Course Description:       PTA  Clinical Education I

       Supervised clinical instruction to observe the clinic environment and PT/PTA interactions; develop professional deportment and communication; refine measurement and time management skills; and learn about patient chart information.  Experiences are shared with classmates and faculty in PTA Seminar I (PTA 226).

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Course Goals:

The student/learner will be able to:

1. Discuss the organization of the physical therapy department of the clinical facility and the responsibilities of physical therapy department personnel.
2. Describe the sequence of events for physical therapy services from patient entry through discharge
3. Perform and document limited physical therapy techniques as deemed appropriate by the clinical instructor.
4. Summarize the role of the physical therapist assistant (PTA) in the physical therapy clinical setting.
5. Describe the importance of patient safety, professional deportment, time management, and verbal/non-verbal communication within the physical therapy clinical setting.

Course Objectives:

                  Following the successful completion of this course, the student/learner will possess skills in the following domains:

Cognitive/Knowledge

1. describe the measurements that are taken during an initial evaluation with an orthopedic patient.
2. describe the procedure for preparation for the application of physical agents
3. describe the sequence of events from patient injury until they are discharged from physical therapy
4. describe the responsibilities of physical therapy department  personnel
5. describe strategies for patient scheduling in a physical therapy department
6. outline at least 3 types of 3rd party payer systems

Psychomotor

1. perform MMT, ROM and vital signs measurements on their clinical instructor
2. prepare patients for physical therapy treatment
3. perform gait training and application of thermal agents on their clinical instructor
4. perform patient records documentation of the subjective and objective portions of a patient note
5. communicate verbally and non-verbally with the patient, the PT, health care delivery personnel and others in an effective, appropriate and capable manner.
6. recognize individual and cultural differences and respond appropriately in all aspects of physical therapy services
7. take appropriate action in an emergency situation
8. adjust interventions within the POC established by the PT  in response to patient clinical indicators and report this back to the supervising PT
9. recognize when intervention should not be provided due to changes in the patient’s status and report this back to the supervising PT
10. report any changes in the patient’s status to the supervising PT

Affective

1. defend the importance of proper body mechanics techniques in the clinic to prevent back injury by practicing the techniques themselves
2. defend the importance of time management skills by reporting to clinic and classes on time
3. exhibit conduct that reflects practice standards that are legal, ethical, and safe
4. interact with other members of the healthcare team in patient care and non patient care activities
5. recognize when the direction to perform an intervention is beyond that which is appropriate for a PTA and initiates clarification with the PT

 Course Outline:

Week 1  Orientation to the clinical setting

The student/learner is expected to observe the physical therapy department and personnel utilization until the student/learner and the CI determine that the student/learner is sufficiently acclimated to this setting.  The CI will be interacting with the student/learner and working with the student/learner to set up observations as needed.  The student/learner needs to initiate interaction with patients, seek out the components of departmental organization, and documentation style.  During this week the student/learner is expected to develop goals for the clinical affiliation, discuss and negotiate the goals with the CI, and determine a plan for implementation during the clinical affiliation. 

Weeks 2-4    Integration into the clinical setting

Expected experiences:

• an initial patient examination with an orthopedic patient
• measurement of muscle strength, girth, and joint ROM
• measurement of vital signs
• gait training
• therapeutic exercise
• application of physical agents
• documentation of treatment
• patient chart organization
• patient education
• body mechanics techniques
• patient scheduling protocols
• 3rd party payer reimbursement structures
• plans for quality assurance
• a case study to follow the progress of a patient over at least 3 visits
• review patient chart information and compile a list of the medications and diagnoses, noting side effects that are observed by the physical therapy clinical staff.

Forms for Students:

      *  Attendance Sheet

      *  Weekly Summary Form

      *  Self Performance Evaluation Instrument

      *  Clinical Experience & Instruction Evaluation

      *  Contact Summary

Forms for Clinical Instructors:

      *  Weekly Summary Form

      *  Clinical Performance Instrument

      *  Clinical Instructor Survey

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