In this News Brief:
Letter to the National Governors Association
The FSBPT Board of Directors recently sent a letter to the National Governors Association encouraging governors to consider the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging when filling vacant positions on physical therapy boards. “Appointments to state regulatory boards should consider a wide range of factors including age, class, ethnicity, gender, health, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical size, education level, and geographical location to ensure broad representation for the citizens of the state.” Read the letter.
Statement on Misinformation
FSBPT promotes scientific data, research, and analyses in understanding health-related matters. FSBPT also strongly discourages the spread of misinformation. In consultation with other health care regulatory groups, the FSBPT Board of Directors has issued the following statement:
“Healthcare professionals who generate and spread misinformation or disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine are putting the public at risk. Because of their specialized knowledge and training, licensed Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants possess a high degree of public trust and therefore have a powerful platform in society, whether they recognize it or not. They also have an ethical and professional responsibility to provide health care in the best interests of their patients and must share information that is factual, scientifically grounded, and evidence-based for the betterment of public health. Spreading inaccurate information contradicts that responsibility, threatens to further erode public trust in health care, and puts all patients at risk.”
Boundary Violations Task Force Provides Concrete Advice
In a recent FSBPT poll, 63 percent of regulators related an increase of complaints against licensees of inappropriate professional behavior in the realm of sexual misconduct. Unfortunately, reports of sexual misconduct, including boundaries violations, have proliferated throughout all professions and society as a whole.
According to the poll, 24 percent of PT jurisdictions do not provide guidance for licensees concerning personal/sexual relationships with patients. The power differential between a physical therapist and a patient is significant and real. Harvey Weinstein abused some of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry. Even with all the resources at their disposal, many of them were reluctant to report the sexual abuse to the proper authorities.
The line of what is considered appropriate in terms of comments, physical contact, and behaviors has radically shifted over the last few decades. Previously accepted norms of behavior can no longer be tolerated and are considered boundary violations or sexual abuse.
Some research indicates that as many as 50 percent of females and 33 percent of males will be victims of sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. Today’s physical therapist must assume that their patient has experienced sexual assault at some point and must proceed judiciously and cautiously in both conversations and touch. New graduates who may have undressed with little discretion during educational lab settings must recognize that many patients are not as comfortable disrobing.
We must educate clinicians, patients, and other stakeholders within the field of physical therapy to help them recognize the problem and provide them with access to appropriate tools and resources to prevent boundary violations for them and their patients.
Over the next few months, the Boundary Violations Task Force will be sharing a series of articles, starting with the one below, to help jurisdictions take concrete actions that help protect the public. We hope you find these pieces to be useful and edifying. We welcome feedback at BoundaryViolationsTF@fsbpt.org.
Is the Structure of Your Website a Barrier to Complainants?
FSBPT formed the Boundary Violation Task Force in 2020. One of the task force’s goals is to identify potential barriers for reporting violations to regulatory boards. To help accomplish this, task force members reviewed jurisdictions’ websites. The task force members only reviewed websites they were unfamiliar with, and they tried to view them via the lens of someone who had experienced sexual misconduct during physical therapy and was contemplating filing a complaint with the board.
Number of Mouse ‘Clicks’ Required to Report a Complaint
During the review, they counted how many mouse “clicks” it would take to get to a webpage to report a complaint (not just information about the complaint process, but the actual action: print a form, fill out an online form, or call a phone number). The average number of mouse clicks to report a complaint was 3.5. The Task Force applauds the jurisdictions that allowed individuals to report a complaint in just one or two clicks. However, websites that require a significant number of mouse clicks to report a complaint are concerning as this might be a barrier to an individual who is already dealing with trauma and may be hesitant to report an incident. The task force encourages jurisdictions to review their websites and make changes as necessary to decrease any unnecessary barriers to reporting a complaint.
Take away tip: Consider having a quick link on your jurisdiction’s main home page for reporting a complaint or inappropriate action of a licensee.
