Prime Mover - Fall 2009

In these uncertain times one thing that is certain are the contributions that PTAs have had on the Physical Therapy profession. I have been a PTA for 20 years and have seen these contributions first hand at both the component and national levels. Two ways in which I give back to the profession are through volunteering my time and making monetary donations. The reason I do this is because I believe in the profession and its ability to influence change in society. Below are some of the contributions that PTAs have made on our profession.

During the Mega-Issues discussion at the November Board meeting the APTA Board of Directors concluded the PTA belonged in the Association. (if not in APTA other associations would possibly benefit i.e Chiropractors)

PTA's have provided for increased accessibility to physical therapy and are entrusted with clinical problem solving and critical thinking skills in the clinical setting.
PTA's contribute financially to the PT PAC ($27,401.00 in 2009) and have participated in lobbying for the interests of the profession at the national and state level.
PTA's contribute to the foundation.
PTA's serve in various capacities at the state and district level (treasurer, secretary, nominating committee).
PTA's serve on Advisory Panels and committees at the national level.
PTA's support Vision 2020 (see Mission statement of PTA Caucus) (www.apta.org) Click on PTA Resources.
PTA's sponsor and author motions in the House of Delegates.
The PTA's placed the interest of the profession/Association first when the issue of "interventions requiring ongoing evaluative skills" came before the house.
PTA's serve as educators in clinical and educational settings.
PTA's serve as researchers in a variety of capacities.
PTA's serve as volunteers in many local non-profit association(s) while serving as representative(s) for the physical therapy profession.
PTA's serve as leaders in a variety of healthcare organizations.
PTA's serve on state licensing boards in many states.
PTA's serve on the executive board of many chapter boards of directors.

Please feel free to contact me regarding PTA related issues and how the New Mexico Chapter can influence more participation of PTAs.

Russell B Stowers, PTA, EdD
Delegate - PTA Caucus
NM Chapter Member

UNM PT PROGRAM UPDATE

We congratulate the 21 PT students who graduated on May 15, 2009! They are in various stages of taking the National Board Exam and finding their first job. Kudos to those who have passed their board exam!

On August 24th the program welcomed a new group of twenty-six first year students who have started the DPT curriculum. They were joined by 22 returning second year students and 24 returning third year students, the last two classes who will complete the MPT curriculum. Lots of activity of and high energy levels abound!

New faculty hire: Fred Carey, PT, PhD joined the UNM PT Program as a full-time faculty as of 7-1-09. He had been teaching neuroanatomy for the program since 2003, and in the last year expanded into cardiopulmonary PT. Fred will continue to teach neuroanatomy and cardiopulmonary PT, as well as coordinate the acute care components. Fred is well known to the New Mexico PT community. He has worked full time at UNMH for 14 years and served on the NMAPTA Board of Directors for three years. Welcome Fred! We're very happy to have you!

UNM Physical Therapists in the NEWS!

PT Program Alumnus of the Year Award
The UNM PT Program started a new award in 2008 to recognize outstanding contributions by alumni to the PT community. The 2008 award was given to Barbara Bradley Fuller, PT who was in the first graduating class of 1976. She has practiced in the Albuquerque area since that time and emphasized professional growth and service to others. Pat Bartels, PT, OCS was chosen as the 2009 award recipient. Pat is known particularly for her extensive service to NMAPTA and involvement with Health Action New Mexico.

Graduate Performance on National Boards
The graduating class of 2008 had a 100% first time pass rate, which put the UNM PT program in the top 20 programs out of 181 programs with students taking the boards (top 11%). This included students graduating from both MPT and DPT programs. The class of 2009 recently began to take the boards.

UNM School of Medicine Educational Awards
2008: Kathy Dieruf, PT, PhD received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences, (the health programs within the School of Medicine outside of physician training; PT, OT, Med Lab Sciences, Radiation Sciences, EMT, Dental Hygiene).

2009: Sue Queen, PT, PhD received the Excellence in Teaching Award for the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Sciences on May 14, and also the Excellence in Curricular Leadership Award for the School of Medicine for leading development of the new DPT curriculum.

Promotion and Tenure: As of July 1, 2009, the UNM PT program will have five faculty at the rank of associate professor with three of those tenured. Drs. Beth Provost, Kathy Dieruf and Sue Queen were all notified that they were granted tenure. Drs. Provost and Dieruf were also promoted to associate professor. Dr. Burke Gurney was promoted to associate professor in 2006 and Dr. Ron Andrews was promoted to associate professor in 2008. Sue Queen was hired at the rank of associate professor.

