The portion of the statement with the greatest significant meaning is that “physical therapy will be provided by physical therapists who are doctors of physical therapy”. This is because the function of physical therapists in health care has continued to expand over the years. Physical therapists are essentially health care professionals tasked with diagnosing and offering care for people with health issues or ailments that limit abilities such as movement in their daily activities. Initially, vocational education was just enough for one to enter the field of physical therapy. However, as the field advanced, the training required also had to advance and thus the need for one to have a Bachelors or Masters of Physical Therapy. Now, there is a need that practitioners be holders of a Doctor of Physical Therapy.
The reason for this is that the physical therapist’s role has expanded to encompass other health care aspects. The responsibilities have increased with physical therapists being expected to perform the roles of administrator, consultant, educator and clinical scholar. Now, physical therapists require more education, training and experience to discharge their duties at a similar level as the other health care practitioners. Therefore, the initiative by APTA is intended to ensure that physical therapists become equipped with the education, critical thinking skills and the training that is necessary in the performance of their duties. In addition, this will ensure that the physical therapy field gains more recognition as a necessity in medicine. According to the UTICA College Resource Center (1), DPT programs are aimed at making physical therapists all-rounded health care practitioners. Also, they will help in the development of the body of knowledge in this field through research that might bring to the fore different and new treatment options that can be put into practice.
Works Cited
UTICA College. The Expanding Role of a Physical Therapist in Health Care. UTICA College Resource Center, 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
