Curriculum Content in Physical Therapy Programs as Related to the Role of the Physical Therapist Assistant

Purpose: To determine which tasks are being taught to physical therapy students as being appropriate for the physical therapist assistant (PTA) to perform. Subjects: Directors of 72 accredited physical therapy programs in the United States. Methodology: Self-designed survey questionnaire encompassing activities that may take place within the physical therapy setting. The survey was mailed the 132 subjects who were asked whether those tasks were appropriate for the PTA to perform. The three possible responses were Yes, no, and Instructor\u27s Discretion. Final return rate was 54.5%, n=72. Results:This study\u27s findings indicated that there are inconsistencies in the curriculum content in physical therapy programs as related to the role of the PTA. Respondents indicated greater agreement in Yes responses in the treatment implementation category, with a mean percentage rate of 76.6% (s=17.64). The administration activity category showed a mean percentage rate of 72.5% (s=7.74) of Yes responses. The patient assessment category with 48.8% (s=19.94) mean percentage rate showed the lowest agreement in Yes responses of all categories. Conclusion: The inconsistencies shown in this study may be a reflection of participants\u27 perceptions of what the role of the PTA should be. They may also be due to educators in physical therapy programs not being aware of changes in the PTA curricula. Future research is suggested to further examine this issue