Please join NMAPTA in congratulations to these fine faculty members who have made significant contributions to the physical therapy profession. For more information about UNM PT School, contact:

Sue Queen, PT, PhD
Associate Professor and Director, Physical Therapy Program
Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine
SQueen@salud.unm.edu
Office: 505/272-5451

WHAT A PT STUDENT DOES OTHER THAN BEING A PT STUDENT

Caryl Acuna, SPT

When I entered the MPT program at UNM as part of the incoming class of 2010, one of our faculty professors described the work ahead as the most rigorous, rewarding academic work we may ever experience. That comment has played out over and over again while meeting PTs in their clinic and at professional meetings. So, I braced myself for the rigor and volume of work, but I also wanted to figure out how to reward myself with some fun. I was definitely not the only one in that boat. My fellow classmates were right there with me. They became my extended family for the next three years. Some of our typical leisure activities included Frisbee, volleyball, various happy hours or post-exam parties, 'Guitar Hero' nights, bike riding, running, soccer, camping trips and rock climbing. We even welcomed the birth of three babies amongst our classmates. We have classmates who juggle family life, whether as a single parent, or with a spouse and kids at home. We enjoyed sharing fun stories and accomplishing one project after another. Yet, that was not enough. We realized that there was more to being a student in the UNM PT Program than purely attending class, studying, and finding our free-time release.

As future PT professionals, we have compassion and want to give back to our community. It's in our bones! The first event was in the Fall of 2007, the annual Memorial Service for the cadavers we worked on in the anatomy lab. This project was assigned to the 1st year PT students. Two of my classmates, Genevieve Richter and Bettina Jaramillo, volunteered to coordinate the event with the School of Medicine and the families of the deceased who donated their bodies to science. There were also the fundraising and community service projects we participated in such as cleaning up the UNM PIT, bake sales, and garage sales led by 2nd year students with the added assistance of the current 1st and 3rd year students. Most of the funds earned from these events went toward defraying the expense of the 2-day National Board Exam Review session for 2nd year students. Jesus Herrera coordinated the board review with Scorebuilders along with inviting UTEP's PT class to join us. Every Thanksgiving we also collected non-perishable food for donation to the Road Runner Food Bank.

Our first year class representatives; Jessica Castellano, Anna Heimrel and Summer Warder-Gabaldon were also representatives on the Health Science Student Council. Recently, Jessica was elected President of the Council. On a separate front, Jessica, Anna, and Summer, along with Melissa Sterling, went on to be Teaching Assistants for the SOM anatomy lab for the incoming PT class of 2011 during the summer of 2008. Currently, the SOM has decided to try out having teaching assistants for the incoming class of medical students and physician assistant students. Therefore, Beth Jones PT, DPT, OCS, chose to invite back a few of her past TAs to help out this year. Jessica Castellano and Summer Warder-Gabaldon have added this TAship to their third year PT curriculum so that they can help teach anatomy to the medical and PA students.

In our profession, being active and living a healthy lifestyle is something we deeply believe in. Therefore, we have chosen various events to support such as the Breast Cancer and MS walks as well as the MS bike tour. Other classmates volunteered in activities which included helping with the High School Science Olympiad, Beyond Limits Wheelchair Day Camp and Muscular Dystrophy Summer overnight Camp in Socorro. I also had classmates who were aides/personal assistants/personal trainers for children who had cerebral palsy, adults with multiple sclerosis and elderly community members. There were a few classmates who spent a day of their spring break learning about the State Legislature and the role of NMAPTA politics in Santa Fe with Sue Queen, PT, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of UNM PT Program, Pat Bartels, PT, OCS and Sahreem Luergan, PT. Our current 2nd year classmates of 2011 are organizing a Career Day with the Occupational Therapy program, which brings prospective employers to campus. With strong encouragement from our professor, Beth Jones, PT, DPT, OCS, a majority of our classmates from our class of 2010 and the first years from the class of 2011 took time away from school to attend lectures, platform presentations, panel discussions, and to rub shoulders with professionals and vendors at the 2009 Combined Sections Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.