Prepare for the Delegate Assembly
This year, the Delegate Assembly will be held virtually. We will send more information to Voting Delegates, Selected Administrators, and Alternate Delegates soon.
- Candidate Forum 2: October 21, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Delegate Workshop: October 23, 2:00 p.m. ET
- Delegate Assembly: October 23, 4:00 p.m. ET
Motions
Motions for the 2021 Delegate Assembly are available for review. If you have any questions about the motions, please contact resolutions@fsbpt.org.
Delegate Handbook
The 2021 Delegate Handbook will soon be available in the Member's Area. The handbook provides members with reports from FSBPT committees, financial audits, and other information.
Meet with the Resolutions Committee
Please email resolutions@fsbpt.org if you’d like to meet with the Resolutions Committee to discuss the 2021 motions. The Committee will be available 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET on Monday, October 18, and Tuesday, October 19. These meetings will be canceled if the committee does not receive any requests by Monday, October 11.
2021 FSBPT Board of Directors and Nominating Committee Candidate Statements
Candidates for this year’s elected positions for the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee have prepared statements you can review with your board before elections take place on Saturday, October 23, 2021. We encourage you to take some time to review their submissions. Candidates will also speak about their experience and answer questions at the virtual Candidate Forum on Thursday, October 21, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
2021 Candidate Statements for the Council of Board Administrators (CBA)
We are pleased to announce that Michelle Sigmund-Gaines will be running for this year’s 2021 CBA Chair. We encourage you to read her candidate statement.
Alaska, Delaware, and Louisiana Opt into the Alternate Approval Process
Alaska, Delaware, and Louisiana joined twenty-one other states by opting into the Alternate Approval Process (AAP). Under AAP, when an applicant who is a graduate of a CAPTE accredited program registers for the NPTE, FSBPT will make the candidate eligible to sit for the NPTE provided that the candidate meets all NPTE eligibility requirements. Under AAP, FSBPT also handles the review of all requests for testing accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact FSBPT if your jurisdiction is interested in opting into AAP.
Share Your Webinar Ideas!
We are seeking presentation ideas and proposals for webinars we will be hosting throughout 2021. You can watch recent webinars and register for upcoming sessions on the new FSBPT events platform.
If you have a specific idea, please submit a proposal. However, we are also interested in learning about jurisdictions' experiences with regulatory topics and your general ideas on what issues we should examine. We encourage all board members, board administrators, and other stakeholders to please share topics and ideas with us.
FSBPT Forum: It's Not Burnout! It is Moral Injury: Why Should Regulators be Concerned?
The concept of Moral Injury is relatively new to health care but closely related to the notions of burnout and moral distress. This article is based on a 2020 Annual Meeting Webinar presented by Nancy Kirsch. Read the article.
Spotlight on Member Resources: 2021 Leadership Issues Forum Report
The Leadership Issues Forum took place virtually in July. The official report is now available in the Member's Area.
Our Gratitude for Volunteers
This month, we thank the generous volunteer members of these groups for their support of our mission:
- Exam Development Committees
- Item Writers
Webinar Clip: The Challenges to Health Care and the Future of the Physical Therapy Profession
This clip where David Nicholls covers the challenges to health care and the future of the physical therapy profession is from the webinar "Physiotherapy Otherwise? What are the Challenges Facing the Profession and What will this Mean for its Consumers, Regulators, and Practitioners?" You can watch the whole webinar and register for upcoming webinars.
In the News
"Mobilizing toward health equity: Action steps for health care organizations," Kulleni Gebreyes, David Rabinowitz, Nigel Ferguson, and Wendy Gerhardt, Deloitte Insights, May 26, 2021
"Health care organizations are on the front lines of addressing health equity, playing key roles in not only access and care delivery, but also as employers and as community members. Discover strategies for organizations to address health equity within their organizations and the communities they serve."
