Physical Therapy Assistant
raising the bar by leading by example.
Physical therapy assistants (PTA) can either make or break your home health care business,
integrity, or rehab success while supervising one. Although PTA's are under supervision by a PT and are licensed to function in a similar roll,
PTA's have their license defined limits. Initial evalutions are one of them. The physical therapist must evaluate, write up a plan of care and
supervise a PTA to follow through with treating the patient, encourageing compliance and attaining goals.
All PT's differ in their documentation style. This can create misunderstandings to a Physical Therapy Assistant. At times, personality conflicts, patient location - and
a hundred and one other factors may make it difficult to make the PT/PTA team a smooth move. However, as professionals, we must learn to work
together and realize that it is up to PTA's and physical therapists (PT) alike to begin to redeem the failing reputation of home care therapy.
As supervisors, physical therapists must embrace and live out the highest quality work ethic and compassion towards our elderly companions and
thus lead by example.
Leading by example in home care, however, may have no impact due to the nature of home care - unsupervised to a large extent. PT's and PTA's are
rarely if ever in the same home simultaneously. This is why I wrote:
Integrity in the work place seems to be less and less valued generation after generation. The Home health care physical therapy and
physical therapy assistant is no different.
In a highly unsupervised field, it can be next to impossible to weed out those who are looking no further than their paycheck from those
who are genuinely concerned about and care for their patients.
As PT's supervising a caseload, some of which PTA's are treating, it is often necessary to make individual phone calls to patients regarding
the nature, time and quality of their visits.
Other times, you happen on a PTA who is wonderful! I've seen this twice in my career. In fact, the only time I have chosen to work with a
PTA in the home care arena is because I had worked side by side with them in a sports med clinic, seen their character, the quality of their
work and came to know them as a friend.
When time brought us back together with the opportunity of working home care together, I knew I was working with a trusted friend of the
highest work ethic and integrity.
We've received a lot of questions about PTA's in home health care...
Here is your chance to help and be helped as you sort the question of PTA/PT teamwork in your own business or career. When you find gold!
Keep them and nurture them and you both will deliver the finest quality of care.
Home care PT/PTA team thoughts
Your comments, concerns and questions about the vague PT/PTA team in home health care will benefit others wondering the same things.
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Do you need more than a physical therapy assistant for your home care needs?