As with all the highs we have thoroughly enjoyed, we as a program have also experienced some life-altering losses as well. We have felt the pain of fellow classmates' loss of parents. We also have felt the pain of and two classmate's unexpected illnesses that took them away from the classroom and our social fabric enduring extended stays in the hospital. One classmate has congenital heart defects and recently required heart surgery to implant a pacemaker to help correct their heart beat. Another classmate, Melissa Sterling, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She required chemo and radiation this past year, but to settle her score with Leukemia she needs to have a bone marrow transplant. So, she is currently in Los Angeles at the City of Hope getting ready for a long awaited bone marrow transplant. In Melissa's case, we rallied to keep her included with class and social activities as much as possible. One classmate, Colleen Colyer, organized a team of PT students and faculty for a Climb for a Cure hike up Sandia Crest, which Melissa participated in after her first round of chemotherapy. A current 2nd year student from the class of 2011, Anna Keyser, is participating in a Team in Training for a Half Marathon in Melissa's honor. The one event that brought many people together on North Campus was a Bone Marrow Drive organized and produced by Jessica Castellano and Summer Warder-Gabaldon in conjunction with the Student Physical Therapy Association. The Afghan Club on main campus volunteered with the HSC drive as well and sponsored their bone marrow drive on main campus. The importance of this drive was not only to help Melissa our classmate but to help the National Bone Marrow Registry get a file of people of color and other diverse races.

As I reflect back on all of our accomplishments, I am truly impressed. I will continue to look forward to being involved in all that inspires me as a physical therapist as well as excitedly anticipate witnessing what my fellow colleagues have in store as we all continue on our professional journey.

Caryl Acuna, SPT
Summer Warder-Gabaldon, SPT
Class of 2010
UNM PT Program, School of Medicine
University of New Mexico

2009 HOUSE OF DELEGATES REPORT

The 2009 House of Delegates took place in Baltimore, MD June 7-10th. This year New Mexico was represented by Kim Parker-Guerrero as delegate, Stephen Winters as our alternate delegate, and Beth Black as Chief Delegate. We did not have a PTA Caucus representative this year again due to lack of interest, but we are hopeful for 2010. In addition to participating in discussion and voting in the House of Delegates, we met with Small States and Western States Caucuses to discuss candidates and RCs, and participated in the Mega Issue Discussion.

This year's elections were for President, Vice President, four Directors, and one Nominating Committee member. Our delegation took turns asking questions in a large group and then later had a chance to discuss issues with each candidate individually. The election results were: R Scott Ward, PT, PhD, was reelected APTA president; Paul A Rockar Jr, PT, DPT, MS, was elected vice president; Aimee B Klein, PT, DPT, DSc, OCS, was reelected a director; and Kathleen K Mairella, PT, DPT, MA, Mary C Sinnott, PT, DPT, MEd, and Nicole L Stout, PT, MPT, CLT-LANA, were elected directors. James E Hughes, PT, was elected to the Nominating Committee. Since the election NMAPTA has been appointed a new APTA Board liaison, Kathleen K Mairella, whom we are excited to work with.

This year we had 28 RCs to discuss. Please refer to the supplemental report below from APTA Secretary Babette Sanders for the list of the 18 RCs that were adopted, defeated, or referred to the Board of Directors. There were an additional 7 RCs that were withdrawn and 3 that were never formally heard in the House, although discussed in Motion Discussion Groups and Caucuses. A new Code of Ethics was passed for PTs (RC 4-09), and Standards of Ethical Conduct for the PTA (RC 05-09) after much discussion and some revisions. These take effect July 1, 2020. A new RC was introduced during the House and passed on APTA's readiness to contribute to the Health Care Reform debate, see info on RC 27-09. RC 11-09, the Monthly Dues Payment Program was defeated.

A new activity for delegates was the Mega Issue discussion on "Unwarranted Variance In Practice". Please read the following article for additional information and a link to the web.
It was my pleasure to serve with both Kim and Steve, two hard-working PTs, to make up the New Mexico delegation. I encourage you to communicate any concerns or feedback you have to your delegates throughout the year.

