Week 6 Prompt Post: Evaluating Sources

The purpose of the post this week is to find a critical source that makes an argument about physical therapy. Using what I've learned over the past several weeks, I'm going to evaluate and respond to the argument being made.

I'm going to take a look at an argument about direct access in physical therapy. Since this topic is new to me I wanted to look a little bit into what direct access was before I read the article that I found. What exactly is direct access? Direct access in physical therapy is when a patient can seek out physical therapy without needing a referral from their doctor. If they think that it would be better for them to see a physical therapist directly without going through their doctor then they can. Many of the states have already allowed some kind of direct access but a lot of it is limited. There's an arugment that physical therapists aren't qualified enough to have the opportunity to treat patients in that manner. But there is an argument about the pros to direct access and how it might affect the costs for patients and this is the argument that I'm going to be looking at.

In the study that I found, the purpose was to look at different costs of health care for patients and the outcomes that occurred with patients who were seeking physical therapy through the method of direct access. Before going into detail about the costs factor of direct access, the study briefly talks about different positive things about direct access including things like it's more convenient for patients, the waiting time for a patient can be cut down, the satisfaction of the patient was high when they chose physical therapy through direct access, and direct access promotes high quality health care in a field that before wasn't seen as a source of primary health care. Then there is the cost factor. Through several different studies that were conducted, there was a result found that direct access in physical therapy decreased the costs for patient care versus going to the doctor first and getting a referral to see a physical therapist. Data was extracted from 1,501 articles and through these articles and different screenings for finding patient outcomes, it was found in terms of money and costs direct access is a safe option.

After learning a little bit about direct access and using everything else that I have learned over the past several weeks, I think that direct access in physical therapy shouldn't even be an argument. I've learned that theres a DPT (doctorate of physical therapy) degree. If a physical therapist is at this level with their education and skill level then there should be no reason that they should be able to see a patient without a referral from their doctor. After looking into this study done, it's also good for people looking to save money or for people who are struggling and need help but can't afford to see their doctor. This is a perfect alternative route for patients and like the study concluded there was no harm done to any of the patients who chose to see a physical therapist through direct access. Thinking in terms about what I know about our economy today and the health care system, we as a country are struggling in both of those areas and direct access in physical therapy could be a step in the right direction for not only the field of physical therapy but the overall well-being and financial standing of patients.

CITATIONS

Ojha, Heidi A., Rachel S. Snyder, and Todd E. Davenport. "Direct Access Compared with Referred Physical Therapy Episodes of Care: A Systematic Review." Physical Therapy 94.1 (2014): 14-30. ProQuest. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

Week 7 Prompt Post: Contemplating Controversy

In my week 3 open post, I talked about a DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy) and about what a doctoral degree in physical therapy is. I mentioned that it was a controversial topic in the field of physical therapy. This week I'm going to try and go more in depth about each side of the issue and talk about how people in the field now feel about it.

 

A summary of what was in my open post about the controversy on DPT:

DPT is becoming more common in physical therapy and the issue is that some people see it as beneficial to themselves and as the area of occupation overall. These people see it as advancing and highering the standard for physical therapy. However, there are other people who feel like DPT isn't all that great. These people are mainly people who are already working in the field and feel like their credentials as a physical therapist aren't as valid as others.

 

After looking more in depth on both sides of the issue, I learned more about how each side feels and about the controversy itself. This week I learned that the American Physical Therapy Association has something that's called "Vision 2020". It's pretty much goals that they want to reach by the year 2020 and one of them is to convert all physical therapists over to doctors of physical therapy. Today there are 198 programs for physical therapy are doctoral and there are only 13 programs left that offer the master's degree level for physical therapy.  

View points of those who believe DPT is beneficial to physical therapy:

• DPT opens an opportunity for physical therapists to become a practitioner of choice for people who need it.
• If the clinical environment of physical therapy changes then the skill level and knowledge required goes up and physical therapists could be more well-rounded individually.
• Clinical internship hours would go up which would be beneficial because it allows for patient care to improve and also for graduates to apply interaction skills more.
• Physical therapists who have reached doctoral status would be more likely to help develop the science and evidence base. They would be more likely to also look past their career in physical therapy, and think about a position academically.
• DPT degree is more appealing to students so it would mean that the field would bring in strong potential physical therapists.

