Professional Development II

Catalog description

Professional Development II is the second course of the Professional Development (PD) Series, the bridge between academics and the clinical experience. The PD courses are designed to enhance the student’s success during the clinical experiences and to enable students to mature in their future roles as Doctors of Physical Therapy. Additionally, the PD courses serve to advance students’ commitment to the physical therapy profession and to promote knowledge and clinical decision-making skills in five pertinent areas: Communication, Professionalism, Critical Thinking, Cultural Competence, and Ethics. While the emphasis PD I course investigated “self,” PD II will help students prepare for their roles as Doctors of Physical Therapy and begin the process of professional interaction using culturally effective communication styles befitting interactions with patients/clients, caregivers, members of the healthcare team and clinical supervisors of Physical Therapy. To further foster the development of the health care professional, students will self-evaluate their performance level in the clinical setting utilizing the Professional Behaviors Self-Assessment. With the guidance and feedback provided by their faculty mentor, students will reflect on their self-assessment and develop goals based on clinical skills and professionalism for their upcoming clinical experience. Within the PD II course, the students will employ their skills as reflective practitioners through retrospective identification of critical incidents that led to a change of behavior. These incidents will highlight two of the clinical education themes: cultural competence and ethics. To further develop their future roles as Doctors as Physical Therapy, the students will identify ways to collaborate with physical therapy assistants so as to promote proper utilization of services in the patient/client management…