Date of Award

Fall 12-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Program/Concentration

Medical & Health Profession Education - Contemporary Human Anatomy Education

Committee Director

Amanda K. Burbage

Committee Member

Kara Kelton

Committee Member

Brittany Samulski

Abstract

Human anatomy stands as a cornerstone prerequisite for admission into graduate-level Physical Therapy Programs. As such, prior anatomy experiences need to prepare students for success in graduate-level coursework. However, studies have demonstrated that undergraduate anatomy courses vary in their ability to predict success in graduate Physical Therapy anatomy coursework. This research aimed to utilize students' perceptions of their undergraduate anatomy experiences to predict grades in graduate-level Physical Therapy anatomy coursework. The multinomial logistic regression in this study revealed that the absence of perceived preparedness was a significant predictor of membership in the C graduate anatomy grade group. Students who did not subjectively report that their prior anatomy experience prepared them for graduate anatomy coursework were 9.5 times more likely to receive a C letter grade. These findings suggest that students’ perceived preparedness before starting graduate-level anatomy could be a strong predictor of academic performance, particularly for identifying those at risk of underperformance. Ultimately, this study highlights the predictive value of perceived preparedness and advocates for its integration into early screening processes to enhance student outcomes, improve retention, ensure licensure success, and optimize both academic and clinical performance in Physical Therapy education.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/22m7-yn84

ISBN

9798276040097

ORCID

0009-0005-7741-4353

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