Mel:
With the exception of osteopathy, physical therapist practice in the US
encompasses all of chiro and AT practice. I'm not quite sure who the "etc." are.
Seems to me that with the exception of pharmacological and surgical interventions
PTs already meet the needs of the non-surgical patient with musculoskeletal
conditions. PTs also meet the needs of the postop musculoskeletal patient as
well.
One of the reasons for different professions is the reason why we have different
specialties. There is simple too much information and too many skills to master
for one person to know and do it all. There will always be turf battles between
desiplines and between specialties it is a sad fact of life.
[log in to unmask] wrote:
> Let us see if we can envisage this endless debate between physical therapists
> and chiropractors being finally resolved at some distant time. A fairly
> objective scientist or medic comes along and proposes that an entirely new,
> but integrated profession be set up, called, for argument's sake, Scientific
> Therapy (ST).
>
> He assembles a group of interested PTs, chiros, osteopaths and Athletic
> Trainers and decides to draw up a full motivation which eventually succeeds
> in meeting all national educational and legislative requirements. A unique
> ST college is set up and it attracts more and more students, because it
> offers the best of PT, chiro, osteopathy, AT, etc, plus even a broader
> components drawn from alternative and medical fields.
>
> Eventually the numbers of students entering PT, chiros, ATs etc dwindle and a
> single, unified profession, like Medicine, emerges (with various sub
> specialisations to cater for the full spectrum of physical disorders). The
> medical profession and insurance companies prefer dealing with this one more
> uniform profession.
>
> End result - few PTs, chiros, osteos, ATs etc - just one far more harmonious
> overall profession.
>
> Yes, I know that sounds like dreamland and that many vested interests exist,
> but it would make some very good medical and commercial sense to have someone
> start such a profession. Has this ever been tried with any really sustained
> determination?
>
> Dr Mel C Siff
> Denver, USA
> [log in to unmask]
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