In this episode, Megan Brown, PT, DPT, details her journey from beginning her career as a physical therapist to founding her business Mind The Mat Pilates & Yoga. Gain practical advice for your career and finding your passion while gettinga preview of what Brown plans to share during her panel discussion “Unfiltered & Unlocked: 3 PTs on Building a Career You Love” at APTA CSM in Anaheim, California.   

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Gregory Hartley, PT, DPT, FAPTA, and Neva Kirk-Sanchez, PT, PhD, about their recently published perspective, which defines the health systems science framework and advocates for the framework to be a foundational pillar in physical therapy education. Listen as the authors discuss how the framework can contribute to better clinical outcomes, support the development of community-based interventions, and better prepare students to be leaders in health care. 

Hartley and Kirk-Sanchez are co-authors of the article “Educating for Impact: The Imperative of Health Systems Science in Physical Therapy.” Read the article on the PTJ website and follow PTJ on LinkedIn and Bluesky for more research updates.   

A brief introduction from the president of the academy.

Thailey Leak, SPT, interviewed APTA Oncology President Chris Wilson, PT, DPT, DScPT, at APTA CSM in Houston. Learn what Wilson says about the skills, settings, and steps to thrive in this specialty. Visit the APTA Oncology website to learn more about the academy. Watch a video of this interview on the APTA Magazine website.

Some positive changes could be on the horizon.

New resources to support your work as a PT or PTA.

Comparing telehealth or hybrid format with in-person physical therapy

Effective Personalized Physical Therapy Approach in Older Adults

Management of Cystic Fibrosis and Changing Population Demographics 

The APTA Minority Scholarship Award was first given in 1988.

Telehealth Physical Therapy 1 Year Into COVID-19

APTA staff experts offer updates to support your practice.

Spinal muscular atrophy resources need knowledge translation.

These second-wave findings provide updated benchmarks.

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editorial Board Member Shauna Dudley-Javoroski, PT, PhD, talks with Keshrie Naidoo, PT, DPT, EdD, and Diane Jette, PT, DSc, FAPTA, about their recently published perspective titled "An Improvement Science Framework to Advance Sense of Belonging for Physical Therapist Students From Minoritized Backgrounds.” The authors explain how “wicked problems” and “solutionitis” can arise in physical therapist education, discuss how to measure and cultivate a sense of belonging in physical therapist students, and suggest how to use an improvement science framework to face challenges in other education programs.

Read the article on the PTJ website, and follow PTJ on LinkedIn and Bluesky for more research updates.  

Getting Modern Pain Content Into Physical Therapy Education.

APTA staff experts on state legislation and Medicaid.

While softball may have led a PT to her physical therapy career, physical therapy led her to a welcome softball side effect.

Presenters for an APTA online course on Long COVID talk about why you should tune in or download.

Strategies to dispel the storm clouds of unbalanced supply and demand.

Stay on top of developments in PT practice:  APTA staff experts on new learning opportunities, the latest clinical practice guidelines available, and exactly what’s meant by the term “digital health.” Also, the importance of taking care of yourself.

Hear what APTA President Roger Herr, PT, MPA, has to say about where the profession is, and what it will take to pursue our full potential.

A former newscaster trades the thrill of chasing down a story for the higher satisfaction of improving patients’ lives. 

Physical therapy can’t wait another 50 years to implement competency-based education. 

Physical therapists working with people with long COVID should measure and validate the patient’s experience.

In this episode, Alice Bell, PT, DPT, senior specialist, health policy and payment, is joined by Wanda Evans, PT, DPT, MHS, senior specialist, health policy and payment, to discuss how APTA advocacy led to Aetna’s decision to provide unrestricted direct access to physical therapist services. Bell and Evans recap the almost decade’s worth of effort by APTA staff to move the needle and ultimately help deliver this significant win for the profession.   

This episode also features insights from Laura Keivel, APTA senior specialist, PAC and grassroots, who shares tips and best practices for making the most out of August’s Congressional recess — and any of your interactions with elected officials. Don’t miss this fascinating episode on the importance of relationship-building and advocacy in advancing  the profession.  

APTA staff experts provide insight on what’s happening, and what’s to come.

Chase Kuhn, PT, DPT, and Nate Thomas, PT, DPT, didn’t know each other a few months ago, but once introduced they realized they have a few things in common. Both PTs from the midwest, both having been selected as the APTA Harker Intern within APTA’s Government Affairs department, and serving as APTA Student Assembly Board President. There’s also at least one difference: Nate Thomas is running for a seat in the Missouri State House of Representatives.

