Election year means a time of change. Change can be a great thing, especially in terms of health care, health insurance and many other factors impacting the PT field. One of my professors brought this topic up, so I thought a blog forum is a great opportunity to discuss the leading candidates and their stance on health care issues. (Got a lot ...

Well, with all the news floating around the APTA's Website and in my email inbox, obviously the topic of choice this week is President W. signing the HR 4137 bill.  Details? ''HR 4137 allows physical therapists who provide care to children, adolescents, and veterans to be eligible for up to $10,000 over 5 years in authorized student loan ...

Should new DPT grads be called Doctor? Doctor Lisa. Hmmm, well, I didn't go into PT school simply for a nice title, but the fact remains that I am graduating from a Doctoral program. What do you think? I think by calling ourselves doctors of physical therapy, we are promoting the PT profession and educating our patients about the ...

As those who know me would agree--this is my favorite time of year. I have two weeks to soak up new books, fresh paper, organizing new class schedules and enjoying every minute of the beginning of the school year. I love getting new syllabi  (syllabuses?) and figuring out when my tests will be; which weeks are harder than ...

Last week marked the end of my second clinical, a 10-week affiliation in an outpatient orthopedic setting.  It is always exciting to work with patients, and I learned a lot about different pathologies, cultures, and other factors of PT. I was at a worker's compensation facility, which was nice because each of the patients had specific goals ...

In the latest issue of PT Magazine, Sharon Dunn, PT, PhD, OCS, talks about the need for PTs to work together no matter what degree they have. Throughout her article, Ms. Dunn provides examples of difficulties she believes PTs are running into as the three degree levels merge into one profession. Her intentions were good. But for some reason Ms. ...

Last week I found myself in the position of defending experienced therapists, specifically those who have been practicing 15 years or more. I was talking to a newer graduate, SB. He was finding fault with therapists who have been practicing awhile but haven't kept up with trends arising from internet access such as evidence based medicine (EBM). ...

It's a challenge to take on one or two students, but it is worth the time and effort knowing that some knowledge was passed along to others who will also share that knowledge in their career.  I enjoy the time I spend with students and I like the questions they ask.  The best thing is that when I can't answer the question I could say, ...

SAN ANTONIO—Preparing Students For Clinical Practice: Does the Current CI Model Work? Clinical education for physical therapy is getting much scrutiny recently from both educators and the employers who hire newly minted graduates following their clinical instruction (CI). In the opinion of those in the practice community, these new grads do not ...

SAN ANTONIO—This morning's session ''Generational Ethics: Bridging the Gap From Traditionalists to Millennials'' was one of the most interesting lectures I've attended at an APTA conference. Maybe it was because it wasn't really a lecture. PTs were encouraged to sit at round tables in the room and discuss issues among themselves. Maybe it was ...