Physical Therapy Competencies

Professional Behaviors from the Second Placement

This paper will provide examples of how the stated competencies of physical therapy were met or not met. All examples have been pulled from the time spent in the program and the five weeks spent on placement at Alberta Physical Therapy Clinic. The Roles and Competencies

Accountability

One of the most challenging points that is paced under accountability with this placement was the potential for a conflict of interest (1.3.6). On my second day of placement, an immediate family member of mine was on the schedule, to which I communicated, as well as on my first day, an old neighbour was also on the schedule. The neighbour disclosed to the therapist that we knew each other, but also verbalized

Primarily, I preformed interventions that were assigned by the physiotherapist such as, electophysical agents, mobility, and exercises (3.1.5). I did not always ask for consent however, normally if it was a new patient or a patient with anxiety (3.1.4). At times, the therapist would gain consent for me to continue with treatment so I did not have to. And other times, the patient new me already and was comfortable with me. I would always ask the patient if they were ready to begin with the modality that we were using. I would always try and answer any questions the patient had about the treatment however, even if that meant directing the question to the therapist instead (3.1.3). Another part of my roles was to make the clinic presentable and to guide the patients to the area that they needed to be (3.1.1). So all the equipment was kept in the same spot and at times, I would bring the client to the bed or bring them to the traction bed. One role that I did not complete was handling cancellations and absences (3.1.2). That was a task that was more geared towards the administrative staff, but I would still keep the list of patients up to date when able. Another task I would try and keep up with was to check on the patients every five minutes or so to ensure that they were comfortable or to see if they had anything to report (3.3,

One fact that made this challenging at the clinic of my final placement is that the PTA’s did not do any charting (4.3.1). All reports where given verbally and to the theraoist. Another challenge occurred when preserving the confidentiality of a patient, as there are only curtains for walls (4.1.4). Some ways to avoid breaching confidentiality are to talk about the patient when no one is around if possible, to not use names or instead, use the room numbers, or to go to a private area, if needed. Another area that I found challenging at the beginning of this semester, but has now developed to be easier, is to be aware of my own self behaviours (4.1.3). At the beginning of my first two placements, I got told that it was easy to see when I was uneasy or