Listen as these members discuss these professional experiences, Nate’s evolution as a candidate, and how others can get engaged in ways big and small. For those who want to get involved, visit APTA Engage, APTA’s volunteer portal.

A home visit to a patient with an intriguing background leads a PT back to the profession.

A PT student understands that helping a patient is more than furnishing billable service units.

Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes play an important role in describing services and procedures performed by health care providers and ultimately in the payment for those services. This podcast reveals the role that APTA member volunteers play as advisors in the CPT and The Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) process.

Physical therapists working with people with long COVID should measure and validate the patient’s experience.

Explore lesser-known APTA advocacy with President Roger Herr.

PTJ walks you through the complexities around multiparticipant therapy provision in SNFs.

A volunteer guideline development group of the American Physical Therapy Association has developed a clinical practice guideline on Parkinson disease.

Actions both small and heroic as a “yellow jacket” in an NYU summer program prompted a career in physical therapy. By: Gary Krasilovsky, PT, PhD

In this episode of the PTJ Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Steven George, PT, PhD, FAPTA, talks with Matthew Schumacher, PT, DPT, DSc, Kyle Cottone, PT, DPT, DSc, and Laura Siviter, PT, DPT, DSc, about their recently published study, which identified six themes related to barriers to clinical practice guideline implementation for low back pain. The authors discuss why they chose a mixed-methods approach, why clinician training and confidence may be a barrier to clinical practice guideline usage, and how clinicians can use clinical practice guidelines to build therapeutic alliances with patients.

Schumacher, Cottone, and Siviter are co-authors of the article "Understanding Barriers to the Use of a Low Back Pain Clinical Practice Guideline in Physical Therapist Practice: A Mixed-Methods Approach.” Read the article on the PTJ website, and follow PTJ on LinkedIn and Bluesky for more research updates.  

This updated Integrated Framework for making clinical decisions responds to changes in evidence, policy, and practice.

In this discussion, a panel of physical therapists on the front lines of shaping clinical practice share their plans for creating knowledge translation tools for the Parkinson CPG and their goals for implementation into practice, and more.

This learning health system can serve as a blueprint for physical therapists to make optimal use of routinely collected clinical data for improving care for patients with a variety of conditions.

A light came on not only in a dark hospital basement but in a future PT’s head that this was her ideal career. By Linda Pillow, PT

A PT recalls overcoming her own obstacles to become a board-certified orthopaedic clinical specialist and help others reach their goals. By Natalie Snyder, PT, DPT

A light came on not only in a dark hospital basement but in a future PT’s head that this was her ideal career.

Janet R Bezner, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA, discusses simple, actionable items related to your personal and professional well-being as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.

The future of health care professional education is moving from a focus on the individual to embrace the health of the larger society. Read the PTJ article

With many state legislatures now or soon to be in session, now’s the time to get up-to-speed on what’s happening in physical therapy advocacy at the state level. Topics covered include direct access, the physical therapy compact, telehealth, and more.

The first wave of this study’s findings provides insights into physical therapist education and identified differences between physical therapist and medical student perceptions. Read PTJ Article.

In this episode, Colleen Ward, PT, DPT, board-certified clinical specialist in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy, chats with three fellow APTA members about their experiences becoming board-certified clinical specialists. They share how earning certification has transformed their careers and the different paths they took to achieve it. Additionally, they offer advice for anyone considering certification.  

Since February 1985, when podcast panelist Meryl Cohen, PT, DPT, MS, FAPTA, and her peers, Linda Crane, PT, and Scot Irwin, PT, DPT, became the first physical therapists to achieve advanced specialist certification, this credential has been opening doors for thousands of professionals in the field. 

After listening to the episode, visit these resources to learn more:

·                     APTA Specialist Certification Governed by ABPTS website and its “Become an ABPTS-Certified Specialist” page 

·                     APTA Report: "A Physical Therapy Profile: Wages for the Profession, 2021-22" 

·                     A Brief History: The First Specialist Certification Exams Held  

The pandemic has affected physical therapy professionals in many ways, including mentally and financially. PTs and PTAs, be prepared for the federal loan repayment to start up again, and how to give yourself permission to spend on the fun stuff.

Get answers to questions specifically directed at nutritional needs of a busy clinician. Learn how to best hydrate your body, what quick snacks, herbs and spices pack the most nutritional punch, plus great fermented foods, and how to figure out if you’re having healthy bowel movements.

Racism exists throughout the organizations and systems that make up the physical therapy profession in the United States. Statements of support must be substantiated by actions that drive change throughout physical therapy organizations. Read PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal article.