using a structured questionnaire adapted from a previously validated tool. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and preferences, while chi-square tests examined associations between CRP interest and influencing factors, with significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age was 23.33 ± 1.07 years, with 83.1% females. Musculoskeletal physiotherapy was the most preferred specialty (n = 69), followed by neurology (n = 49), while only 25 students expressed extreme interest in CRP and 53 reported no interest. Job accessibility (48.3%) and potential salary (47.2%) were the most influential overall factors. Among students interested in CRP, intrinsic factors such as interest in the field (n = 71) and exposure (n = 70) predominated, whereas non-interested students emphasized job accessibility (n = 20) and salary (n = 13). No statistically significant associations were found between CRP interest and the examined factors (p > 0.05). Conclusion: CRP is less preferred among final-year DPT students, with career decisions driven primarily by economic considerations, while interest in CRP is linked to experiential and intrinsic factors; targeted educational strategies may enhance engagement in this specialty
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