PTA History & Milestones
This physical therapy pioneer served as the first president of the American Women's Physical Therapeutic Association, founded in 1921
Who is Mary McMillan
The primary healthcare provider responsible for performing initial examinations, evaluations, physical therapy diagnoses, prognoses, and establishing the Plan of Care
Who is the PT
In the ICF framework, anatomical or physiological deviations from normal (such as decreased muscle strength or loss of range of motion) are categorized as these
What are Impairments?
Facial expressions, eye contact, posture, gestures, and tone of voice represent this mode of communication
What is Nonverbal Communication?
The conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, learn, and age that shape health outcomes and quality of life
What are Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)?
The very first physical therapist assistant classes graduated in this year from Miami Dade College and St. Mary's Campus
What is 1969
This level of supervision requires the supervising PT to be physically present on-site at the facility and immediately available for direction
What is Direct Supervision?
In the ICF model, difficulties an individual encounters when executing functional tasks like walking, standing up, or climbing stairs are classified as this
What are Activity Limitations?
This effective communication technique involves asking the patient to demonstrate an exercise or restate instructions in their own words to confirm comprehension
What is the Teach-Back Method?
actors such as employment, household income, and food security belong to this specific domain among the five SDOH domains
What is Economic Stability?
In 1969, the title "physical therapy assistant" was officially modified to "physical therapist assistant" for this reason
What is to emphasize that the PTA assists the physical therapist, rather than the general profession of physical therapy?
These three primary factors independently determine the specific level of supervision required for a PTA in clinical practice
What are state practice acts (state laws), patient insurance/payer policies, and the clinical setting?
Environmental factors (e.g., living conditions or stairs) and personal factors (e.g., age or coping strategies) make up this main section of the ICF framework
What are Part 2: Contextual Factors?
Differences in team hierarchy, hesitation to question clinical decisions, or fear of speaking up represent this specific type of communication barrier within healthcare teams
What are Behavioral Factors (or Behavioral Barriers)?
A patient struggling to read written home exercise instructions or understand medical terminology is experiencing barriers in this SDOH domain
What is Education Access & Quality (or Health Literacy)?
Established in 2005, this body replaced the National Assembly to provide PTAs with a stronger professional voice and representation within APTA governance
What is the PTA Caucus?
Procedures such as sharp selective debridement, dry needling, and joint manipulation/thrust fall under this professional designation according to APTA positions
What are PT-only procedures (or procedures exclusively performed by the Physical Therapist)?
According to the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, ending services when anticipated goals and expected outcomes are fully achieved is termed discharge, whereas ending services due to patient refusal or financial barriers is termed this
What is Discontinuation?
A healthcare team where providers from different disciplines work together to collaborate for the benefit of the patient
What is an Interdisciplinary Team?
In Ohio, healthcare workers are legally mandated to report any suspicion of elder abuse or neglect to this governmental entity
What is the County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) / Ohio Adult Protective Services (APS)?
Beginning with this election cycle, PTAs became eligible for the first time in APTA history to serve on the APTA Board of Directors
What is the 2026 election cycle?
Under 2025 Medicare policy updates, general supervision was expanded to include this outpatient setting, where direct supervision was previously required
What is Private Practice?
The three distinct components that constitute the physical therapist's comprehensive examination process
What are Patient/Client History, Systems Review, and Tests and Measures?
Using exercise videos, anatomical diagrams, pictures, or live physical demonstrations to instruct a patient fall under this mode of communication
What is Visual Communication?
The four steps required to develop cultural competence in physical therapy practice