Analyzing Psychometric Properties of the Societal Outreach Scale in Entry-Level Doctor of Physical Therapy Students.

This article focuses on evaluating the psychometric properties of the Societal Outreach Scale (SOS) and the Compassion Scale (CS) among entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students to assess professionalism values of social responsibility and compassion. The study found that the SOS demonstrated good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.83), excellent internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.92), and strong responsiveness (effect size = 0.86), supporting its use as a reliable standalone tool for measuring social responsibility in DPT students. In contrast, the CS showed poor reliability (ICC = 0.21) and low responsiveness (effect size = 0.35), indicating it may be less suitable for assessing compassion in this population. The findings suggest that service-learning practicums can enhance social responsibility and compassion, but further research is needed to identify valid tools for compassion assessment and to explore long-term retention of these professional values.