\Have you ever wondered what your physical therapist does when they aren’t working with you to help you feel and move better? Well, besides the necessary outdoor playtime that all of us thrive on, we work hard to stay fresh and up to date with the latest research and techniques to assist you to the fullest potential! The licensing regulatory board in the state of Colorado recently updated their requirements for continuing competency of physical therapists in order to make sure we are all on our “A-game” when it comes to treating patients.
Beginning in the renewal cycle from 2014-2016, PTs will be responsible for establishing learning goals, creating a learning plan, and then participating in professional development activities that will earn us points toward our requirement of 30 per renewal cycle. Professional development activities include such things as attending continuing education meetings, taking coursework towards a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (like Ellen just completed!), receiving a specialist certification such as the Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist designation that Ellen, Dave and soon I will have, attending a journal club or workplace in-service, and participating in a formal mentoring relationship (which Dave and I currently set aside one hour weekly to do). These are just a few examples of things that we are already doing here at Tomsic Physical Therapy to further our education and training. It just so happens that participation in these activities keeps us in good standing with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, as well.
The most important part of continuing competency requirements is being able to take the information and skills that we are learning and implement them into our current practice. That means that the most crucial part of our life-long learning is seeing you, the patient, so that we can make sure we are applying the most up-to-date evidence effectively.
Call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our physical therapists. We are committed to assisting you with your musculoskeletal pain and injuries, using the latest tools and techniques that we’ve gained through our continuing competency.