View points of those who are against DPT:

• There was a survey that was done and as of right now there are still 58% of physical therapists that don't have the DPT status.
• DPT doesn't necessarily mean that you'll have a higher salary than someone who doesn't.
• Changing the title of a physical therapist might lead to confusion for not only the public and people seeking physical therapy but also in the health professions community. These people might not know about the change in the field.
• This seems like physical therapy as a whole is trying to add legitimacy to the occupation.
• Employment could be affected by this change. If physical therapists are reaching higher levels and raising the standards then they might be employed for administration positions or higher positions and the services that a physical therapist would traditionally provide will have to be provided by physical therapy assistants, clinical kinesiologists, or rehabilitation assistants.

CITATIONS

"The Doctor Debate:Physical Therapists Share Their Thoughts on DPT." therapyjobs.com. TherapyJobs.com, 2014. Web. 24 Feb 2014.

Mathur, Sunita. "Doctorate in Physical Therapy: Is it Time for a Conversation." Physiotherapy Canada v.63(2) (2011): 140-142. Web. 24 Feb 2014.

Week 7 Open Post

Going off of my week 6 open post, I was doing some thinking. Realistically, I'll probably want to stay in state for graduate school but there are so many other options out there. There are so many other schools that are out of state that I could look into. It's always a possibility and you never know what can happen, so I figured I wanted to look into some of the top physical therapy schools that are elsewhere in the country.


Top 20 Physical Therapy Schools in the United States

#20- Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

#19- Creighton University
Omaha, New England

#18- University of Maryland  
Baltimore, Maryland  

#17- The University of Illinois at Chicago 
Chicago, Illinois

#16- University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

#15- New York University
New York, New York

#14- University of California 
San Francicso, California

#13- Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

#12- University of  North Carolina at Chapell Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

#11- Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

#10- University of Miami  
Coral Gables, Florida

#9- Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

#8- MGH Institute of Health Professions
Boston, Massachusetts

#7- Arcadia University
Glenside, Pennsylvania

#6- The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

#5- US Army- Baylor University
Fort  Sam Houston, Texas 

#4- University of Delaware
Newmark, Delaware

#3- Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri

#2- University of Pittsburgh at Titusville
Titusville, Pennsylvania

#1- University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California


Well there it is... the list of the top schools in the country for physical therapy. This could be out of date, I'm not sure how recent that this list was updated but I don't think there would be much variaton. I think that the list is quite interesting. The schools are all over the country there isn't really a specific region or part of the country where physical therapy is prevalent. I didn't really get to look into the requirements or about any of these schools, but maybe it will happen in a future open post to answer the questions that I have about all of these schools :)







CITATIONS


"List of Top Physical Therapy Schools in USA, Physical Therapy School Rankings, Best Physical Therapy Schools in USA by Rankings." Physical Therapy Colleges. Physical Therapy Colleges, 2011. Web. 20 Feb 2014.

"Promoting Health and Wellness through the Science of Movement." Photograph. Regis University, 2014. Web. 20 Feb 2014.

Week 6 Open Post

Physical Therapy Schools


Not too long from now, I'll have to start thinking about applying to graduate schools for physical therapy. I haven't given it much thought as to where I want to go but my inital thought was that I would want to stay close to home. This week, I'm looking at the different physical therapy schools in Michigan and the different requirements for them.



