Physical Therapy Ethics: Reinforcing Your Ethical Decision Making

Presented by: Beth Sarfaty, PT, MBA

Physical therapists and physical therapist’s assistants are required to make ethical decisions every day while treating patients. This course is designed to provide PTs and PTAs guidance in ethical decision making and provide resources to help guide through the decision-making process. This course will include facilitated discussion among participants. Discussions will center around ethics regarding how challenges present themselves in the realm of everyday practice in a variety of settings. Learning about different methods and principles in how to handle ethical cases will also be discussed and applied to a variety of case scenarios.

This 2.5 credit Ethics course is offered to Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants in a highly interactive and enjoyable atmosphere. Multiple case studies spanning different practice settings will be problem-solved, shared and discussed in a participatory forum.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• Define key terms
• Recognize an ethical situation
• Learn how to utilize the APTA Code of Ethics and Standards of Ethical Conduct for the PTA in resolving ethical decisions
• Work with colleagues in applying the principles of ethical decision making to actual ethical situations
• Evaluate real life situations and determine the proper course of action