Academy of Education: Integrating Intraprofessional Student Collaborative Experiences to Increase Access to Physical Therapy Services and Improve Profitability

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The provision of physical therapy services by physical therapist assistants have been impacted by recent legislative changes in reimbursement of physical therapy services. When labor is divided effectively between a PT and PTA, it can counteract the impact of cuts. However, research has shown that current curriculum is not adequately preparing students to work as an effective team. This course will describe the need for intraprofessional collaborative learning experiences in PT and PTA programs and present concrete examples of how to integrate new or additional collaborative activities into the curriculum. This enhanced curriculum will better prepare students for workforce demands by increasing accessibility to physical therapy services, enhancing provider satisfaction, and improving patient outcomes which results in increased organizational growth and profitability.

Course/Session Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the financial impact of effective PT-PTA teams in care delivery.

2. Determine the significance of integrating intraprofessional collaborative activities in PT and PTA programs to enhance students’ ability to work together as effective team members.

3. Identify learning activities that incorporate PT-PTA student collaborative learning experiences throughout the curriculum.".

Jessica Niemann, PTA, MEd

Ms. Jessica Niemann holds a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Services from Clarkson College, and an Associate of Science in Physical Therapist Assistant from Clarkson College. She has been teaching at Clarkson College since 2015 and her clinical background is in hospital-based outpatient physical therapy. She is currently the program director for the PTA program at Clarkson College and teaches associate and bachelor level courses with a primary focus on leadership and professional issues.

Jessica Scholl, PTA, EdD, DCE

Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Education

St. Catherine University

Jessica Scholl, PTA, EdD is an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical education for the PTA program at St. Catherine University. Jessica received her AAS degree from Anoka Hennepin Technical College in 2001 as a physical therapist assistant, both her BS in Healthcare Management (2010) and MA in Organizational Leadership (2015) from St. Catherine University, and an EdD in Higher Education Leadership from Bethel University in 2023. Her clinical background is primarily in outpatient orthopedics but she has also worked in the inpatient rehab / skilled nursing setting. Jessica has been active in the APTA holding elected offices and appointed positions at the state and national level including MN PTA SIG chair, MN PTA Caucus Rep, member, MNPTA Board of Directors, appointed member of the APTA Leadership Development Committee, and NPTE-PTA Standard Setting Task Force. Jessica’s scholarly agenda has focused on leadership, effective intraprofessional teaming, and an ecological approach to health and wellbeing. She has co-authored several peer-reviewed articles, presents regularly locally and at APTA national conferences on various topics, including intraprofessional teaming and ethics.

Course Instructions

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