Professional ethics and practice management: Course Outline

1. The physical therapist as professional

• What does professional mean?
• Autonomy, self-regulation of ethical standards, and accountability
• Self-regulation of ethical standards
• Ozar’s models of professionalism as applied to physical therapy
• Physical therapy and concepts of professionalism
• Individual professionalism—professionalism without professions?

2.The history of a profession

• Social history, Pioneers of physical therapy
• Goals of physical therapy professional organizations, Ethical issues
• Professional recognition, The world confederation for physical therapy

3.Contemporary practice issues

• Perspective of the profession, Perspective of the practitioner
• Direct access issue, Perspective of the profession
• Legislation affecting direct access to physical therapy in selected states
• Components of a practice pattern, Broadening the practice context
• The APTA and political action

4.The physical therapist as Patient/client manager

• Patient/client management, Evaluation and diagnosis
• Use of the term physical therapy diagnosis
• Diagnosis as clinical decision making, Prognosis
• Discharge planning and discontinuance of care, Discharge planning
• Outcomes, Clinical decision making, Referral relationships
• Technological advances, Interpersonal relationships
• The participation method assessment instrument (pmai) in physical therapy
• Ethical and legal issues
• Code of ethics and guide for professional conduct
• Managed care and fidelity

• 1.The physical therapist as Consultant

• Consultation in business
• Client needs met by physical therapy consultants
• Building a consulting business
• Consulting fees, The consulting process
• The skills of a good consultant
• Trust in the consultant/client relationship
• Ethical and legal issues in consultation
• Contract law, Components of a consulting agreement
• APTA code of ethics and guide for professional conduct

2.The physical therapist as Critical inquirer

• The history of critical inquiry
• Evidence-based medicine
• The foundation for physical therapy
• Clinical research networks
• Steps in applying evidence-based medicine, Outcomes research
• Database sources of evidence for practice
• Whose responsibility is research, Criteria for critical inquiry
• Roles of the staff physical therapist in critical inquiry
• Application and critique of research, Publication of case reports
• Guidelines for critiquing research reports, Collaboration in clinical research
• Assessment of new concepts and technology
• Ethical and legal issues in critical inquiry
• Ethical principles of human research, Responsibilities of clinical researchers

3.The physical therapist as Educator

• The history of physical therapy education
• Contemporary educational roles of the physical therapist
• Teaching opportunities in clinical education
• Criteria for clinical physical therapy faculty
• Criteria for clinical physical therapy faculty
• Academic teaching opportunities
• Theories of teaching and learning in professional education
• Continuing competence, Academic integrity and Vulnerability of students

4.The physical therapist as Administrator

• The history of physical therapy administration
• Contemporary physical therapy administration
• Patient/client management, Billing for physical therapy services
• CPT codes commonly used by physical therapists
• Documentation & general rules of documentation
• Direction and supervision of support personnel, First-line management
• Budget responsibilities, operations responsibilities, human resource responsibilities, information responsibilities,
• Midlevel managers and chief executive officers
• Leadership
• The administrator’s role and conflict of interes

• 1.Future challenges in physical Therapy

• Physical therapy’s moral mission, The individual realm
• The societal realm, Professionalism and the physical therapist

1.Management in health care

• Becoming a manager, Transitioning from patient care to management , Mentoring
• Large health-care organizations, Management of other health-care settings
• Mid-level managers, People management, A manager’s sense of perspective, And industriousness, Horizontal communication, Vertical communication
• Other contemporary people management issues, The nature of work , Workforce diversity, Racial/ethnic diversity, General gaps , Financial issues
• Implementation of plans , Managers and patients ,Managers in health care

2.Legal and ethical responsibilities

• Rights and duties , Remedies , Legal concerns of managers , Contracts , Torts
• Professional malpractice, Managers and harm to patients.
• Employment laws, Background checks and other credentials , Patient consent
• Patient confidentiality Bill of patients’ rights , Duties of organizations
• Managerial ethics , Conflicts of interest

3.Communication responsibilities

• Oral communication, Formal meetings , Job interview sessions
• Telephone communications, Conducting business meetings , Group presentations
• Teleconferences, Written communication , Memoranda and letters
• E-mails, Posted announcements , Reports , Manuals, Proposals
• Web pages and other publications , Communication and health literacy
• Communication hurdles , Overcoming communication hurdles
• The message , The method, Listening , The grapevine

4.Professional development, Competence, and expertise

• The professional development continuum: from competence to expertise
• Activities that promote professional development
• Evaluation of competence and professional development
• Mandatory continuing education. Reexamination, Professional portfolio
• Professional development planning, Possible evaluators of professional
• Career advancement, Organizational impact on professional development