Andrews University
The requirements for Andrews University are:
-Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.65
-Prereq GPA of 3.67
-GRE exam required
-80 hours PT observation with at least 20 hours inpatient setting

Central Michigan University
The requirements for Central Michigan University are:
-Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.72
-Prereq GPA of 3.72
-GRE exam required
-50 hours in 2 PT settings

Grand Valley State University
The requirements for Grand Valley State University are:
-Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.4
-Prereq GPA of 3.3
-GRE exam required
-50 hours in 2 PT settings
Oakland University
The requirements for Oakland University are:
-Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.72
-GRE exam required
-PT observation hours are "Highly Recommended"
University of Michigan-Flint
The requirements for University of Michigan-Flint are:
-Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.44
-GRE exam required
-60 hours in 2 PT settings but 125 hours in 4 settings is recommended

Wayne State University
The requirements for Wayne State University are:
- Competitive cumulative GPA of 3.48
-Prereq GPA of 3.49
-GRE exam NOT required
- PT observation hours are "Highly Recommended"

 
From all of this I've learned that no matter what school I end up going to I'll have to work hard and really keep my grades up. These are all very competitive schools in Michigan for phyiscal therapy. I know that it won't be easy to try and set myself apart from all the other students applying, but I'm going to work to my full potential to do that. I know that I can get into any of these schools if I put in the time and effort that I know I have. Seeing these requirements puts a sense of motivation in my head to know that this is what I need to do.



CITATIONS

College of Natural Science. Michigan State University, 2014. Web. 20 Feb 2014.
 

Week 5 Open Post

Physical Therapist vs Physical Therapist Assistant

 

What is the difference between a physical therapist and a physical therapist assistant (beside the name of course)? That's the question that I've been asking myself for a while. I've been doing a lot of research on physical therapy and physical therapists on the job, and while I've been looking for things I've also seen a lot about physical therapist assistant's. I've just kind of scrolled over it or flipped to the next page because that's not what I've been looking for. But this week, I want to look at the differences between the two positions.

 

The first thing that I noticed was that there are a lot of similarities between a PT and a PTA. They both work in the same work setting/environment (hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, schools, fitness centers, etc.), they both deal with patients and help people with their movement. They do so many of the same things, so what could be different?

 

Well, one of the biggest differences between the two is the role that they play. The physical therapist is the one who diagnoses movement disablilites and manages it, the physical therapist assistant works under the supervision of a physical therapist to help patients/clients to regain mobility.

 

The schooling between a PT and a PTA is different as well. As I've learned in previous weeks, a physical therapist goes to graduate school to get a masters in a phyiscal therapy program, some continue on with school to get a doctorate of physical therapy, and some continue on to be specialized in a specific area of physical therapy. However, a physical therapist assistant doesn't have the same kind of schooling or requirements of schooling. A PTA has to complete a CAPTE-accredited PTA program to get an associate degree and a licensure or certfication.

 

This difference may be obvious, but pay for a PT and a PTA differentiates. An assistant's salary is about half of what a phyiscal therapist's is. Physical therapists have a median salary of $80,000 and PTA's have a median salary of $46,000. For both, the salary depends on the position, years of experience, location, and practice setting.

 

From what I have learned about the two positions, I'm just curious about one thing. If a physical therapist assistant wanted to become a physical therapist could they do it without having to go through all the schooling for a physical therapist? If not, what would they have to do to recieve physical therapist status?

 

 

 

 

 

CITATIONS

 

"Who Are Physical Therapist Assistants?" APTA. American Physical Therapy Association, 2014. Web. 13 Feb 2014.

 

Week 5 Prompt Post: Defining Ethics

When I saw the description for what I had to write about in my prompted post this week, I honestly had no idea as to how any kind of "code of ethics" would apply to the physical therapy field. Well, as it turns out I was wrong. After looking online, I found the "Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist" which explains everything about what exactly the code of ethics for physical therapy is.

The "Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist" includes a preamble and several different principles. The preamble explains the purpose of the code of ethics, how the code is based on the different roles of a physical therapist, the core values of the profession, and the realams of ethical action. Along with all of things the preamble states the core values of physical therapy.
That the seven core values of physical therapy are: accountability, altruism, compassion/caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty, and social responsibility.

The principles are the body of the code of ethics and there are 8 principles that are outlined and discussed into some detail. These principles are:

Principle #1
Physical therapists shall respect the inherent dignity and rights of all individuals.
The core values that go along with this principle are compassion and integrity.

Principle #2
Physical therapists shall be trustworthy and compassionate in addressing the rights and needs of patients/clients.
The core values that go along with this principle are altruism, compassion, and professional duty.

