Scholarly practice is integrated throughout the MScPT curriculum.
In Year 1, students are provided with the opportunity to develop foundational knowledge of the concepts underpinning evidence-based practice, critical appraisal, measurement, and the role of research and its application to rehabilitation clinical practice. In Year 2 (Units 7 and 13), students learn to apply this knowledge and develop skills that will inform the generation, translation, and implementation of research evidence in the form of research and program evaluation.
Students are introduced to a range of research designs applied in the field of physical therapy spanning qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Students complete a group research project, involving protocol development, ethics submission, recruitment, data collection and analysis, presentations, and reporting of study findings, under supervision of clinical and academic faculty. Students present at the Department of Physical Therapy Research Day and develop a manuscript in preparation for submission to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.
MScPT Student Research Publications
Publication or results from research projects in the MScPT program strengthens the scientific foundation of the physical therapy profession and informs evidence-based practice. Of the 218 MScPT student research projects completed from 2003-2015, 44.5%, disseminated findings with at least one peer-reviewed journal publication, with a seven-fold increase in annual publication rate (McEachern et al, 2019). The publication rate for student research continues to be strong. The numbers for 2018 to 2020 will increase given the time required for review and publication.