Beth Black, PT, NMAPTA Chief Delegate
bb-black@comcast.net

SUMMARY OF 2009 HOUSE OF DELEGATES ACTIVITIES

Prepared by Babette S. Sanders, PT, MS, Secretary, APTA

RC 1-09 Amend: Standing Rules of the American Physical Therapy Association, 15. Deadline for Main Motions. (DEFEATED)
Would have required a 2/3 vote of the House, without debate, for any motion submitted after the deadline for main motions to be considered by the House of Delegates.
RC2-09 Amend: Designation "PT," "PTA," "SPT," and "SPTA". (DEFEATED)
Proposed that the existing policy be amended so that only the regulatory designation, highest earned physical therapy related degree, other earned academic degree and Association related professional honors be initialized in APTA documents. All other credentials, titles and certifications should be written in full text.
RC3-09 Rescind: Position on Referral Relationships (WITHDRAWN)
RC 4-09 Amend: Code of Ethics (PASSED)
RC 5-09 Amend: Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant (PASSED) The Code of Ethics (Code) and Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant (Standards of Ethical Conduct) were expanded to better delineate the ethical obligations of all physical therapists (PTs) and physical therapist assistants (PTAs). The Code will now address the five roles of the PT (clinician, administrator, educator, researcher, and consultant), the core values of the profession, and the multiple realms of ethical action.
The new Code and Standards of Ethical Conduct go into effect July 1, 2010. A communication plan will be developed for disseminating information to APTA members regarding the availability of the final documents. (PTBoL 6/19/09)
RC6-09 Amend: Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, and Continued Competence in Physical Therapy, Definitions: Competence (WITHDRAWN)
RC7A-09 Amend: Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, and Continued Competence in Physical Therapy, Definitions: Continued Competence (WITHDRAWN)
RC7B-09 Amend: Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, and Continued Competence in Physical Therapy, Definitions: Continued Competence (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
RC 8-09 Amend: Professional Development, Lifelong Learning, and Continued Competence in Physical Therapy, Definitions: Professional Development (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
RC 12-09 Responsibility for Continued Competence and Professional Development (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)

RCs 7B, 8, and 12 were referred to the Board of Directors with the request for an interim report no later than December 31, 2009 and a final report to the 2010 House of Delegates. The language for RCs 7B and 8 remained as published in Packet I; RC 12 was moved with editorial changes to include language stating that "APTA is recognized as the best positioned and most appropriate to develop and maintain the continuing education and competency standards for the profession."

RC 9-09 Amend: Licensure Renewal: Continuing Education (PASSED)
Amends the current position to include practice management as appropriate course work for continuing education as related to license renewal. (PTBoL 6/19/09)
RC 10-09 Meeting Collaboration Between the American Physical Therapy Association and Host Chapters (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
Referred to the Board of Directors for further discussion and collaboration with components to develop a model that is mutually beneficial when an APTA sponsored conference is held in that component's jurisdiction; models shall be presented no later than the 2011 House of Delegates.
RC 11-09 Monthly Dues Payment Program (DEFEATED)
Would have required APTA to establish a Monthly Dues Payment Program.
RC 13-09 Electronic Publications (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
Requests that APTA and its sections provide periodicals primarily through electronic communications by 2015.
RC14-09 Support of Environmentally Responsible Practice by the American Physical Therapy Association and its Components (PASSED)
Encourages the use of environmentally responsible practices to guide APTA and its components to consider the future health of the planet while attending to their daily business tasks. (PTBoL 6/19/09)
RC15-09 White Paper on Physical Therapists as Health Care Managers (WITHDRAWN)
RC16-09 Models of Care Delivery (PASSED)
Charges APTA to identify and develop innovative, collaborative, interprofessional models of physical therapist care delivery across the lifespan. The models may have ramifications for the scope of physical therapist practice, and should include access to care, cost effectiveness, patient/client safety, efficacy, and innovative use of physical therapist practice in the health care delivery system. An interim report is due to the House on December 31. A final report is due to the 2010 House. (PTBoL 6/19/09)
RC 17-09 Principles of Professionalism Guiding Physical Therapist Business Relationships (NOT HEARD)
RC 18-09 Conclave of Inter-Professional Emerging Leaders Proposes establishing a conclave of emerging leaders to explore innovative processes creative partnerships, cutting edge technologies, and integrative practice models. (REFER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS)
RC 19-09 Internationally Educated Physical Therapists: Readiness for Practice in the United States (WITHDRAWN)
RC 20-09 Student Loan Repayment Programs at the State Level (PASSED UNANIMOUSLY)
Encourages APTA and its chapters to support the development of strategies to seek inclusion of physical therapy among health care professions identified in state legislation as eligible to receive student loan repayment. The Association will develop and disseminate educational materials that can be used by components in their advocacy activities. (PTBoL 6/19/09)
RC 21-09 Clinical Instructor Education and Credentialing Course Materials (NOT HEARD)
RC 22-09 Support for Candidates for National Office (NOT HEARD)
RC 23-09 Election to Honorary Membership in the American Physical Therapy Association: Charles L Martin (PASSED)
RC 24-09 Election to Honorary Membership in the American Physical Therapy Association: Stephanie A Studenski (PASSED)
RC 25-09 Registered Service Mark (WITHDRAWN)
RC 26-09 Support of Environmental Health Practices by the American Physical Therapy Association and its Components (WITHDRAWN)
New Main Motion 27 Health Care Reform (PASSED)
Supports APTA's readiness to contribute to the health care reform debate in a resolution that outlines the Association's positions on reform and supports the dissemination of the recently published documents The Role of the Physical Therapist in National Health Care Reform and Health Care Reform 2009 A Physical Therapy Perspective. (PTBoL 6/19/09)