As a physical therapy student
currently halfway through my 4th and final clinical
affiliation, I have had many experiences with patients who do not
feel comfortable allowing a student managing their plan of care.
I
fully understand the apprehension, especially when taking into
account the pain and movement dysfunction these patients are
experiencing. The goal of this article is to inform patients who
enter a physical therapy clinic why having a student manage their
care ensures thorough and up to date treatment.
The majority of physical therapy
students you will encounter today are studying to become doctors of
physical therapy. Part of this process is extensive hands on work
with a licensed, experienced clinician. Using my education as an
example, 36 weeks of clinical work are required to complete the
curriculum, including hospital and outpatient based experiences.
During this time, students are assigned a clinical instructor who
teaches examination and treatment techniques in real time. On a near
daily basis, clinical instructors and students meet to practice
manual techniques, discuss treatment plans, and troubleshoot
treatments and exercises that are not producing the desired results.
Consequently, when a student is involved in your plan of care, there
is a clinical instructor aware of the plan, and two minds are better
than one.
Current education for doctors of
physical therapy revolves around the buzzwords “evidence-based
practice.” This means that our decisions as physical therapists
are backed up by scientific evidence of their safety and
effectiveness. Student physical therapists frequently access this
evidence to supplement their classroom and clinical education. Many
experienced PT’s appreciate having students because of their
knowledge of current evidence based practice. Therefore, having a
student involved in your care increases the likelihood you will be
treated based on the most current and highest quality scientific
evidence.
For the reasons stated, consumers of
physical therapy should not have apprehension when working with a student physical therapist. It is beneficial to your care to take
advantage of the collaboration and evidence-based practice involved
with being treated by a student. As always, be proactive with your
care and challenge the student or therapist to educate you regarding
this collaboration and evidence-based practice, and be pleased when
you reflect on how you were part of the team that helped develop a
future physical therapist.
Contributed by Dan Quirk, SPT, CSCS
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