Alison Greig

Educational Scholarship interests in:

Alison is the lead of the Internationally Education Physiotherapist (IEP) Program. Now operating as a sustainable, cost-recovery program, the IEP Program has had over 400 IEPs participate, and has seen significant growth from 58 registrants in 2012, to 103 registrants in 2013, and 181 registrants in 2014. With the transition to an online written preparation program, the program has expanded to include registrants who are able to prepare for the written exam prior to coming to Canada. The program has seen participants from BC, across Canada and around the world including Nigeria, the Philippines, India, Iran, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. The IEP participant success rate on the national PT exams is impressive. Results from 2013 IEP participants demonstrate a 79% pass rate on the written exam and an 83% pass rate on the practical exam, compared with foreign-trained Physiotherapists who did not participate in the program who achieved pass rates of 53% and 58%, respectively.

Alison has an interest in the development of Virtual Patient (VP) cases and contributed to the development of over twenty-five VP cases related to Physical Therapy. In 2014, Alison received a Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund (TLEF) grant to develop a web-based, interactive, simulated learning model that will be developed and tested to teach students the steps of evidence-informed health care (EIHC). The content and design of the 5 virtual patient cases develop by this project will allow integration into the curricula of all health professionals. Alison is involved with several initiatives to evaluate the impact of VPs on learning.

Alison has also been extensively involved in Interprofessional Education initiatives, including: the development of an Interprofessional Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Module; the Interprofessional Approach for Student and Resident Research Projects; innovative model for student learning in a community program for people with chronic conditions; Interprofessional Pain Management; and numerous Interprofessional teaching opportunities.

See publications by Alison Greig on PubMed

Journal Publications

1. Greig AM, Bennell KL, Briggs AM, Hodges PW (2014). Trunk muscle activity is modified in osteoporotic vertebral fracture and thoracic kyphosis with potential consequences for vertebral health. PLOS ONE (October 6, 2014).

2. Greig A, Dawes D, Loveridge B, Murphy S, Parker G (2013). Program evaluation of a model to integrate internationally educated health professionals into clinical practice. BMC Medical Education. BMC Medical Education. 13(140). DOI: 10.1186/10.1186/1472-6920-13-140

3, Eccott L, Greig A, Hall W, Lee M, Newton C (2012). Evaluating Students’ Perceptions of Interprofessional Problem-Based Pilot Learning Project. Journal of Allied Health.

4. Bennell K, Matthews B, Greig A, Briggs A, Kelly A, Sherburn M, Larsen J and Wark J (2010). Effects of an exercise and manual therapy program on physical impairments, function and quality-of-life in people with osteoporotic vertebral fracture: a randomized, single-blind controlled pilot trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 11(36).

5. Greig AM, Bennell KL, Briggs AM, Wark JW, Hodges PW (2007). Balance impairment is related to vertebral fracture rather than thoracic kyphosis in individuals with osteoporosis. Osteoporosis International DOI 10.1007/s00198-006-0277-9.

6. Greig AM, Bennell KL, Briggs AM, Hodges PW (2007). Postural taping decreases thoracic kyphosis but does not influence trunk muscle electromyographic activity or balance in women with osteoporosis. Manual Therapy DOI 10.1016/j.math.2007.01.011.

Conference Presentations

1. Greig A, Arnold J, Ball H, Brady L, Lee C, Willing L, Dawes D (2014). Creating a Virtual Patient to Teach Evidence Based Practice. In Proceedings of the Canadian Conference for Medical Education (CCME), 27-29 April, Ottawa.

2. Bates B, Friesen S, Anthony J, Dawes D, Greig A (2014). Creating an Interprofessional Virtual Patient Case. Abstract submitted to the CPA Congress, 19-22 June, Edmonton.

3. Bates B, Friesen S, Anthony J, Dawes D, Greig A (2014). Development of an Interprofessional Virtual Patient Case: a novel approach to teaching IPE. Abstract submitted to the Altogether Better Health VI, 5-9 June, Pittsburgh.

4. Greig A, Dawes D, Loveridge B, Murphy S, Parker G (2013). Program evaluation of a model to prepare internationally educated Physiotherapists for the Physiotherapy Competency Examinations. In Proceedings of the CPA Congress, 23-26 May, Montreal, Quebec.

5. Greig A, Anthony J, Dawes D, Loveridge B, Murphy S (2013). Impact of Virtual Patient Cases on Written Examination Performance: A Pilot RCT. In Proceedings of the Canadian Conference for Medical Education (CCME), 20-23 April, Quebec City, Quebec.

As the Associate Head of the MPT Program, Alison has leadership responsibility for the entry-to-practice program. This includes responsibilities related to the MPT students, faculty and clinical faculty, instructors, and patient partners who contribute in the educational program. Alison is responsible to evaluate and develop the MPT curriculum and is committed to ensuring that the MPT curriculum is delivered in compliance with the National accreditation standards and is responsive to changes in health care delivery. She is the Chair of the MPT Program and MPT Curriculum Committees and is a member of the MPT Program Admissions Committee, MPT Provincial Advisory for Clinical Education Committee, and MPT Awards Committee.

Alison contributes to a number of professional activities in Physical Therapy. Alison has been a member on the Registration Committee of the College of Physical Therapists of BC (CPTBC) since 2007, and is a member of the Board of Directors, Accreditation and Governance Committees for the Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Council (PEAC). Alison is also a contributing member of the Curriculum Committee for the Canadian Council of Physiotherapy University Programs.