Upcoming FSBPT Analysis of Practice Survey

The AAOMPT Executive sent the below message out to its membership this morning, but the message should be widely viewed by all PTs across the country.  Please take the time to forward this post to PTs in your circle of influence.  There is no reason with technology that 50% of PTs can't have viewed this message by the end of the week.  Should you be invited, PLEASE take the time to respond!  Thanks to AAOMPT for getting the word out!

John

Take note!

The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, the organization responsible for the development and validation of the national PT licensure exam, will soon randomly invite thousands of PTs across the country to participate in an Analysis of Practice survey.  The Analysis of Practice survey is conducted every 5 years and provides a way to verify that the content for each exam is up-to-date and that the proportion of questions measuring various knowledge and sill areas is commensurate with the current importance of these areas to physical therapy practice.  Rest assured...you can easily ignore over 90% of all surveys ever sent to you (of course never those sent by AAOMPT!).  However, the Analysis of Practice survey IS NOT one of them.  It is arguably the most important survey you will ever complete as a health care professional because it directly impacts the makeup of the exam in both its content (ie, will there be any questions about a specific content area) and relative weighting of this content (ie, how many questions will be asked).

You may ask, 'What's the consequences of physical therapists who widely utilize manual physical therapy interventions ignoring this survey?'  Well, if the results of the survey reflect underutilization of thrust manipulation, for example, this content will continue to be under-weighted (or absent altogether) on the exam for the next 5 years!  Alternatively, as long as practitioners are rubbing an US wand on their patient's low back, you'd better be ready for questions like this on the exam.  If there has been a recent upswing in utilization of diathermy, low and behold it will rear its head again.  By design, licensure exams are not forward looking or evidence-based (nor are they intended to be).  They simply reflect current practice, with the aim to insure that licensed PTs meet a minimum standard of competence so as not to jeopardize the public's safety.  Incidentally, this survey approach is an accepted methodology across health care professions to develop licensure examinations.  Your opportunity to contribute to the content that is covered on the exam then lies in whether you take the time to complete the survey.  Should you be invited, PLEASE take the time to respond!

Sincerely,
AAOMPT Executive

Comments

[Stephanie Carter]

I agree this is VERY important. I recently attended a meeting for Ohio PT faculty sponsored by the FSBPT and the information from this survey is extremely important. The FSBPT is finally communicating better with the PT community (Thanks APTA) by doing these meetings around the country. The profession has made some significant changes in the last 5 years and those changes need to be recognized in the exam. As faculty of a PT program, I don't want to teach to the test!!