Nonclinical competencies: a survey of occupational health physical therapists.

Consulting with business and industry represents a very new world for physical therapists--a world in which most have had little formal academic preparation. Some competencies in consulting in occupational health physical therapy are beyond specific clinical skills and knowledge. The purpose of this research was to survey occupational health physical therapists (OHPTs) concerning a previously identified list of nonclinical competencies in consulting with business and industry. The survey addressed how OHPTs rated the importance of these competencies, how they rated their own level of competence for each, and how they developed these competencies. The survey sample was based on members of the American Physical Therapy Association Orthopaedic Section's Special Interest Group in Occupational Health Physical Therapy. The response rate was 98% (61/62). Mean importance of competencies was 3.66/4.00 (range 3.00-3.88), which further validated the list of nonclinical competencies. The mean level of competence was 3.17/4.00 (range 2.40-3.50). The mean importance of individual competencies was consistently higher than level of competence. This discrepancy is of practical significance in terms of professional development of OHPTs consulting with business and industry. Primary sources of competence were practical experience (59.87%) and continuing education for physical therapists (15.51%). These results may indicate that current continuing education programs are not meeting OHPTs' educational needs and may serve as a basis for developing programs to better meet these needs. The survey instrument may help OHPTs identify and prioritize their own educational needs and to plan their own professional development accordingly.

Nonclinical competencies for physical therapists consulting with business and industry.

Industrial physical therapists (IPTs) are working as external consultants with business and industry to provide injury prevention and/or rehabilitation services. This consulting presents a very new practice setting for therapists and requires specialized nonclinical competencies. The purpose of this study was to identify these nonclinical competencies. The research was based on an evaluation research model using a stakeholder group. Stakeholders represented five groups: 1) IPTs, 2) continuing education providers, 3) business and industry employers of IPTs, 4) safety/risk managers, and 5) human resource development professionals. Thirty-five nonclinical competencies were identified through qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 17 subject matter experts representing the five groups. The competencies addressed marketing, program planning, managing the consulting process, training, and understanding organizations. This list of nonclinical competencies may serve as a self-assessment tool that IPTs can use to help plan their professional development. It may also facilitate planning continuing education programs for IPTs.

Diabetes and job performance: an empirical investigation.

There are approximately 11 million people in the United States with diabetes, and the numbers are increasing by 6% annually. Still, the relationship between diabetes and job performance remains unclear and marked by bias. To help clarify this relationship, a multicriterion job-performance rating scale was developed to rate task behaviors, interpersonal behaviors, down-time behaviors, and hazardous behaviors. A volunteer sample of 53 subjects was selected from people with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). All subjects were rated individually by a supervisor, who also rated the norm for the work group. The norm rating was used to determine a norm-referenced control group. The subjects were rated better than the norm in all categories and on all criteria: composite job performance (P < .001), task behaviors (P < .01), interpersonal behaviors (P < .01), down-time behaviors (P < .05), and hazardous behaviors (P < .001).