"Amplifying Black voices: What health care organizations can do to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workforce," Paul Atkins, Kimberly R. Enard, Kim Griffin-Hunter, and Diane Howard, Deloitte Insights, July 22, 2021
"Improving DE&I among the health care workforce is an important component of ensuring health equity. Research by Deloitte and NAHSE aims to ascertain where the industry is in terms of DE&I in the workforce and what it can do to improve performance."
"Ethics in Extraordinary Times: Practitioner Experiences During the Covid-19 Pandemic," Professional Standards Authority, June 18, 2021
"This report explores the ethical experiences of practitioners working in health and social care professions.... The research describes a focused review of the literature that was published during the pandemic about practitioners’ ethical experiences and what was shared during individual interviews and focus groups with practitioners from a range of professions."
Biden Directed the FTC to Ban “Unnecessary” Occupational Licensing Requirements, Christina Wilkie, CNBC, July 7, 2021
"President Joe Biden will issue a forthcoming executive order that calls on the Federal Trade Commission to adopt rules to curtail worker non-compete agreements, part of a broader set of executive actions aimed at increasing competition in the marketplace."
"Telehealth Took Off During the Pandemic. Now, Battles Over State Lines and Licensing Threaten Patients’ Options," Julie Appleby, Time, August 26, 2021
"Televisits for medical care took off during the worst days of the pandemic, quickly becoming commonplace. Throughout, it’s probably seemed like it doesn’t matter what state the provider of these telehealth services is located. But that’s only because most states, along with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, temporarily waived rules requiring licensed clinicians to hold a valid license in the state where their patient is located. Now states are rolling back many of those pandemic workarounds—meaning the ability to conduct certain virtual appointments may be nearing an end."
Note: To delve deeper into this topic as it relates to physical therapy regulations, watch our recent webinar: "How Can Boards Reckon with the Post-COVID Future while Grappling with Current Regulations."
Board Report
Motion - Approved
To appoint the following people:
- Re-entry to Practice Task Force
- Treating Close Relations Task Force
- Continuing Competence Committee
Board Liaisons to Jurisdictions
Members of the Board of Directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions. Current liaison relationships are listed here for your reference.
Tom Caldwell
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas
|
Ruggie Canizares
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah
|
Ellen Donald
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina
|
Joni Kalis
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
|
Nancy Kirsch
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
|
Adrienne Price
Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
|
David Relling
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
|
Charles E. Reiter
The public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions.
|
Back to Top
Staff Contact Information
Staff Contact Information
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you!
(703) 299-3100
|
Subject
|
Point of Contact/Email Address
|
|
ADA accommodations
|
Christine Sousa
|
|
Assessment or examination development questions
|
Lorin Muelle
Susan Newman
npte@fsbpt.org
|
|
Continuing competence
|
Jeffrey M. Rosa
competencestaff@fsbpt.org
|
|
Credentials review
|
Jaime Nolan, FCCPT
|
|
ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation
|
eldd@fsbpt.org
|
|
Exam registration processing
|
Christine Sousa
|
|
Foreign educated issues
|
Leslie Adrian
|
|
Immigration
|
Jamie Nolan
|
|
JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module
|
competencestaff@fsbpt.org
|
|
Legislation or Model Practice Act
|
Leslie Adrian
|
|
Meeting arrangements
|
Paul Delaney
|
|
NPDB reports/questions
|
Angela Burnham
|
|
PTC- Physical Therapy Compact
|
compact@fsbpt.org
|
|
PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool
|
peat@fsbpt.org
|
|
Reimbursement of expenses
Other financial matters
|
Linda Michelsen
|
|
School reports
|
schoolreports@fsbpt.org
|
|
Score transfer & reporting
|
Christine Sousa
|
|
SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool
|
scppet@fsbpt.org
|
|
Security issues
|
Susan Newman
security@fsbpt.org
|
|
Anything else, including news to share with members
|
William A. Hatherill
Caitlin Jennings
Communications@fsbpt.org
|
|
|
|
From the beautiful, bountiful, black-eyed Susan banks of the Potomac River, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories.
- William A. Hatherill, CEO
|