American Physical Therapy History

Ever since I was a kid, it has been my life goal to help as many people I can. I have moved around in many different areas of the medical field, but no career had caught my eye as much as physical therapy. As an athlete, I have been in and out of the physical therapist’s office for a majority of my life. Each time I have went I could not help but be beyond grateful for what these people have done for me; they have given me the ability to play the sport I love despite all the hiccups. Physical therapy is a dynamic field within the field of medicine because as a physical therapist one can make a difference in the lives of his or her patients, enjoy job security, and enjoy a rewarding and personally satisfying career.

Physical Therapy is an active, helpful career. It focuses on rehabilitation to reestablish full function and mobility to the patient. Anyone and everyone can qualify for physical therapy. Patients differ in age and race, and of course, by their illness or injury. The job involves possessing and using knowledge to diagnose the patient and establish a management plan deciding what therapy will benefit and improve the patient’s condition and averaging how long it will take to accomplish.

Congratulations on making it to week eight of PTA 324 Physical Therapy Across Practice Settings! We end this course with a look at professional development of the PTA. We will be discussing ideas for lifelong learning and maintaining clinical competence. By being in this course, you have already shown a commitment to professional development and lifelong learning. As we come to the end of this class, reflect on the self-directed learning that you have achieved and how your professional development has been affected by your research and the interactions with your classmates.

The Physical Therapy profession has been around for many years. “The American physical therapy profession emerged during and following the First World War as a result of the need for trained providers of therapeutic exercise – who practiced under the supervision of a physician – for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers.” (Wrynn, 2014) The profession over the past few years has had a huge expansion in need. “Physical therapists (PTs) provide services that help restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disabilities of patients with injuries or disease. (Physical Therapist, 2012) Physical Therapist work with the patient to make sure

As a PTA I have been given a breath of knowledge in regard to the profession of physical therapy. However, I am not satisfied with this breath of knowledge. I yearn for the opportunity to gain a further understanding in terms of “how and why” physical therapy is successful at restoring function to individuals seeking

If you look at any company or organization, you are bound to find a list of values, things that others view as positive qualities in a person. These could be things such as honesty, knowledge, diligence, and compassion. Values set up a foundation for the organization, something for their employees to follow and exemplify in their service to the general public. Employees can use their organization’s values to see what their strengths are and where they need to improve. Values also provide a reference point when hiring new employees, helping employers to see which individuals are already living the organization’s values. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has such a list of values, which they refer to as ‘Core Values’. These are Accountability, Altruism, Compassion/Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and Social Responsibility. It is important for me, as a future Physical Therapist Assistant, to look at the APTA’s Core Values and see where my strengths and weaknesses lie.

I feel so ready to enter the physical therapy field as PTA. I’m proficient with the implementation of patient care, progressing patients within their plan of care and adjusting patient treatment to ensure patient safety. I feel that all the clinical rotations have allowed me to practice what I have learned throughout the PTA program. I need to continue learning and improving my patient

I stated to formulate my research questions when I surfed the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). I read some of documents that

The American Physical Therapy Association is an accredited National Organization that offers membership to students, employers, and employees in the field of physical therapy from all across the country. As a student, I could benefit from being a member through discounts, aid, insurance, employment resources, evidence and research resources, and involvement opportunities (American – Membership Benefits for Students). After completing my education and entering the job field, I could experience benefits as a physical

The name of the society changed in 1923, due to hospitals wanting a national directory of qualified occupational therapists. There now was a minimal standard of training that had to be met before an individual was put in the directory (AOTA, 2009). The name was changed to the American Occupational Therapy Association. The American Medical Association worked with the American Occupational Therapy Association starting in 1933 on getting improved education programs for occupational therapists (AOTA, 2009).

I believe that my personal and professional growth and behavior as a physical therapist is of utmost importance. I base this firstly on my strong connection to those in society who are disadvantaged when it comes to physical therapy, and also on the movement system, movement being “the key to optimal living and quality of life for all people that extends beyond health to every person’s ability to participate in and contribute to society” (American Physical Therapy Association, 2013). This perspective, I believe, is aligned perfectly with the vision statement for the physical therapy profession – to transform society through optimization of movement to improve the human experience (APTA, 2013). After reviewing the vision statement, I strongly believe it will act as my guide by strengthening compassion, reinforcing advocacy, improving quality of service, and strengthening cohesion.

The technology used in pediatric physical therapy has changed the most over the years. Today, the use for technology is unbelievable. Hospitals and practices are filled with cutting edge technology that assist the patients in their healing journey. There are some things that therapists cannot help the patients with as well as the technology. When pediatric physical therapy first became popular in the 1920’s, all the technology they had were small pools to help eliminate the pain the children were experiencing. Children with polio were almost always put in small pools. They would usually float around for a while and sometimes do exercises with their arms and legs to help build muscle. Even with the advanced technology used today, pools and Jacuzzis are still

For centuries, the field of physical therapy saw little advancement. It wasn’t until in the nineteenth centuries. Physical therapy is first founded in 1921, called the American Women’s Physical Therapeutic Association. It was led by a woman named President Mary McMillian and since then in 1922, the association had changed their name to American Physiotherapy Association and now men are working there. During the nineteenth century, the field was evolved in treating the injured veterans and by the 1920s, they were being utilized as a treatment suffering the Polio. In 1940, they started practicing the advances from doing exercise, massages, and traction. By the 1950s, the people had started to move out the hospitals and into other facilities such

Physical Therapy started to be used and gain recognition when the Army soldiers were returning to the United States after World War Two. Men were returning back to the States with the effects of polio, a disease that weakens the body's muscles, and even has the potential

The short-term and long-term goals of physical therapy will likely need to be negotiated and renegotiated over the course of the patient's treatment. If the patient is healing quickly, pain management techniques may become less important. On the other hand, if the treatment reveals more serious problems that were not immediately apparent during the initial evaluation (such as orthopedic issues), the long and the short-range goals may change.