(Source: PT in Motion)
Are physical therapists (PTs) best described as “movement consultants for life?” Or maybe they’re a “gateway to better health?” An article in the current issue of PT in Motion magazine makes the case that no matter the metaphor you choose, one thing is clear: PTs are now uniquely positioned to be integral providers across the lifespan, or as one PT describes it, as professionals who are there for people “in sickness and in health.”
In the November issue’s cover story “Opportunity of a Lifetime,” PT in Motion Associate Editor Eric Ries takes a look at how APTA’s vision statement, “Transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience,” is already being engaged in by PTs in a variety of settings. Ries interviews 8 PTs to find out how patient-centered medical homes and other innovative models are helping to establish PTs as “lifelong caretakers of the public’s health.” The article also explores the concept of an annual physical therapy exam to better address Americans’ health and wellness needs.
The ambitious words of the APTA Vision Statement “at once pack a punch and present a conundrum,” Ries writes near the beginning of the article. “Namely, how are [PTs] to go about attempting to meet such a hugely ambitious goal?”
Some interesting, real-world answers to that question can be found in what follows.