Physical therapists (PTs) have recently been described as practitioners capable of providing specialized expertise in the Emergency Department (ED). Nonetheless, expansion of ED PT practice presents challenges. Traditional ED providers and even many PTs have limited understanding of how therapists may provide expertise in this setting. The purpose of this course is to describe a framework for establishing and sustaining ED PT practice. The presentation will provide an overview of ED PT services, summarize supportive evidence, describe program development efforts, and illustrate examples in which services have resulted in improved interdisciplinary patient management. Through these approaches, the profession may overcome barriers to such practice and cross bridges connecting traditional and physical therapist enhanced ED care.

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Michael James Brickens, PT, is the lead physical therapist in the Emergency Department at Clarian Health in Indianapolis. His program has been highlighted in national presentations and has been featured in Advance. He has served as a consultant to many individuals involved in developing emergency department physical therapy programs.

Carleen Elizabeth Jogodka, PT, DPT, is a graduate of Regis University in Denver, CO and for the past 6 years has been the lead physical therapist working in a level-2 emergency department (ED) at St. Joseph’s Carondelet Hospital in Tucson, AZ. She received OCS certification in 2007 and is an orthopaedic fellow in training with Evidence in Motion. Her work in communicating the role of the ED physical therapist has included peer reviewed presentations at the national and local levels, as well as co-authoring a clinical commentary in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy.

Michael Thomas Lebec, PT, PhD, is a member of the Northern Arizona University Physical Therapy faculty. From 2000 & 2003, he served as a staff therapist in the Emergency Department at St. Joseph Carondelet Hospital in Tucson, AZ. This program was among the first to offer full time physical therapist service in the Emergency Department and was featured in the September, 2000 issue of PT magazine. Since joining the faculty at Northern Arizona University, he has worked to develop a scholarly agenda related to Emergency Department physical therapist practice. Along with his co-presenters, he is the lead author on two peer reviewed publications and multiple national and international presentations related to this practice area. He has served as a consultant for many individuals involved with developing Emergency Department physical therapy programs. His work in this area has been featured as an innovative approach to health care by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.

Lisa Ann Tenbarge, PT, DPT, graduated from NAU '89 and worked in outpatient therapy at Flagstaff Medical Center for 15 years. In March of 2004, she began a program offering physical therapy services in the emergency department of Flagstaff Medical Center. She has worked full time in the emergency department since that time and to date the program has evaluated and treated over 9000 patients. Lisa was a featured speaker at the fall 2006 Arizona Physical Therapy Association meeting on 'Physical Therapy and Emergency Medicine'. She presented a poster in June 2007 at 15th International WCPT Congress in Vancouver BC entitled Physical Therapy in the Emergency Department as well as a poster at the International Summit on Advanced Practice in Washington DC in October 2009 entitled 'Early Access to Physical Therapy Services in the Emergency Department'. She was also coauthor of a peer reviewed article describing physician perceptions of emergency department physical therapy services.

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