Technical Standards Required in the Clinical Setting

The technical standard examples below reflect only a sample of possible performance abilities and characteristics that are necessary to complete the requirements of the PTA program. Once enrolled in the PTA program, students will be required to meet the expectations of each technical standard.

Behavioral Skills

Standard: Display professional behavior appropriate for a clinical setting.

Example Behaviors:

• Always protect the privacy and dignity of all patients.
• Meet all professional behavior expectations for students enrolled in the PTA program.
• Maintain quality working relationships with all members of the clinical site.
• Always be responsible for safety of self and patients.
• Use technology appropriately in the clinic and utilize technology only when appropriate and permitted.
• Arrive in appropriate dress code for the individual clinical site.

Standard: Demonstrate accountability.

Example Behaviors:

• Accept the various roles of a PTA student (learner, peer, future PTA…).
• Take charge of your own learning and help to create a positive learning environment for your peers and faculty.
• Follow through on clinical tasks and commitments.
• Reflect on your actions or performance outcomes to continue to learn and grow.

Standard: Demonstrate appropriate stress management behaviors and flexibility during changing or unknown situations.

Example Behaviors:

• Adapt to various teaching methods, learning activities, and teaching styles in the clinical setting.
• Be able to work with a variety of clinical supervisors and patients.
• Recognize your own stressors, seek assistance when needed.
• Work to find a balance between school and personal life.
• Tolerate the inconsistencies in the healthcare environment.
• Display calm behavior and be able to adapt if changes in the daily clinical schedule.

Standard: Demonstrate a commitment to learning.

Example Behaviors:

• Take initiative in the clinical setting to participate in all learning activities.
• Be a contributing member of the clinical site.
• Take initiative to research treatment techniques to assist in treatment of upcoming patients.

Standard: Demonstrate compassion, caring, and trustworthiness

Example Behaviors:

• Consider the views, opinions, perspectives, and feelings of others.
• Reflect on the impact of your actions on others.
• Empower patients to achieve their highest level of functioning.
• Consider the “whole person” in all your interactions.
• Recognize your own biases and do not let them influence your interactions.
• Take time to listen to others and make sure to treat the patient’s emotional needs of care.

Standard: Demonstrate concentration and the ability to attend in a clinical environment.

Example Behaviors:

• Remain engaged with current patient to monitor and adapt patient treatment session.
• Remain focused on task at hand in a busy clinical environment.
• Remain on task to ensure patient safety and to protectivity standards.
• Demonstrate the ability to not be distracted by technology.

Standard: Demonstrate effective use of time and resources.

Example Behaviors:

• Manage time the clinic setting to meet productivity standards and fully treat all patients.
• Arrive to clinical site on time and prepared for the day.
• Submit all assignments by the posted due date.
• Demonstrate ability to not be distracted by technology and to not distract others with your use of technology.
• Plan and prioritize treatment day to ensure completion of all required activities in the clinic and all class assignments.

Standard: Demonstrate integrity and responsibility.

Example Behaviors:

• Abide by college and program academic integrity policies and student conduct policies (ex: no cheating or plagiarism).
• Abide by APTA Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapy Profession and the APTA Core Values for the PT and the PTA as these standards apply to the classroom setting.
• Do not falsify documentation.
• Do not misrepresent yourself or your skills.
• Follow through on commitments, complete tasks in the clinic without need for reminders or prompting.
• Identify, acknowledge, and accept responsibility for actions and report errors.
• Demonstrate the ability to meet attendance standards for the clinical rotations.
• Complete all required clinical hours and days in the allotted time.
• Take initiative to make up any missed clinical time.
• Arrive on time each day to the clinical site.

Standard: Demonstrate respect for others and follow the college stance on non-discrimination.

Example Behaviors:

• Respect the ideas, experiences, and backgrounds of others.
• Do not bully or show disrespect for others, even if their ideas or experiences are different than your own.
• The program and college prohibit sex discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, domestic violence, stalking and retaliation and promotes and maintains educational opportunities without regard to race, color, sex, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or other non-merit factors.

Standard: Professionally accept, respond to, and integrate feedback.

