David, a physical therapist, and his sister, Sarah, a physical therapist assista

Question

David, a physical therapist, and his sister, Sarah, a physical therapist assistant, co-own a private practice. David and Sarah both work four 10-hour days each week with David working Monday through Thursday and Sarah working Tuesday through Friday. They work in a state where a PTA is allowed to practice under indirect supervision. This means that the PT is “on call”, but does not have to be on site when the PTA is treating. In the 5 years they have owned the clinic together, Sarah has never had to call David on a Friday. One Friday afternoon, Mrs. Jones shows up at the front desk asking to have a same day appointment. Mrs. Jones reports that she has “thrown out” her SI joint again. She is confident that Sarah has the ability to assist her with this condition as she came to the clinic three years earlier for what she describes as “the exact same thing”. Sarah explains that she cannot help Mrs. Jones because Sarah is not legally allowed to treat Mrs. Jones until a PT has evaluated her. Mrs. Jones reports that she is leaving for an important business trip by airplane tomorrow and cannot wait until Monday for David to evaluate her. She states that she could lose her job if she doesn’t go on this business trip, but she cannot imagine flying in this much pain.

1) List one legal, ethical option Sarah has in response to Mrs. Jones’ situation.

2) The Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant are similar to the Physical Therapist’s Code of Ethics. Please refer to the standards and select at least one standard or sub-standard applicable to this case. Briefly explain what that standard calls Sarah to do in this situation.

Explanation / Answer

Answers...

1.One Legal Point....

David and Sarah both work four 10-hour days each week with David working Monday through Thursday and Sarah working Tuesday through Friday. They work in a state where a PTA is allowed to practice under indirect supervision....

2.  They work in a state where a PTA is allowed to practice under indirect supervision. This means that the PT is “on call”, but does not have to be on site when the PTA is treating.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse D
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.