Contemporary Practices

CONTEMPORARY
PRACTICE ISSUES
A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
vision 2020 APTA:
 Physical therapy, by 2020, will be provided by physical

therapists who are doctors of physical therapy
 and who may be board-certified specialists.
 Consumers will have direct access to physical

therapists in all environments for patient/client
management, prevention, and wellness services.
 Physical therapists will be practitioners of choice in
clients’ health networks and will hold all privileges
of autonomous practice.
 Physicaltherapists may be assisted by physical

therapist assistants who are educated and licensed
to provide physical therapist–directed and –
supervised components of interventions.
ISSUES ?
The issues are explored from two
perspectives:
 The broader one of the profession and

the more focused one of individual PTs
and their day-to-day practice.
Practice issues raised in the first paragraph of the
vision statement, specifically :
 The doctorate of physical therapy (DPT) degree,
 Board certification of specialists,
 Direct access by the public to physical therapy
care,
 And the role of the PTA.
Perspective of the Profession
 Creighton University, where the first DPT program was
started, attempted to determine the influences of the DPT in
physical therapy education and the need for the degree
program.
 They , argue that the DPT provides PTs with a clear

professional identity consistent with that of other health care
professionals (e.g., podiatrists, pharmacists, psychologists,
and chiropractors).
 They predicted that the following societal trends would
necessitate more advanced treatment of patients by PTs,
 ● An ever-increasing number of patients from minority

backgrounds
 The use of demographic and epidemiological data would

address the changing health care environments in rural
and urban areas
Perspective of the Practitioner
A key issue for the profession is the conversion by

2020 of licensed PTs with bachelor’s and master’s
degrees to PTs with DPT degrees.
 Having all PTs hold the same degree designation .
 AsPTs become more homogeneous, they will be more

easily identified as the primary
 The APTA has developed outcome
competencies, a preferred curriculum guide, and
a PT evaluation tool (PTET) to assist academic
institutions in developing transitional DPT (t-DPT)
programs and to aid PTs in preparing their
credentials to apply for these programs
 PTs must determine both the cost and the
benefit of the t-DPT in their professional
development and ability to compete for
physical therapy positions
Perspective of the Profession
 The decision to develop a board of specialization for
PTs was based on the need to formally recognize
PTs with advanced clinical knowledge, experience,
and skills in a specialty area of practice so that they
could be identified by consumers and the health
care community.
 Specialization is believed to promote:
 (1) the highest possible level of care for
individuals seeking physical therapy services in a
specialty area
 (2) the development of the science and art
underlying the specialty.
Relationship between the PT and the PTA
 Physical therapy is defined as the care and

service provided by or under the direction
and supervision of a physical therapist.
 Physical therapists are the only
professionals who provide physical therapy.
 Physicaltherapist assistants—under the
direction and supervision of the physical
therapist—are the only paraprofessionals who
assist in the provision of physical therapy
interventions.
 Theposition of PTA was created by the APTA
House of Delegates in 1966, prompted by a
need for support personnel in the profession.
 In1973 the affiliate membership category was

created, allowing PTAs to become members
of the APTA.
Issues
 As the physical therapy profession continues to evolve, so
will the role of the PTA.
 Among the issues that must be resolved are the following:
 Should be the educational level of the PTA be raised,
 the responsibilities of the PTA change as the DPT
becomes the norm
 Changes in the demand for PTAs are closely connected to
staffing needs,
 THE GUIDE—AN EXTRAORDINARY
ACHIEVEMENT
 In the 1990s the Florida Physical Therapy
Association was asked by the state’s agency for
health care administration to help develop practice
parameters
The Guide serves the following purposes in
the profession
 Describes PT practice in general
 Describes the roles of PTs in primary, secondary, and
tertiary care; prevention; and promotion of health,
wellness, and fitness
 Describes the settings in which PTs practice
 Standardizes the terminology used in and related to PT
practice
 Establishes the tests and measures, as well as
interventions, used in PT practice
THANKS

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CONTEMPORARY

 Physical therapy, by 2020, will be provided by physical

 Consumers will have direct access to physical

 Physicaltherapists may be assisted by physical

 The broader one of the profession and

 They , argue that the DPT provides PTs with a clear

 ● An ever-increasing number of patients from minority

 The use of demographic and epidemiological data would

A key issue for the profession is the conversion by

 AsPTs become more homogeneous, they will be more

 Physical therapy is defined as the care and

 In1973 the affiliate membership category was

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