Example Behaviors:

• Don’t become defensive when provided with feedback.
• Integrate feedback to improve skills, behaviors, or knowledge.
• Acknowledge and thank those who provide you with feedback.
• Accept, seek, and implement feedback from supervising clinicians and patients.

Communication Skills

Standard: Communicate professionally with all staff of clinical site, other members of the healthcare team, patients, and family members.

Example Behaviors:

• Demonstrate ability to effectively report any changes in patient/client status or progress to the supervising physical therapist or clinical supervisor.
• Demonstrate effective communication with a team.
• Demonstrate care and compassion in all interactions.
• Seek out additional information to assist in patient treatment.
• Demonstrate active listening skills.
• Display non-verbal communication appropriate for the environment and situation.
• Contribute to the healthcare team.
• Communicate in terminology most appropriate to the situation.

Standard: Demonstrate the ability to document patient treatments in simulated medical records.

Example Behaviors:

• Efficiently complete thorough and ethical documentation efficiently and submit promptly following treatment sessions.

Standard: Effectively communicate with a diverse population of patients, families, and members of the healthcare team

Example Behaviors:

• Demonstrate the ability to communicate and interact with clinical staff, patients, and family members without regard to race, color, sex, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or other non-merit factors.
• Demonstrate culturally informed communication by considering cultural differences, language barriers, and disability and adapt communication as needed.

Intellectual & Conceptual Skills

Standard: Demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Example Behaviors:

• Integrate knowledge from all prior coursework to be able to effectively and safety treat patients.
• Execute a plan of care.
• Explain the rationale for and demonstrate ability to adapt treatment approaches based on data collection and changing patient situations.
• Notify appropriate supervisors of change in patient status.
• Demonstrate ability to perform self-assessment and make behavior changes based on selfassessment.

Standard: Possess the knowledge, psychomotor, and affective skills to complete clinical rotations in the allotted time frame.

Example Behaviors:

• Meet assessment standards for each clinical rotation.
• Submit written assignments throughout clinical experiences.
• Be able to apply and integrate the following information to a clinical setting:
  • Information from lecture course
  • Information and skills from lab courses
  • Professionalism feedback from faculty and lab practical examinations

Physical Functioning

Standard: Demonstrate the ability to maintain proper body mechanics at all times to ensure safety of self, patients and other members of the healthcare team.

Example Behaviors:

• Keeping a neutral spine position when transferring patients.
• Accessing elevated surfaces to maintain proper body mechanics.
• Squatting to take measurements on a low surface.

Standard: Demonstrate the ability to move into the various positions required to perform the duties of a PTA

Example Behaviors:

• Sitting on the ground to treat a patient’s ankle while patient remains standing.
• Squatting to perform a transfer.
• Laying on ground or mat table to demonstrate an exercise to a patient.
• Climbing stairs to properly guard a patient.

Standard: Demonstrate the appropriate motor control and strength to provide treatment techniques while ensuring patient safety

Example Behaviors:

• Providing manual resistance to a patient during therapeutic exercise activities.
• Safely transferring patients of all sizes and abilities to and from various surfaces.
• Safely lift 50 pounds.
• Demonstrate sufficient fine motor control to operate machines and to provide manual therapy treatments.

Standard: Demonstrate the physical ability to respond in emergency or unexpected situations.

Example Behaviors:

• Safely lower a patient to the floor in the event of a severe loss of balance or sudden drop in blood pressure.
• Provide or assist in CPR until an emergency team arrives.

Standard: Demonstrate the physical balance required to perform all variety of patient treatments.

Example Behaviors:

• Maintaining balance to safely guard a patient while walking.
• Maintaining balance while transition between various positions.
• Maintaining balance while reaching in various directions.

Standard: Possess the endurance to complete all required clinical rotation hours

Example Behaviors:

• Tolerate the physical demands of a 40-hour workweek for 3-8 weeks.

Use of Sensory System

Standard: Utilize sensory systems to be effectively engaged in the clinical environment.

Example Behaviors:

• Take in information through a variety of sensory systems (visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile).
• Complete written documentation using pen and paper or computer.
• Tolerate various sensory inputs including touch.