Principle #3
Physical therapists shall be accountable for making sound professional judgments.
The core values that go along with this principle are excellence and integrity.

Principle #4
Physical therapists shall demonstrate integrity in their relationships with patients/clients, families, colleagues, students, research participants, other health care providers, employers, and the public.
There is only one core value to go along with this principle and that is integrity.

Principle #5
Physical therapists shall fufill their legal and professional obligations.
The core values that go along with this principle are professional duty and accountability.

Principle #6
Physical therapists shall enhance their expertise through the lifelong acquistion and refinement of knowledge, skills, abilities, and professional behaviors.
There is only one core value to go alone with this principle and that is excellence.

Principle #7
Physical therapists shall promote organizational behaviors and business practices that benefit patients/clients and society.
The core values that go along with this principle are integrity and accountability.

Principle #8
Physical therapists shall participate in efforts to meet the health needs of people locally, nationally, or globally.
There is only one core value that goes along with this principle and that is social responsibilty.


For those who want to read more depth about the code of ethics in physical therapy the link is:
http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/APTAorg/About_US/Policies/Ethics/CodeofEthics.pdf


As an aspiring physical therapist, all of these core values and ethics would have to apply to my life and myself as a person. There are already so many of these core values that I can apply to myself. This code corresponds to my own beliefs and ethics in the way that I believe that a person should be accountable for their actions no matter what. Going along with being held accountable I believe that a person should have integrity with everything they do. People should be compassionate towards not just the things and people they love, but everyone and everything. That goes in hand in hand with altruism and being selfless or doing this for the well being of other people. I truly do believe that everyone should strive for excellence during their life and apply themselves to their true ability to benefit not only themselves but society as a whole (social responsibility). Many of my actions right now as a student in college can help prepare me for the work in my field. I have a job, and at my job there are guidelines that I have to follow, I have a specific job/task that I was hired to do and that's all a part of my professional duty as a student worker at my place of employment. As a student, I'm held accountable for the work in all of my classes, attending my classes, and getting the grades that I think I deserve. I also have an academic integrity to live up to which includes not cheating on an exam, quiz, etc. In the sorority that I am in, every single one of the core values applies. We're all expected to care about one another, be there for one another, be honest with one other, do things to better the sorority and the members in it, and we have positions and jobs within the sorority to keep everything running smoothly.


CITATIONS

"Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist." APTA. American Physical Therapy Association, 2014. Web. 12 Feb 2014.

Week 4 Open Post

This week, I was looking into the different specialty areas of physical therapy. I've never really thought about a specific specialty within the field, so this week I learned a lot about the different areas of physical therapy that are available. If you wanted to become a clinical specialist, you would have to go through the American Board of Physical Therapy.

I learned that there are areas of physical therapy in cardiovascular and pulmonary, clinical electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopaedics, pediatrics, sports, and women's health I took the time to look a little bit into each of these and this is what I found out about them!

Cardiovascular and Pulmonary
This specialization deals with patients who just had any heart or lung surgery, or have been diagnosed with any disorders that involve the two. Physical therapists help the patients improve the function of their heart and lungs and help them get back to living on their own.

Electrophysioloy
Specialists in this area have patients that have experienced some type of trauma or patients that has a disorder. This type of physical therapy include the use of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) and electromyogram and nerve conduction velocity testings.

Geriatics
Geriastic specialists deal with any type of elderly person. The patients might have arthritis, osteoperosis, cancer, etc. In this area of specialty, the main goal of physical therapy is to help with the discomfort a patient might be feeling, and help to improve mobility.

Neurology
Neurgoloic physical therapy patients are anyone who had brain surgery, or has a neurological illness like cerebal pasly, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, stroke, multiple sclerosis, etc. Through phsycial therapy, the patients learn to function independently or receive help with coordination, walking, and balance.

Orthopaedics
These physical therapists help anyone who has a chronic condition or someone who needs help after surgery. Some of the conditions are injuries, diseases, or other problems that are related to the musculoskeletal system.

