Physical Therapy -- the Professionalism

Physical Therapy -- the Professionalism conveyed by a PhD

Overview of current professional orientation of physical therapists, and analysis of cultural shift that will occur with the profession's greater acceptance in the academy with the increasing prevalence of PhDs.

Will the scope of practice for physical therapists change?

In a recent essay for the Journal of Physical Therapy Education entitled "Professionalism in Physical Therapy: A Reflection on Ways of Being in Physical Therapy Education" (Spring 2004) Elizabeth Mostrom defined the seven core values that are essential to professionalism in physical therapy as "accountability, altruism, compassion and caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty," and above all social responsibility."

With such an emphasis on personal qualities of the therapist in physical therapy, one might ask, what is the need for more therapists to purse doctoral degrees? Should not the profession physical therapy, and the changes merited by the demands of the profession be primarily determined by work in the field, rather than academic study? After all, this is why before granting admission to a program, many professional education programs require a student to a volunteer in a physical therapy department of a hospital or clinic, even if he or she is a stellar student.

And Mostrom adds "professing and owning these values [of physical therapy] is obviously not the stuff of rote memorization and recitation of some oath or pledge -- it is living them; it is about 'ways of being' with our students as they make the journey toward professionalism." If even academic educators state that the goal of study is not theory, but praxis and ways of being, is a PhD in physical therapy even necessary or desirable, provided that the persons involved are able teachers and produce individuals who accomplish quality work?

Will this change be directly linked to the DPT degree?

However, a positive change of the profession lined to a greater prevalence of a PhDs will certainly be evident, as the field places more emphasis on research and evidence-based practice than ever before. The prevalence of the doctoral degree amongst professionals will add to the evidence-based research conducted by doctoral and post-doctoral candidates and will convey added legitimacy to physical therapists and enlarge the scope of the field. Postgraduate doctoral study has continued to grow: "More physical therapists are pursuing non-clinical doctoral degrees, such as PhDs, in an effort to obtain the skills necessary to conduct original research and add to the foundation of literature upon which we base our practice. In 2002, the number of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) members reporting a non-clinical doctorate as their highest earned degree was 30% higher than in 1996."

Will the changes in any way be affected by Federal and State activities and events?