Abstract
This survey research aimed to examine knowledge and understanding of position structure and
career paths among physical therapists in public hospitals under the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand;
to study relationships between personal factors and levels of knowledge and understanding; and to
identify barriers to career advancement. Data were collected using an online questionnaire from 534
physical therapists, selected through stratified random sampling by region and hospital size. Results
showed moderate levels of knowledge and understanding in both position structure and career paths
(mean 3.12 ± 0.78 out of full score 5) and academic work production (mean 2.83 ± 0.84). Correlation
analysis revealed significant but very low relationships between work experience and understanding of
position qualifications and career paths (rs = -0.0991, p < 0.05), and between current position and
understanding of academic writing (rs = 0.0867, p < 0.05). Major barriers identified included organizational
structure and management systems, workload and time management, and knowledge and skills in
academic work production. These findings can serve as foundational data for developing robust support
systems, adjusting workload balance, and enhancing academic skills to promote sustainable career
advancement in physical therapy profession.
