Physical Therapy Foundations for the Physical Therapist Assistant: Keys to Success in School and Career

Are you tired of searching through multiple texts, articles, and other references to find the information you need? The PTA Handbook: Keys to Success in School and Career for the Physical Therapist Assistant contains extensive coverage of the most pertinent issues for the physical therapist assistant, including the physical therapist-physical therapist assistant preferred relationship, evidence-based practice and problem-solving, essentials of information competence, and diversity.

This comprehensive text successfully guides the student from admission into a physical therapist assistant program to entering clinical practice. The user-friendly format allows easy navigation through topics including changes and key features of the health care environment, guides to essential conduct and behavior, and ethical and legal considerations. Strategies are provided to successfully manage financial decisions and curriculum requirements, as well as opportunities and obstacles that may emerge.

The physical therapist - physical therapist assistant relationship-often a source of confusion for health care and academic administrators, academic and clinical faculty, physical therapists, and physical therapist assistants-is specifically profiled and analyzed. The authors clarify this relationship by utilizing an appropriate mixture of case studies, multiple examples, and current reference documents.

The physical therapist - physical therapist assistant relationship-often a source of confusion for health care and academic administrators, academic and clinical faculty, physical therapists, and physical therapist assistants-is specifically profiled and analyzed. The authors clarify this relationship by utilizing an appropriate mixture of case studies, multiple examples, and current reference documents.

Each chapter is followed by a Putting It Into Practice exercise, which gives the reader an opportunity to apply the information in their educational or clinical practice setting. The information presented is current and represents the evolution of the physical therapy profession over the past 35 years, since the inception of the physical therapist assistant role.

The PTA Handbook: Keys to Success in School and Career for the Physical Therapist Assistant is an essential reference for students, educators, counselors, and therapy managers who want to maximize the potential for success of the physical therapist assistant.

Dr. Kathleen A. Curtis is the winner of the “President’s Award of Excellence” for 2005 at California State University, Fresno

Topics Include:

Evolving roles in physical therapy Interdisciplinary collaboration Legal and ethical considerations Cultural competence Learning and skill acquisition Effective studying and test-taking strategies Preparation for the licensure examination Clinical supervision, direction, and delegation Planning for career development

Kathleen A. Curtis, PT, PhD, is a Professor and Director of Research and External Programs in the College of Health and Human Services and former Chairperson of the Department of Physical Therapy at California State University, Fresno. Dr. Curtis received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy at Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts. She received her Master's degree in Health Science from San Jose State University, and received her PhD in Education at University of California, Los Angeles.

Her background includes a wide variety of experiences in clinical practice, staff development and supervision, clinical research, and clinical and academic teaching in physical therapy. Her academic teaching experience includes graduate courses in physical therapy professional issues, research methods, communication, instructional design, health education, career development, health systems, and psychosocial considerations in health care. She also developed and coordinated an annual Graduate Student Success Seminar for incoming graduate students, a program designed to ensure that they have the skills to succeed in physical therapy professional education.

Her research on interprofessional role conflict, helping behavior, early career development, and role satisfaction has received wide exposure across the health care fields. She coauthored and serves on the Advisory Board of California State University, Fresno's Certificate of Advanced Study in Interprofessional Collaboration. She also developed an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science program in Interdisciplinary Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, which serves as preprofessional preparation for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation counseling graduate students. She cofounded the interdisciplinary Disability Studies Institute and the Central Valley Health Policy Institute at California State University, Fresno.

She is a well-known speaker and author. She has published extensively in the rehabilitation literature and serves as a manuscript reviewer for several journals. She is a recipient of the California Physical Therapist Faculty Research Award and her books, The Physical Therapist's Guide to Health Care and Physical Therapy Professional Foundations have been used as texts in a majority of college and university physical therapy professional education programs.

Peggy DeCelle Newman, PT, MHR, is the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Director at Oklahoma City Community College. Peggy received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and a Master's degree in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. For 6 years she served as Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education at the University of Oklahoma Physical Therapy Program.

She participated in the development of the Normative Model of Physical Therapist Assistant Education (APTA 1999) as a member consultant on curriculum and content. She developed one component and served as invited project reviewer of the PT:PTA Collaboration Module developed by the National Assembly of Physical Therapist Assistants. She serves the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) as an on-site team leader for physical therapist assistant programs.

She has served the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Association as Chapter President, Delegate, and Chief Delegate for multiple terms. She received the Oklahoma Chapter Founder's Award in 2001. She currently serves as an appointed member of the Advisory Panel on Public Relations to the Board of Directors of the American Physical Therapy Association.

She has presented locally and nationally on topics including Using Support Personnel Effectively, The Guide to PT Practice: An Introduction, Fostering Professional Interaction through Collaborative Group Learning, and Ethical and Legal Problems for Rehabilitation Therapists: Ethical & Legal Responsibilities in Today's Health Care Environment.