Information for Educators

Resources for Faculty Teaching in Entry-level Professional Physical Therapist Education Programs

In an effort to further facilitate the inclusion of aging / geriatrics-related content in physical therapist education program curricula, the APTA Geriatrics (Academy) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is making the following resources available to faculty members, regardless of their APTA membership status:

Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults

Please find the AGPT-produced document "Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults" for both Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants, for usage in your program. Find It Here

JOPTE Special Edition

The Journal of Physical Therapy Education, Issue 2, 2014, is a special issue on education to improve practice for older adults. We are very pleased to share this issue with the members of the APTA Geriatrics. Visit Here

Multidisciplinary Entry-Level Professional Competencies in the Care of Older Adults - Released by the American Geriatrics Society

A set of core competencies that ten healthcare disciplines, including medicine, nursing and physical therapy, should have upon graduation from their entry-level professional degree programs, in order to provide quality care for older adults, was released at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS). These competencies were developed by a workgroup of the Partnership for Health in Aging, a coalition of more than 20 organizations representing eldercare professions that the AGS first convened in 2008. SOG president John O. Barr, PT, PhD, was a member of the workgroup, while members Rita Wong, PT, EdD, and Dale Avers, PT, DPT, PhD, served as APTA reviewers. The APTA is one of 28 organizations that have formally endorsed these competencies. The complete competencies document, including further background information and related definitions, can be found at this link.

These competencies are intentionally broad, in order to provide a baseline for geriatrics and gerontology training by a range of disciplines involved in the care of older adults Each discipline will need to determine how the competencies will be incorporated into and taught by their training programs, and measured by their accreditation and licensing organizations. The SOG's Retooling Taskforce will be doing further work on implementation of these competencies by the physical therapy profession. Both new graduates and experienced physical therapists and physical therapist assistants should consider reviewing these competencies as a means of self-assessment and as a stimulus for professional development.

APTA Resources for Educators

The following information and resources are for educators of physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) http://www.apta.org/Educators/

Physical Therapists as Exercise Experts

Physical Therapists as Exercise Experts with Aging Adults Curriculum Guidelines were developed by the Geriatrics Section Committee on Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults (CEEAA)

Included are:

1. The July 7, 2009, letter sent to the directors of all CAPTE-accredited physical therapist education programs.
2. Background and reference materials.

Information on this three course series and the related certification process can be found at this link