The “PT 2006” annual conference and exposition of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) brought together more than 3,000 physical therapy professionals on June 21-24 in sunny Orlando, Fla., to shine light on clinical, as well as business aspects of being a physical therapist (PT), how to better collaborate with other healthcare professionals and a sharpened focus on the APTA’s Vision 2020.

“This conference is the national event for physical therapy,” says APTA past president Ben F. Massey Jr., PT, MA, in a prepared statement. “The conference features advanced programming presented by the top leaders in the physical therapy profession. Attendees from around the world come to get the latest information, network with colleagues, visit the exhibit hall, learn cutting-edge techniques and earn continuing education credits. It’s an invaluable learning experience.”

Conference highlights include a keynote address by award-winning health and nutrition author Jane Brody, The New York Times’ personal health columnist; the presidential address given by Massey; the McMillan lecture given by Stanley Paris, PT, PhD, FAPTA, a leader in orthopedic and manual physical therapy; and the Maley lecture given by Carolee J. Winstein, PT, PhD, FAPTA, a leader in neurorehabilitation.

On Tuesday, the House of Delegates discussed, debated on and voted proposals on several new elected officials. The most notable of these new officials is APTA’s new president, R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD. In fact, Ward was elected after much ado, as he and neither of the other two presidential candidates received the required minimum votes in the first election. But, Ward reigned as victor in the second election.

The other officials elected to office by the House of Delegates are as follows: For the board of directors, Randy Roesch, PT, MBA, was elected vice president; John G. Wallace Jr., PT, MS, OCS, was reelected a director; and William D. Bandy, PT, PhD, SCS, ATC, and Amiee Klein, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, were elected directors. Nancy Krueger, PT, OCS, CHT, was elected to the nominating committee.

Clinical and Business Aspects of Being a PT

The concept of professionalism and methods for dealing with those who don’t grasp the concept, was the topic of discussion at “Promoting Professionalism in Practice” seminar presented at the conference by Laura Lee Swisher, PT, PhD, MDiv.

Opening the floor to a full house of attendees that included administrators, program directors, CEOs, educators and personnel managers, speakers attested that it is a challenge to maintain an accepted level of professionalism in the classroom and workplace. Attendees cited lowering standards for dress, appearance, respect, manners and etiquette, as well as a growing contempt among the younger generation for the level of professionalism that the field of physical therapy demands. Visible tattoos, piercings and midriffs were major areas of concern.

Swisher had attendees break into workgroups to brainstorm on the “definition of professionalism.” One group decided “being a professional means you are part of something larger than yourself, so you need to behave in a way that benefits the organization.” As she admitted that the three-hour seminar could not definitively define the issue and solve the problem, Swisher presented the four processes of professionalism:

• Professional sensitivity: Interpreting and recognizing situations that require professional behavior
• Professional judgment: Determining which actions are right or wrong
• Professional motivation: Prioritizing professional values over other values
• Professional conduct or courage: Having courage and persistence, and implementing appropriate actions

In her lecture on Friday, Winstein called for patient-centered practice. She said that being patient-centered involves four steps:

• Beginning with the first encounter, getting to know who the patent is and what matters for him or her
• Finding out why the patient came to you
• Collaborating in goal setting and treatment
• Facilitating self-management

“Meaningful goals are most often expressed at the activity or participation level. Ask the patient, ‘What would you like to be able to do?’” suggests Winstein. “Patients are why we do what we do.” And for that reason, she says, PTs should adopt the concept of patient-centered practice.

Collaboration with Other Healthcare Professionals

“There are a number of educational sessions that cross over in clinical practice; our traumatic brain injury and geriatric fitness and wellness programming, for example,” says Marilyn Phillips, director of APTA's professional development. “We’re thinking not only about the way we treat the patient, but also about the interaction we have with other healthcare professionals.”

Other sessions, according to Phillips, that may be of interest to a wide variety of therapists are differential diagnosis and pharmacotherapeuics. “[Differential diagnosis] is a new area for us,” says Phillips. “We want to be practitioners of choice, and we’re really pushing for Direct Access (legislation that allows a patient to receive treatment from a PT without a physician referral).”

While the conference serves several purposes, networking is the key ingredient to its a success. “The conference is important not only in providing advanced education that’s evidence based, but also as a way to network. Part of it is to learn the nuts and bolts for the clinical use of an advanced practice, but the other part is to take the time to socialize and learn from others.”

Focusing on Vision 2020

The annual conference is also a chance for the therapy professionals to convene and talk about the larger issues, such as the APTA’s Vision 2020 mission. Vision 2020 is essentially the association’s roadmap of goals to be met by the year 2020.

“That vision is really working towards the advancement of the profession as a whole,” says Phillips.

The Vision 2020 goals are in regard to the following concentrations: having an autonomous practice, having widespread adoption of Direct Access, requiring all therapists to obtain a doctor of physical therapy degree, implementing evidence-based practice, being a practitioner of choice and employing high standards of professionalism.

Images of PT 2006

PT 2006 also featured the latest in physical therapy products and services from more than 350 exhibitors and a resource center featuring the latest physical therapy products, publications and specialty items.

Check out the "roving reporter" pictures below of vendors and events from the PT 2006 event.

Below is a webcast of clips from APTA’s annual conference, as well as an exclusive interview with Phillips.



Amy Storer is the senior managing editor of Therapy Times. Questions or comments can be directed to editorial@TherapyTimes.com.