Improving Your Skillset as a Direct Access Physical Therapist

1. Discuss the evidence to support direct access physical therapy.
2. Describe appropriate medical screening tools, diagnostic imaging and laboratory utilization and management in direct access physical therapy (DAPT).
3. Examine appropriate pharmacology management of acute neuromusculoskeletal injuries.
4. Identify appropriate referral utilization and management in direct access physical therapy (PT).

Primary Care & Physical Therapy

1. List common risk factors and clinical presentations that warrant additional screening in a DAPT clinical setting.
2. Explain how to conduct a mental health screen and how to respond to a positive finding.
3. Describe regional and systemic concerns when screening for primary care conditions during a physical therapy examination.

Guidelines Based Review: Diagnosis and Treatment of Low Back Pain

1. Review and apply the VA/DoD and American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Low Back Pain Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) to assist in acute low back pain (LBP) evaluation and treatment decision-making.
2. Describe where to find relevant provider and patient resources for patients with LBP.

Sensible Use of Laboratory Studies for the Physical Therapist

1. Describe where to find relevant provider and patient resources for patients with LBP.
2. Describe common uses for each laboratory study and for what injury or disease process it is used to detect.

Lower Extremity Imaging

1. Discuss the American College of Radiology appropriateness criteria.
2. Describe how to use the ABCs system to analyze lower extremity radiographs.

The Pragmatic Approach to Pharmacology for the Physical Therapist

1. Identify medications the Physical Therapist may prescribe as part of a typical military treatment facility (MTF) formulary.
2. Describe common uses for each of the drugs listed and give examples in scenario format.
3. Discuss common side effects and considerations during the prescription of these drugs.

Direct Access to Physical Therapy (DAPT): Case Study

1. Assess a traumatic upper extremity injury in a Direct Access to Physical Therapy (DAPT) setting.
2. Identify pathognomonic signs of a traumatic upper extremity injury.
3. Describe a treatment plan for a patient with a traumatic upper extremity injury.

Upper Extremity: Case Review

1. Describe special questions to ask during subjective exam to assist in ruling in or ruling out red flag conditions.
2. Describe risk factors for red flag conditions.
3. Describe appropriate management of red flag conditions to include imaging, lab testing, referral to next echelon of care.

Lower Extremity: Case Review

1. Apply clinical reasoning skills from the overall course to evaluate and treat patients in a military DAPT setting.
2. Describe the incorporation of diagnostic imaging into a physical therapist’s daily practice within a military physical therapy direct access setting.
3. Identify the importance of collaborative, multi-disciplinary care within a military DAPT setting.