Pediatrics
Pediatric physical thearpy includes any infants or young children. These kids might have disorders that would classify them as "special needs". Physical therapists help the child develop gross and fine motor skills, improve fitness, and build strength.

Sports
The patients in this area are athletes who need treatment of pain or injury. The main goal is to help prevent any injuries from occuring, and prepare the athlete for maxium physical exertion.

Women's health
Women who need this type of physical therapy are of childbearing age, going through menopause, or are in the early stages of menopause. In physical therapy, these women receive help with discomfort that is caused by chronic conditions.






CITATIONS

"Physical Therapist (PT) Careers Overview." APTA. American Physical Therapy Association, 2014. Web. 6 Feb 2014.

Travel Force Staffing. "Top 8 Physical Therapy Certifciations by Specialty." Travelforce. Offical Therapist Blog, 2014. Web. 6 Feb 2014.

Week 4 Prompt Post: Observing Community

On Michigan State's campus, there is a club for practically anything... and when I say anything, I mean seriously....anything. There's even a squirrel watching club. Anyways, because there's such a wide selection of clubs to choose from. I knew there had to be a club for physical therapy. This weeks post is about an interview I did with a member of the Pre-Physical Therapy Association.

Who is the club made up of?
The club isn't only physical therapy students. I'm an occupational therapy student and I'm still in the club. The two go hand in hand with one another so we have a lot of physical therapy and a lot of occupational therapy students mostly.

What kinds of things do you guys do at meetings?
At meetings we have people in the field come in  and talk to us and we can ask questions, get to know them, and they tell us about what it's like to be them. The club is pretty open for ideas, someone can bring in a professional they know or they can ask someone to come talk to us.

How often do you have meetings?
It depends, we normally have meetings at least once a month, maybe more. You don't have to go if you don't want to, but it's always good to go just because they aren't every week so every meeting there's something you would miss out on.

How is this club beneficial? 
This club is extremely beneficial in so many ways. You get to meet so many other students that are in the same boat and you so it's good that you get to connect with them and you guys learn that you have the same questions, you can start studying together, sit together at class, and things like that.

What else about the club do you think is important?
I think it's important for everyone that's considering a profession along these lines to consider. It opens up so many opportunities to meet other students, meet professionals, and to be involved in something on campus. On top of everything else, it looks good on resumes when you're applying to jobs. I've enjoyed being a part of this club and I've met a lot of good people through it and I've learned a lot about what I want to do.


CITATIONS 
Baron, Desiree. Personal interview. 4 February 2014.

Week 3 Open Post

In the past three weeks, I've already learned more than I thought I would about physical therapy. I've learned through textbooks, videos, articles, and people. After learning from my mom this week about physical therapy I feel like I'm starting to get a better feel for the occupation. For this weeks open blog post, I've decided to do a little research on the DPT or the Doctor of Physical Therapy. 

A DPT is a step above being a physical therapist with a masters degree. This is technically reaching doctoral status. It's additional schooling added on to the masters degree in physical therapy. It's a very controversial topic in the physical therapy school. It's changing the entire occupation as a whole. The entry-level standards for entering into the profession. There are some people who see this as a good thing and that it's raising the level of physical therapy and they think that it's good that it has doctoral status. Then there are some people who are already working as physical therapists who are viewing themselves as not good enough because of the license they have. Both viewpoints are valid, but no matter how people see it, the amount of people continuing on to becoming a DPT is growing and it's becoming the new norm of physical therapy. 

I think this is an interesting topic because there are so many questions that could be asked about the DPT as a whole... like what is the difference in salary between a regular physical therapist and a doctor of physical therapy? How much extra schooling does a DPT need? When did this title become available to people? 

From the article I found, I was only able to learn about the evolution of the DPT. The Doctor of Physical Therapy came around in about 1992. USC was the first school to offer schooling to become a DPT. As for the rest of my questions, I guess I'll just have to do try and find more out through textbooks or someone who is a DPT. 

CITATIONS 

Plack, Margaret. "The Evolution of the Doctorate of Physical Therapy: Moving Beyond the Controversy." Paeaonline. Journal of Physical Therapy Education, 2002. Web. 1 Feb 2014.