Rate My Professor Sophie Paynter

Sophie Paynter is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Monash University. She earned a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours), Graduate Certificate in Health Professional Education, Certificate in Exercise for Women, and Certificate IV in Fitness, along with a PhD. Her clinical background encompasses acute musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory, and women's health physiotherapy in public health, community rehabilitation, and group exercise instruction, gained in Melbourne, regional Victoria, and the United Kingdom. Paynter coordinates applied anatomy in the Doctor of Physiotherapy program, delivers direct instruction in biomechanics, pathology, practical skills, and serves as a case-based learning tutor. She co-directs the curriculum for Physiotherapy Programs and sits on the School of Primary and Allied Health Care Education Committee.

Her research centers on sustainable education and assessment practices in health professions education, predictors of clinical performance, student selection processes, professionalism in health professions education, and fostering self-regulated learning skills. Notable publications include 'Career intentions and satisfaction influences in early career Australian physiotherapists' (Paynter et al., Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, 2024), 'Do personal and behavioural characteristics of physiotherapy students predict performance during training and course completion?' (Paynter et al., BMC Medical Education, 2023), 'An investigation of the predictive validity of selection tools on performance in physiotherapy training in Australia' (Paynter et al., Physiotherapy, 2022), 'Setting priorities for health education research: A mixed methods study' (Palermo et al., Medical Teacher, 2019), and contributions to studies on the economic costs of failure in clinical education (2017) and remote-online case-based learning. Paynter has presented at conferences such as the International Selection in the Health Professions Conference and participated in Monash University's health professional education research priority setting project. She is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professions Educators and formerly served on the Item Writing Panel for the Australian Physiotherapy Council assessment (2016-2017). Her scholarship has accumulated over 300 citations, contributing to advancements in physiotherapy education and training outcomes.