Physical Therapists as Administrators and Educators

DESCRIPTION OF THE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN DIFFERENT WORK SETTINGS

     One might perceive physical therapists as medical personnel in hospitals or clinics who treat physical disabilities of an individual. However, through this activity, this limited perspective of the role of physical therapists changed and moved into a wider scope of responsibilities.

University of the Philippines Manila- College of Allied Medical Professions

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Physical Therapist as Administrator
 

     One major role a physical therapist performs is being in administration. Being an administrator, one is expected to manage the different functional units within the department, extending to other fields of different sectors. Also, one is expected to develop good decisions in rendering actions involving students, faculty members, and patients. Decision making is the prominent and the hardest task an administrator performs. It is where proper considerations and careful analysis of the outcome of a certain action falls. One is expected to recognize the needs of their occupants through communication and consultation.

     As with physical therapy administration, the administrator's responsibilities revolve around maintenance of clinical equipment, appointment of academic personnel, assignment of student curriculum, and most importantly patient care.

Office of the CAMP College Secretary

     The scope of an administrator's responsibility extensively involves the academe. Because of this, one of the administrator's roles is to establish good relationship among faculty staffs and resolve conflicts regarding student's misconduct. They must be able to satisfy the needs of the students with regards to academic schemes and student relations. They must also serve as negotiator with investors and stakeholders, and mediator between faculty staffs and students. In order to be effective in administration, there are certain attributes that they must possess. They must be vigilant and considerate in making decisions, knowledgeable with their strength and limitations, and must be capable of establishing good relations among their personnel.

     Physical therapists in administration usually spend most of their time in offices and other similar work structure. Physical therapists in the field of administration can be seen in different hospitals, private clinics, sports clinics, schools and wellness centers as well, depending on their area of specialization.

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Physical Therapist as Educator

PT educator demonstrating his knowledge and skills to students

     Just like other educators, physical therapy instructors serve to impart knowledge to their students, enabling them to understand the concepts and ideas regarding the subjects. However, as physical therapy educators, their main aim is to be able to instill in their students to appreciate physical therapy as a profession.

     So as to expose the students to what the course is about, the PT curriculum offers subjects related to physical therapy early on. National Service Training Program (NSTP) I and II aim to increase the social awareness of the students, and their appreciation of the profession from a social perspective. During the second years, the course PT 100: Perspectives of Physical Therapy is offered to initiate the students with the underlying principles and concepts in the scope of PT practice. It will involve dealing with physical therapists and real patients with disabilities, so as to give a hint of what PT is all about. In the latter years, the educators would develop the clinical and social skills of PT students by teaching them with basic knowledge involving the use of therapeutic modalities and exercising the student’s professional judgment skills. In the fifth year, also called the internship period, would involve the application of the learning through exposure to the real work place of physical therapists.

Physical Therapy students

     The task of physical therapy educators is to familiarize PT students with the principles governing physical therapy. They are the ones responsible in improving the student’s critical thinking and professional judgment. Also, they enhance the student’s clinical skills by teaching them the proper way of dealing with patients. They are responsible for enhancing the strategies used in physical therapy education and practice, and are also responsible for maintaining the excellence of the education that their students are receiving. In effect, the quality of service that their students will be providing in the future is greatly affected by what they teach. PT educators are also available for consultation with students having problems with grades, financial assistance, or even family matters.

      PT educators hold their classes in rooms equipped with materials used in clinical procedures to demonstrate the proper usage of different equipments. They conduct their lessons involving the handling of patients in clinics in which students interact with patients. In ordinary classes, PT instructors make use of visual aids such as PowerPoint presentations for lecturing purposes. They handle their discussions so that it suits the age group of their students.

      Having presented the different work settings and the roles and responsibilities of physical therapists as educators and administrators, one can imply the extensiveness of physical therapy as a profession. However, in whatever roles a physical therapist could perform, it is the satisfaction that they get from the career that provides them with the determination to finish their goals effectively.

--Reflections--

 From left: Twinkle Arteche, Jelyne Alcantara, Prof. Mia Rotor, Dan Ronsley Dizon, John Rex Butial and Viviene Vicedo

      Being a physical therapist does not only revolve around treating and helping patients with disabilities. A physical therapist can also manifest different roles like being an educator and administrator.

      Well, being an administrator seems to be “bossy” for the title but yes, one has to in order to accomplish tasks required for a particular day. One may look at it differently, that being an administrator is easy, that he/she just sits on his/her desk, signs out papers provided that his/her assistant has done the studying and just recommends what the administrator would do. Well, this misconception seems to be naive, but somehow can be true. However, one forgets to look to the deep sense of responsibilities an administrator performs. This includes managing, decision-making, planning, and implementing agreed treaties. A good administrator must possess the leader attitude, in which one is considerate towards decision-making and is prepared for the outcomes of his/her action.

      As physical therapy educators, one would aim to improve their students’ knowledge by educating them about matters regarding physical therapy, like improving the student’s clinical and social skills. However, as an educator, Professor Mia Rotor says,” It’s not all about the knowledge that we want to impart to our students; it’s also about making them appreciate physical therapy as a profession”. Also, being an educator is a difficult yet satisfying task to fulfill. It’s difficult because they are the ones that would mold us into becoming who we are in the future, and satisfying as well because they can share experiences that may inspire students.

