Physical Therapy
- Provide educational information about physical therapy and physical therapist injury prevention, ergonomics and ways to promote health.
- Plan, prepare and carry out individually designed programs of physical treatment to maintain, improve or restore physical functioning, alleviate pain and prevent physical dysfunction in patients.
- Perform and document an initial exam, evaluating the data to identify problems and determine a diagnosis prior to intervention.
- Evaluate effects of treatment at various stages and adjust treatment to achieve maximum benefit.
- Administer manual exercises, massage and/or traction to help relieve pain, increase the patient’s strength, and decrease or prevent deformity and crippling.
- Instruct patient and family in treatment procedures to be continued at home.
- Confer with the patient, medical practitioners and appropriate others to plan, implement and assess the intervention program.
- Review physician’s referral and patient’s medical records to help determine diagnosis and physical therapy treatment required.
- Record prognosis treatment, response, and progress in patient’s chart or enter information into computer.
- Obtain patient’s informed consent to proposed interventions.
- Discharge patient form physical therapy when goals or projected outcomes have been attained and provide for appropriate follow-up care or referrals.
- Test and measure patient’s strength, motor development and function, sensory perception, functional capacity and respiratory and circulatory efficiency and record data.
- Indentify and document goals, anticipated progress and plans for reevaluation.
- Provide information to the patient about the proposed intervention, its material risks and expected benefits and any reasonable alternatives.
- Inform the patient when diagnosis reveals findings outside their scope and refer to an appropriate practitioner.
- Direct and supervise supportive personnel, assessing their competence, delegating specific tasks to them and establishing channels of communication.
- Administer treatment involving application of physical agents, using equipment, moist packs, ultraviolet and infrared lamps, and ultrasound machines.
- Teach physical therapy students as well as those in other health professions.
- Evaluate, fit, and adjust prosthetic and orthotic devices and recommend modification to orthotist.
- Conduct and support research and apply research findings to practice.
- Participate in community and community agency activities and help to formulate public policy.
- Construct, maintain and repair medical supportive devices.
- Direct group rehabilitation activities.
