Publication date: Jul 24, 2025
Rural health care disparities are a pressing issue in the United States, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore a rural health initiative by the University of Mary (UMary) entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) educational program, investigating whether full-time rural clinical education experiences (CEEs) were associated with graduates’ decisions to practice in a rural setting after graduation. Rural populations in the United States are underserved, demonstrating lower use of health care services and poorer health. Although the American Physical Therapy Association highlights the importance of physical therapists serving these communities, challenges exist, such as sparse rural training in DPT curricula. Three hundred thirty-nine UMary DPT graduates between 2014 and 2024. An 11-year retrospective analysis of the UMary DPT program examined biological sex, rural CEEs (
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Mary | Physical therapist education |
| Pandemic | Physical therapy |
| Rural | Rural clinical experiences |
| Therapists | Rural healthcare |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 pandemic |