Physical Therapy According to Kathleen

Physical Therapy

According to Kathleen Curtis's book, Physical Therapy's Professional Foundations: Keys to Success in School and Career, the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice defines physical therapy as: "a dynamic profession with an established theoretical base and widespread clinical applications in the preservation, development, and restoration of optimum physical function" (Curtis, 2000,-page 4). In essence, physical therapists are highly trained professionals who utilize current research and generally accepted theories to provide patients in with specialized care designed to decrease physical pain and improve physical performance.

Over the last several decades, physical therapy has become an increasingly prestigious profession. In the 20th century, one only needed a bachelor's degree from an accredited undergraduate institution to fulfill the educational requirements needed to work as a physical therapist. However, toward the end of the century, the field began to see a shift toward the need for a master's degree in physical therapy. Soon, undergraduate degrees in physical therapy were essentially obsolete, and Master's in Physical Therapy (MPT) programs were being created all over the country. Surprisingly, a little more than a decade later, these programs are falling out of favor as well. Instead of the MPT, the American Physical Therapy Association is now transitioning its requirements to include a Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT). According to their website, their hope is that "Physical therapy, by 2020, will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy and who may be board-certified specialists."

In order to become a physical therapist today, a student has several degree options. There are still a small number of accredited MPT programs a student can attend; however, given the goal of the American Physical Therapy Association to try and shift entirely to DPTs, this may not be the most prudent educational option. Additionally, education-portal.com estimates that approximately five percent of accredited institutions (12 of 212) offer MPTs, which means that, should one choose to pursue this option, one's choices would be extremely limited. However, if a student already possesses an MPT, there are a number of schools that provide transitional DPT programs that allow the student to complete the additional requirements needed to attain a DPT in considerably less time than a traditional DPT program. It is important to note, however, that many of these transitional DPT programs are in the process of being phased out. The traditional DPT requires three years of graduate study and prepares the student to work as a qualified physical therapist. Additionally, if the student is interested in pursuing academic and research careers upon completion of their DPT, he or she may want to explore programs that provide joint DPT/PhD programs in related fields such as Physical Therapy and Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Completing the appropriate degree is not the end of the physical therapists' educational experience. According to an interview conducted by XXX with XXX, one must pass the American Physical Therapy Association certification exam to receive his or her license and become a certified physical therapist. In order to maintain this certification, one must submit his or her completion of 24 continuing education hours during the first two years following his or her certification and 12 hours for every consecutive year. Additional examinations are required to become a board certified specialist.

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there are eight areas of physical therapy specialization. They are as follows: cardiovascular and pulmonary, clinical electrophysiology, geriatrics, neurology, orthopedics, pediatrics, sports, and women's health. In order to become certified, one must complete at least 2,000 hours of patient care as a licensed physical therapist in this field (at least 25% during the last three years) and pass an exam administered by the National Medical Board. After fulfilling both of these requirements, each board certified specialist must be recertified every ten years.

In addition to having the option to work in any of the aforementioned specializations, a physical therapist also has the ability to work in a variety of settings. For example, a physical therapist can work in a hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation center, private facility, university, or in a patient's home. it's interesting to note, however, that men are significantly more likely than women to find themselves employed as a faculty member at a university or as the owner of a private physical therapy practice (Johanson, 2007).

When working in hospital settings, physical therapists have frequent interactions with nurses. According to an interview done by XXX with XXX, physical therapists communicate with nurses daily as part of secondary patient care. The hospital's original mechanism for consults between nurses and physical therapist was paper medical records; however, that method of communication has since been replaced by face-to-face consults and electronic medical records. A recent article in the Journal of Interprofessional Care found that interactions between different types of health care professionals (including nurses and physical therapists) were "richer and lengthier, and consisted of negotiations which related to both clinical as well as social content" than those between health care professionals and physicians (Reeves, Rice, Conn, Miller, Kenaszchuk, & Zwarenstein, 2009, 633). The study also showed that these types of positive communications and interactions improved the quality of patient care and decreased the risk for negative patient outcomes.

Even though this study suggests that interactions between nurses and physical therapists tend to be positive, there is always room for improvement in these exchanges. In XXX's interview with XXX, she stated that she believed nurses and physical therapists would work more effectively if the nurses helped coordinate patient activities. Specifically, she would like the nurses to coordinate daily activities like eating and bathing. She also believes it would be helpful if the nurses assisted the physical therapists when getting the patients out of bed.

Although nurses and physical therapists frequently work in similar settings and share duties for patient care, the requirements that must be met to become a member of these two professions are very different. As previously mentioned, being a physical therapist requires a minimum of a master's degree, with most employers seeking physical therapists who have completed at least three years of postgraduate work and attained a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. The requirements to become a registered nurse are considerably less stringent and time consuming.

If a person wants to become a registered nurse, they must first complete a minimum of an associate's degree in nursing. In most cases, a bachelor's degree is preferred, but it is certainly possible to become a registered nurse with an associate's degree only. The associate's degree takes approximately two years to complete, while a bachelor's degree is typically expected to take four years to complete. This means that one can fulfill the educational requirements necessary to become a nurse in three to five years less than it takes to complete the educational requirements necessary to become a physical therapist.

The licensing and certification requirements are similar for physical therapists and nurses. Like physical therapists, students must pass a national licensing exam in order to become a registered nurse. Additionally, registered nurses must also complete continuing education requirements. In fact, the amount of continuing education required for registered nurses to maintain their certification (twenty-four hours every two years) is identical to the amount of continuing education required of physical therapists.