Jackie:
Interesting points. Please see below.
Jackie Waterfield wrote:
> This is a really interesting topic as skill mix, efficiency
> and effectiveness are all very much to the fore in
> healthcare
>
> it raises several issues:
> it may not be the length of any programme or at what level
> that is important but the quality of it in terms of content
> and the delivery approach
>
Certainly quality should be overarching of all PT programs. The length of the program
will impact on quality. What length is necessary to properly educate a safe and
competent physical therapist? Our body of knowledge continues to expand greatly.
Shouldn't our length of education also increase to adequately reflect the increase in
the body of knowledge? As length of education increases, and consequently the
credits, then the degree should reflect the credits earned.
>
> there will always be a point at which a 'formal' taught
> course must end so somewhere at any level lifelong
> learning skills must be developed. (Higher degrees are no
> guarentee of questioning minds).
>
Agreed. Society should feel comfortable that, at a minimum, the point at which
"formal education" ends and life long learning begins is when the physical therapist
is competent to practice.
>
> what 'role' are we educating physiotherapists for?
An excellent question. In the USA the profession has long espoused physical
therapists as having a distinct body of knowledge and autonomy. Societal expectations
of a health care practitioner with autonomous practice and a distinct body of
knowledge are that of a "doctor." How are physical therapists defined around the
world?
>
> someone has to carry out the more routine activites, will
> there be an increase in support workers which are directed
> by consultant therapists?
>
In the USA the physical therapist assistant has been assisting the physical therapist
for decades. The balance between a technically trained assistant performing routine,
lower skill aspects of treatment and a physical therapist performing the procedures
and making the clinical decisions that necessitate the physical therapist's knowledge
and expertise is a tough balancing act. Recently, in the USA the profession has made
major changes in defining and describing the role of the assistant.
>
> this then means who we are 'educating' and to what level
> really does become an issue
>
> Jackie
>
>
> On Wed, 18 Oct 2000 11:25:29 -0400 "Douglas M. White"
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > Dear Yong:
> >
> > Thank you for writing this insightful post and placing much of the discussion
> > in a valuable context. Your last statement about the "confines of a 3 or 4-year
> > baccalaureate course" raises a different issue. Namely, the type of degree
> > awarded a physical therapist. The USA has moved to a graduate degree for entry
> > into the profession. Several months ago 25% of the PT programs in the USA were
> > awarding or in the process of transitioning to the Doctor of Physical Therapy
> > (DPT) degree as entry to the profession. Since then I am aware of several more
> > programs intending to transition to the DPT. This is one of the fastest
> > fundamental changes in the history of PT education in the USA. A discussion
> > about education standards and degrees awarded around the world would be most
> > interesting from my perspective.
> >
> >
> >
> ----------------------
> Jackie Waterfield
> Department of Physiotherapy Studies
> Keele University
> Keele
> Staffs ST5 5BG
> Email:[log in to unmask]
> Tel: 01782 583537
--
*******************************************************
Douglas M. White, PT, OCS
Physical Therapist, Consultant
191 Blue Hills Parkway
Milton, MA USA 02186
P: 617.696.1974
[log in to unmask]
http://DouglasWhite.tripod.com
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