Education Program and Student Characteristics Associated With Pass Rates on the National Physical Therapy Examination for Physical Therapist Assistants

Background and Purpose. An important program outcome for physical therapist assistant (PTA) education programs is the pass rates of PTA graduates on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). The purposes of this study were to: (1) examine the relationship between PTA student education program characteristics and PTA graduate pass rates on the NPTE; and (2) develop a model which includes student and programmatic characteristics to predict success on the NPTE. Subjects. Program directors from 50 accredited PTA education programs completed surveys about their program. Methods. Program survey responses were coded and matched with first time and ultimate pass rates on the NPTE obtained from the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). Correlation analyses and regression analyses were performed examining the relationships between NPTE pass rates and survey variables describing student and program characteristics and the role of the variables in predicting program pass rates. Results. Pass rates of PTA graduates were positively correlated with newer, public programs, more clinical education credits, and less general education credits as a percentage of the total credits required for program completion. The model best predicting first time pass rates included the year of program inception, and clinical education credits expressed as a percentage of the total credits. The model best predicting ultimate pass rates included the year of program inception, and whether the institution was public or private. Discussion and Conclusion. Updated curricula that include adequate time for required PTA competencies and the recruitment of qualified students are some factors that may contribute to PTA graduate success on the NPTE. All factors examined in this study need further investigation with a larger sample size.