      In whatever roles a physical therapist would perform, there is only one thing that is for guarantee- that is, the idea of helping patients.

- Dan Ronsley P. Dizon

    The interview has given me a wider view of the scope of knowledge regarding administrative work of a college secretary. Based from what ma’am Rotor said, the administrative work accompanying her position is mainly concerned with student affairs. It is her task to ensure the proper distribution of the materials needed by the college community, and to determine the workload that is to be given to students, among others. However, she explains that that the final decision on these matters is from the college dean.

     The interview has also given me an insight regarding the kind of work environment present in CAMP, and it opened my eyes to the concerns that the college is facing at present, such as lack of stable in-between faculty, and low teacher-student ratio. She was also able to erase our notion that our college is lacking in necessary equipments, since according to her, the equipments we have are sufficient enough. It was a good thing that our college secretary does both administrative work and work as an educator, wherein she exposes her students to clinical settings. In this way, she was able to compare the differences and the similarities of clinical, educational and administrative work of a physical therapist based on her experience.

     She shared with us the upsides and downsides of her work, and I was touched by her reasons for staying. She also mentioned the skills needed in her line of work, which I found very helpful, since they can also apply to other PT’s and to students.

     After she enumerated the scope of her work, I was amazed. There were so many things to do, and she has to keep switching between an administrator and an educator. She admits that it is hard, and that she is still getting used to it, and apparently, she is handling the situation well.

- Mary Joy Twinkle P. Arteche

      Physical therapy in such a way is a very complex job. We treat functions, movement disorders and maintain capabilities. It may all seem physical, but we also exhibit these socially, emotionally, and psychologically.

      Having able to do these, a physical therapist must be equipped with certain qualities to survive the test of the profession. These qualities must always be intact in any setting or location given or chosen to/by them.

      For me, a physical therapist, (or any professional) given that they already have the knowledge, should love their job first. More than any reason, love for profession should be exemplified, to perform/carry out the tasks well. Second, PT’s should be collaborative, sociable and approachable. It is a profession wherein reaching out and communicating with others you may/may not know is crucial. Having these traits will surely be an advantage to the person. Third, is the willingness to sacrifice. Physical Therapy is a laboratory-intensive job. It will take a lot of time, energy & effort, and PT’s should love the fact that they should sacrifice to love the job.

      As a physical therapist in an administration or education, for an instance, besides the trait mentioned above, one trait that I have observed is that they should be consultative. Whether big or small decisions, having the ability to consult and discuss matters to your colleagues or to the patients or other people related to the transaction will break the wall that may result to misunderstanding and misconceptions. It will help construct a foundation to an institution, or even a relationship.

     Trustworthiness and being able to listen also is a must on PT’s because these traits will surely capture a person’s heart, and in that way, progression will follow.

- Vicedo, Viviene Neriz V.

     I say, being a physical therapist is indeed not as simple as being a masseur or whatever. Being a physical therapist does not limit you to being a physical therapist practicing the profession in a clinic or being an educator imparting your knowledge to others. In fact, with the observation we have conducted, I have learned that being a physical therapist is not dull after all. You can be an educator, and smile as you watch your students learn from you and develop within themselves a better individual. You can be an administrator, and be cheered and smirk for a while as you watch how all your efforts contribute to the betterment of the whole group of people you’re working for. You can be a researcher, and be filled with bliss as you discover and come up with great things that will be helpful for the whole community. You can be a clinician, and be everlastingly contented and happy knowing that what you do and give to your patients will be of great help to them throughout their lifetime.

      I guess this is what the observation has caused on me. It made me appreciate not only just the profession itself but also being a professional or just a worker in general, way even more than before. It made me realize that you can do and pursue your own stuff, your own aspirations and dreams; as long as you are able to give to the community, to your family, and even to yourself, what you can give as a professional or whatever occupation you are in, fulfillment would then be such a vague term to describe for you are so into what you are doing that you barely have the time and opportunity to think what is causing the fulfillment.

– John Rex C. Butial

     Physical therapy in health care is tough but Physical therapy in Administration is indeed tougher. Physical therapists in the field of administration perform not only health related jobs but more importantly, roles in the faculty such as faculty issues like employment of faculty members, promotion and management of matter concerning academic freedom.

     It is reasonable to say that physical therapists in the field of rehabilitation possess more skills than other physical therapists who work in clinical rehabilitation. It may be true that the two had equally succeeded in the physically taxing PT education; however the capacity of responsibility of a physical therapist in the area of administration is more extensive thus giving way to more abilities that are not within the capacity of physical therapists in a simple clinical setup.

     Physical therapy in administration employs more inter and intra personal skills since they have to actively communicate not only to patients and other professionals but to other people who are in the field of administration as well.

     Perhaps the best reflection of the contribution of PT in administration is clearly manifested in the positive approach of the students in their respective PT curriculum. Every carefully planned proposal is a step towards increasing the integrity and motivation of every individual dreaming becoming a physical therapist some day.

     So why do many physical therapists enter the field of administration? Some say it’s the money, some say it’s the experience and other even say it’s the reputation. But there is a far better reason for choosing administration – satisfaction.

-Jelyne A. Alcantara