PT students workshop ethical dilemmas, partner with Malcolm X College
Fifty-six students in the College of Applied Health Sciences participated in a collaborative workshop aimed at addressing the ethical dilemmas commonly faced by physical therapists.
The workshop focused on the relationship between physical therapists, or PTs, and physical therapy assistants, or PTAs, in clinical practice. UIC PT students worked with 27 PTA students from Malcolm X College in the three-hour workshop—the first between the two programs—which included lectures, discussions, and role-playing and report outs.
“The workshop gave a face to many of the discussions that we have had in the classroom,” said Tina Chase, director of clinical education and clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at UIC
This, she says, is important as they prepare for real-life, collaborative clinical settings.
The scenarios the students discussed included topics like patient care management and proper delegation of tasks. During role-playing, students from both programs had the opportunity to play the role of PT, PTA, patient or observer.
In one scenario, students worked through a conflict in the decision making process in response to a patient request to change the routine.
“It was a situation that I have discussed previously, but have not yet encountered in a rotation,” said Ryan Holladay, a second year PT student at UIC. “It was helpful to experience this in a low-pressure environment and to work it out with other students who have a different perspective than I do.”
Holladay played the role of a physical therapist in the scenario; his colleague David Castillo, also a second year PT student at UIC, was an observer.
“It was interesting to see the interaction unfold, and how it unfolded in an unexpected way,” Castillo said.