1. Review physician's referral and patient's medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required. 2. Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
3. Perform tests and measures such as strength, range of motion, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity, and respiratory and circulatory efficiency and record data.
4. Plan, prepare and carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
5. Identify and document goals, anticipated progress and plans for reevaluation.
6. Administer therapeutic interventions, including therapeutic exercise, manual therapy, facilitation techniques, modalities, etc.
7. Record prognosis, treatment, response, and progress in patient's chart or enter information into computer.
8. Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatments to achieve maximum benefit.
9. Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued outside the therapy setting or at home.
10. Confer with the patient, medical practitioners and appropriate others to plan, implement and assess the intervention program.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES typically required to perform the essential functions of this position.
Problem-Solving/Decision-Making Skills
- Recognize and define problems, analyze data, develop and implement solutions, and evaluate outcomes.
Critical Thinking Skills
- Question logically; identify, generate and evaluate elements of logical argument; recognize and differentiate facts, appropriate or faulty inferences, and distinguish relevant from irrelevant information.
- Appropriately utilize, analyze and critically evaluate scientific evidence to develop a logical argument, and to identify and determine the impact of bias on the decision making process.
- Make clinical judgments to include identification of cause/effect relationships; response to emergencies; participate in scientific inquiry.
Communication Skills
- Use verbal skills to effectively communicate treatment interventions and to initiate patient/client education.
- Document actions and patient responses and related patient/client record information.
Math Skills and Computer Skills
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
- Percentages, ratios, etc.
- Internet and email
- Spreadsheet software
- Word processing software
- Job specific software
MENTAL DEMANDS typically required to perform the essential functions of this position.
1. Comprehend & Follow Instructions
- Work with little guidance or reliance on oral or written procedures/instructions
2. Perform Assigned Tasks
- Perform a wide range of tasks as dictated by variable demands and changing conditions (i.e., running a different set of reports with no real schedule)
3. Maintain an appropriate work pace
- Free to plan work assignments and schedule to meet long term goals and objectives
4. Perform complex or varied tasks at the same time
- Perform a wide range of complex tasks with little predictability as to their occurrence
5. Relate to others
- Interacts with co-workers, patients/clients, and stakeholders (internal/external) on a continual basis
6. Respond to annoyed and anxious patients/clients and stakeholders
- Must respond to annoyed and anxious patients/clients and stakeholders (internal/external)
7. Maintain a high level of recordkeeping
- Maintain a high level of important records (i.e., patient records, reimbursement documents, etc.)
8. Pressure for results
- Has high pressure to respond to time sensitive information or situations
- Perform in stressful environments or under deadlines
9. Verbally communicate
- Has the ability to organize thoughts and orally communicate with little to no time to think about it. This may occur with one person or a group of people.
10. Decision making
- Has the ability to make complex/difficult decisions on an as needed basis. These decisions may typically have a large scale impact
PHYSICAL DEMANDS typically required to perform the essential functions of this position.
- Auditory ability sufficient to monitor and assess health needs
- Physical ability sufficient to move from room to room and in patients’ rooms and treatment spaces
- Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient to provide safe and effective physical therapy
- Calibrate and operate equipment
- Position patients/clients
- Guard patients and perform facilitation techniques during gait training and other therapeutic interventions
- Perform physical therapy activities such ROM, MMT, debridement, transfers, CPR, or use of physical agents
- Lift, carry, pull, push, reach, stand, walk, kneel, bend, climb, balance
- Ability to use touch to monitor and assess health needs
- Palpate
- Apply resistance during examinations or interventions
- Ability to use vision to monitor and assess health needs
WORKING CONDITIONS typically required to perform the essential functions of this position.
· This position requires work in a physical therapy clinic such as a hospital, outpatient clinic, nursing home, patient’s home, school, or work setting.
· Possible exposure to blood/bodily fluids or chemicals.
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT typically required to perform the essential functions of this position.
· This position generally does not require the use of personal protective equipment.
· Under certain conditions, latex/vinyl gloves/mask/gowns
The Professional Behaviors and Essential Functions outlined in this document are the activities that a student physical therapist must be able to perform in partial fulfillment of the requirements for successful completion of the professional curriculum. Every student must be able to perform these essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation, while practicing safely, ethically, and in a legal manner. Reasonable accommodations are based on individual need, program essential requirements, public safety and must not pose an undue hardship to the University or interfere with the nature or operation of the University as an educational institution. The University uses independent clinical education sites that may or may not be willing or able to offer the same reasonable accommodations that are made available by the University. The fact that the University offers reasonable accommodations to allow a student with a disability to complete an educational program is not a guarantee, implied or otherwise, that a graduate will be able to secure subsequent employment offering those same accommodations.
If a student is unable to perform these essential functions, it is the student's responsibility to:
- Reveal a need for reasonable accommodations prior to entering the professional curriculum.
- Obtain diagnostic data to substantiate a claim of need for reasonable accommodations.
- Provide the diagnostic data to the institution prior to entering the professional curriculum.
The ability to perform essential functions is expected of students in the classroom, labs, simulated clinical settings, and while on clinical education assignments. The examples listed are for clarity and do not represent an exhaustive list of all possible activities.