RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Increased exposure to geriatrics throughout a student's professional education has been reported to improve the desire to work in this area; however, factors that influence the perception of geriatric physical therapy may prohibit students from actively seeking those experiences. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of geriatric physical therapy by first-year graduate physical therapy students. DESIGN: A qualitative case study research approach was performed. METHOD: Three focus groups were completed using students enrolled in their second semester of a graduate-level physical therapy program. Dialogue was reviewed and coded by three raters. Twenty-five subcategories of open-coding terms were triangulated and grouped into 4 themes via axial coding. RESULTS: Four themes emerged: (1) ageism exists in health care, (2) personal and professional experiences serve as a framework for students' perception of geriatrics, (3) interpersonal relationships formed within geriatric practice are highly valued, and (4) additional contextual barriers exist in geriatrics. CONCLUSIONS: To meet the needs of a highly skilled geriatric workforce, students should participate in enhanced geriatric experiences in didactic coursework as well as within interprofessional geriatric clinics throughout their education.