News

The 2019 APTA House of Delegates (HOD), attended by Heather England (chief delegate), Mary Dockter (delegate), Holly Schilling (PTA Caucus rep), and Cindy Flom-Meland (ND Chapter President), was once again a jam-packed, productive, and informative few days. The HOD was held in Chicago June 9-12 just prior to the NEXT conference. During this time, the 402 member delegation addressed 70 motions (many were placed on a consent calendar and thus had minimal discussion during session) as well as elected new members to the APTA Board of Directors. The House members continue to experience an increased workload as a Special Committee, appointed by the House, works through a review of past APTA and House Documents to ensure up to date language and continued utility. All motions are then presented to the HOD to either be amended with new language or rescinded if no longer needed.

APTA Board of Directors Election Results:

Secretary:                                Kip Schick, PT, DPT, MBA

Vice Speaker:                          Kyle Covington, PT, DPT, PhD

Directors:                                Deirdre "Dee" Daley, PT, DPT, MSHPE

 Heather Jennings, PT, DPT, NCS

 Carmen Cooper-Oguz, PT, DPT, MBA

Nominating Committee:      Carole "Carrie" Cunningham, PT, OCS

     V. Kai Kennedy, PT, DPT

Selected Motion Results:

1. Clarification of supervision for Student Physical Therapists and Student Physical Therapist Assistants
2. Clarification of the role of aides in physical therapist practice
3. Amendment to Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy
4. Adoption and a Charge for the APTA to Commit to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Clinical, Academic, and Research Settings
5. Amendment to the Guiding Principles to the Guiding Principles to Achieve the Vision with the addition of the movement system definition
6. Amendment to the Guidelines for Clinical Education Sites to focus on standards of excellence
7. Adoption of a position statement on the Public Health Crisis of Firearms-Related Injuries and Deaths in the US
8. Adoption of a Support Statement for Participation in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Recommended Vaccination Schedules as well as a charge to promote participation in recommended vaccination schedules
9. Adoption of a position statement for Naloxone Availability where Physical Therapist services are provided
10. Adoption of a Position Statement on Research
11. A Charge to explore PTs eligibility to participate in Medicare’s Annual Wellness Visits and Initial Preventative Physical Examination
12. Adoption of Wound Management Physical Therapy as an area of specialization
13. A Charge to provide consolidated online resources to assist members who serve patients, clients, and consumers with limited English proficiency.
14. A Charge to optimize accessibility of consumer-based communications provided by the APTA.

If you have any questions or comments; or would like to suggest a proposed motion for 2020, please don’t hesitate to contact your House of Delegates Representatives.

Physical Therapy educational research is alive and well in North Dakota! Currently, all three DPT programs simultaneously have a publication with the Journal of Physical Therapy Education.

At the University of Jamestown, Dr. Mitch Wolden and Dr. Brittany Anderson published a case report titled, “Enhancing pediatric education for physical therapy students through the development of community partnerships to facilitate experiential learning: A case report.”

At the University of North Dakota, Dr. Renee Mabey, Dr. Peggy Mohr, and Dr. Thomas Mohr published a research report titled, “Physical therapist student use of social media and perceptions of professional behaviors regarding social media postings.”

At the University of Mary, Dr. Mary Dockter, Dr. Heather Lundeen, and Dr. Michael Parker published a method/model presentation titled, “An interprofessional geriatric experiential learning experience: Its impact on physical and occupational therapist students.”

Congratulations to all of the authors on your hard work and dedication to advancing the physical therapy profession!

Our chapter is embracing APTA’s strategic plan objective to embody the APTA mission and vision through an integrated brand strategy!

By unifying our association branding, we will create clarity for our members and potential members. It will be easier to recognize APTA’s collective offerings and value. The unified brand will help us provide a more consistent member experience, strengthening our community in the spirit of APTA’s mission.

Rebranding is about much more than a new look or logo. Our brand will encourage us to act for impact, better leveraging our state-level expertise on behalf of members and potential members. The profession is evolving and so are we. Our new brand represents an investment in the future to maximize our impact. We’re sending a message that symbolizes our unity and ability to work together for the benefit of the profession and the public it serves. By creating a more unified brand, we strengthen our voice and our ability to represent and advocate for our members, the physical therapy profession, and the people we serve.

What to look for in the future:

APTA national is launching a new brand in the summer of 2020 with the launch of a new APTA.org. Look for our chapter’s new name, logo, and visual look now here on our website and on social media.

Other chapters and sections also can adopt the new brand and may reveal their new look before or after APTA does so. APTA hopes to align as many components as possible before the end of the association’s centennial year of 2021, but participation in the unified brand is voluntary.

APTA has once again received national honors from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)—this year, for APTA resources on financial literacy and student debt management, as well as for a collaborative program that helps aspiring physical therapist (PT) and physical therapist assistant (PTA) education program directors hone their leadership skills.

ASAE announced that APTA was the recipient of 2 "Power of A" awards: a Gold Award for the association's Financial Solutions Center, and a Silver Award for its Education Leadership Institute (ELI) fellowship program. ASAE's Power of A (the A stands for "association") Awards are the industry's highest honor, recognizing the association community's valuable contributions on local, national, and global levels.

Read more: http://www.apta.org/PTinMotion/News/2019/07/16/ASAEAwards2019/

Congratulations to Kathy Day on being awarded the NDPTA Outstanding Service Award.