Physical Therapy Ethics and Jurisprudence

Course Description:

“Physical Therapy Ethics and Jurisprudence” was designed to help therapy professionals with the ethical dilemmas they face in the workplace.  The course is designed to promote a better understanding of ethics, morals and legal behavior in the hopes of facilitating a better decision making process for professionals in ethical situations.  The information also includes the APTA Code of Ethics, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant, the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct, the APTA Guide for Conduct of the Physical Therapist Assistant, sections of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy Jurisdictional Licensure Reference Guide. Lastly, case studies are provided to help identify appropriate ethical responses/actions to specific situations.

Course Author:

Mary Smith, RPT

Methods of Instruction:

Online course available via internet

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants

Educational Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

None

Course Goals and Objectives:

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

1. Define Ethics
2. Define Morality
3. Identify the basic similarities and differences between ethics and morals
4. Differentiate between common ethical theories
5. Define determinants of moral and ethical behavior
6. Understand the ethical decision-making process
7. Interpret and apply the APTA’s Code of Ethics
8. Interpret and apply the APTA’s Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant
9. Understand and incorporate the APTA’s Guide for Professional Conduct for the Physical Therapist and the Physical Therapist Assistant
10. Understand and apply the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy Jurisdictional Licensure Reference Guide
11. Apply case studies to help identify appropriate ethical responses/actions to specific situations.

Criteria for Obtaining Continuing Education Credits:

A score of 70% or greater on the post-test