Physical Therapy Professionalism

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

What does Professionalism mean to me? Professionalism in my term means it is someone who is very dedicated to their profession. It is an important and great decision to follow by the rules and ethics of professionalism. If we did not have anyone that cared about their profession it would cause a lot of problems in our society today. It could cause a lot of disruption in your workplace. In order to abide by professionalism you must take pride in your job, percieve realistic goals and values, and know what your expectations are.

Life can change in a split second when an unanticipated injury or disease hinders someone’s normal daily life. Modern medicine, physicians and families can only do so much but physical therapy can help recoup the life many of us take for granted. It often isn’t until we lose something that we as humans realize what we had such as the value of our body’s ability to take us through each day. A physical therapist is the person who stays with a patient for the duration of the rehabilitation process. A physical therapist leads the patient through the process of regaining physical strength and helps the patient regain control of their future. Much like many careers that involve interaction with individuals, physical therapy reaches beyond

A professional is characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Being professional should be a subconscious effort in the fact that it should always be applied. When employees are professional it helps the system run more efficiently and safely. A person must me a certain criteria when being evaluated on professionalism, a person is judged based on the clients; Attitude, Values, Communication techniques, and approachability. Clients who display a committed, dependable attitude will benefit more from work exerted, and overall be rewarded with incentives. Although professionalism may be in the eye of the

Physical therapy is defined as the treatment of an injury, disease, or deformity by physical means and methods such as exercise, hot or cold treatments, and/or massage rather than a pharmaceutical method such as opioids or the surgical route. Physical therapy much like other healthcare professions is a patient based profession in which the healthcare professional and the patient are in contact with each other frequently. This contact between the professional (the physical therapist assistant in this case) and the patient can propose issues that could challenge the physical therapist assistant’s morals, ethics, and/or professionalism. These challenges made it apparent that there needed to be guidelines for the professionalism a physical therapist assistant must follow and be aware of, which led to the development of the 8 value-based behaviors.

What is professionalism in the context of being a student in a doctor of physical therapist degree program? The key to professionalism is to demonstrate respect, quality, and efficiency at all times. As a student within a doctor of physical therapist degree program displaying professionalism at all times is critical. Respect must be illustrated to everyone in a place of work.

Accountability can be described as demonstrating the ability to undertake all the responsibilities, challenges, and commitments that come with acceptance into a doctor of physical therapy program. As a student, one will have numerous responsibilities that he or she must be able to manage effectively and efficiently. Determining a balance between coursework and other duties is essential. Challenges will arise throughout the program that will be very trying and sometimes failure inevitably happens, but failure is an opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes. Being committed is also a very valuable aspect of professionalism. Students must stay committed to their duties in the program and not fade in any aspects. As well as accountability, a student must show compassion for other

Congratulations on making it to week eight of PTA 324 Physical Therapy Across Practice Settings! We end this course with a look at professional development of the PTA. We will be discussing ideas for lifelong learning and maintaining clinical competence. By being in this course, you have already shown a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. As we come to the end of this class, reflect on the self-directed learning that you have achieved and how your professional development has been affected by your research and the interactions with your classmates.

Accordingly, altruism became a mainstay. Proctoring physical therapists indoctrinated the fundamental that you put every need of a patient before your own, and always shooting for a higher level of care than the majority would accept. Specifically, they would always let patients come in on occasions separate from their appointments and utilize the exercise equipment as required. As the intern, building a priority to support all patients that came in with total guidance and instruction became predominant. This leads to the other key to professionalism, humility. During my internship, constant quizzing ingrained that you constrain the need to answer every question. Giving a “best guess” will lead to negative repercussions. Correspondingly, observations of the physical therapists themselves refer innumerable times to other professionals; be it the patient’s doctor, another therapist, or a dietitian. Seeing how various physical therapists operated also reinforced the belief of professional duty. The pride every therapist had in the profession, the mentoring that each provided, and the amount of work put towards every patient left my mind with a profound impression. Equally important, the consciousness of unspoiled care and compassion. Listening to other undergraduates and professors explain that you would have “problem patients”; this idea became entrenched in my head when starting. Contrarily, their concepts never materialized. Wanting to help the patients that had numerous struggles, or purely had countless debilitating injuries constituted as the goal. Contemplating unique exercises, finer cues, or improved ways to motivate perpetuated my evenings. Moreover; considering a patient ingenuously as a “knee”, or “rotator cuff”, or even just a patient was never a possibility. They were always people and people with their own particular

There are multiple ways to show professionalism as a student in a doctor of physical therapist degree program. Some of these include communication, responsibility, and being prepared.

Dr. Winstein’s lecture really spoke to me, as a physical therapy student. There is so much to consider when choosing this career path, as well as so much to strive for. The lecture started with a thought-provoking question:

On September 8th, 2015, I first began interning for Dr. Dawn Cox and her staff of experienced Physical Therapists at PRANA Functional Manual Therapy in Lancaster, PA as a Physical Therapy Aide. Intermittently, on the first day of my internship, I would ask the therapists “Why choose Physical Therapy as a profession?” One of the Physical Therapists conveyed that aside from the substantial benefits a job provides, it was the intangible materials that gave the profession a meaning. As a student exploring the field of Physical Therapy, I have infallibly witnessed professionalism at PRANA and other Physical Therapy facilities through the therapists’ altruism towards patients -without violating ethical practices as professionals; their apposite use of communication with each individual at the workplace; and their sense of accountability when things go unforeseen.

Being an aspiring student in a physical therapy program has driven me to embody the core values stated by the APTA and demonstrated by my coworkers. Working in the medical field means the well being of others is in your hands. The level of responsibility and accountability required is monumental, and you must be willing to step up to the task. Whereas many students only hold themselves accountable for their own benefit, as a DPT student, you must demonstrate initiative because your actions no longer affect just yourself. First and foremost, you must be responsible in the classroom. Prior to practice, a solid foundation of education and knowledge is critical. One should exercise due diligence in saturating themselves with the knowledge necessary to care for a patient in a safe, timely, and efficient

For over 75 years the profession of physical therapy has required it's members to adhere to a standard of ethical behavior.1 The first Code of Ethics adopted by the American Physiotherapy Association in 1935 focused mainly on the relationship between the physical therapist (PT), referring physician, and the disciplinary actions of violating that relationship.2(p.4) Since then the Code of Ethics has evolved into what the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) refers to as the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist (PT Code), and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA Standards).2(p.5),3,4 Today the Code and Standards are designed around the association's core set of values to

My teaching philosophy is to create an environment that stimulates learning so that students gain the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to become proficient professionals. While teaching foundational knowledge is important, there are other essential skills and abilities that students must acquire in order to successfully transition from being a student to becoming a physical therapy professional. These skills and abilities include thinking critically as well as interacting and communicating effectively with patients and other health care practitioners. I emphasize to students that it is imperative to realize the impact of developing a therapeutic rapport with patients while providing quality, patient-centered care to optimize the healing process. Therefore, when deciding what to teach, I not only consider the content presented, but also how I can foster discussions with students so that they can apply information based on varying contextual factors. I also attempt to provide students a framework for how to achieve professional excellence, which I aim to model as I fulfill my roles and responsibilities as a teacher and provider of clinical instruction. This framework is rooted in five central tenets: