Task Force to Identify Means for Building a Sufficient Workforce in Physical Therapy
Purpose
The purpose of this Task Force is to develop the framework that clarifies what creates a physical therapist workforce surplus.
The presence of a workforce surplus in the Doctor of Physical Therapy workforce can vary over time and across different regions. Workforce dynamics are influenced by several factors, including changes in healthcare needs, government policies, advancements in technology, and shifts in the job market. A workforce surplus may occur when the number of DPT graduates exceeds the demand for physical therapist positions within the field.
Objectives
To achieve its purpose, the Task Force will:
- Review recent sources of information such as labor reports, workforce studies, or data from physical therapy associations to gain insights into job market trends, graduate employment rates, and clinical and faculty positions' availability.
- Determine the best national and regional metrics to be used based on the most current information and appropriate resources.
- Define potential influences that create a surplus or deficiency in the workforce now and in the future.
- Literature Review: Conduct a thorough review of existing literature, research papers, reports, and articles related to physical therapy workforce surplus. This will help us understand the current state of knowledge, identify any existing frameworks or models, determine geographical distribution of physical therapists, and determine gaps in the research.
- Data Collection: Gather data from various sources to assess the current supply and demand of physical therapist positions. Key data sources may include:
- Government agencies: Look for data from labor departments, education departments, and health workforce planning bodies.
- Academic institutions: Gather data from universities, colleges, and physical therapy schools to understand enrollment rates, graduate numbers, and job placement rates.
- Professional associations: Collaborate with physical therapy associations that may have relevant data on workforce trends and shortages.
- Surveys and interviews: Conduct surveys or interviews with academic institutions, employers, and recent graduates to gather qualitative insights.
- Data Analysis: Analyze the collected data to identify trends, patterns, and potential factors contributing to the workforce surplus. Utilize statistical tools, such as regression analysis or data visualization, to better understand the relationships between various variables.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Engage with key stakeholders, including academic institutions, educators, students, healthcare providers, community leaders, and policymakers. Seek their perspectives on the factors influencing workforce surplus in academic physical therapy.
- Identify Contributing Factors: Based on the data analysis and stakeholder input, identify the factors that contribute to the workforce surplus in physical therapy. These factors may include changes in the job market, shifts in healthcare needs, curriculum changes, accreditation provisions, or graduate preferences.
- Framework Development: Organize the identified factors into a coherent framework that illustrates the relationship between the surplus and its contributing elements. The framework should be logical, clear, and based on evidence. It may involve a cause-and-effect approach, highlighting how specific factors lead to a workforce surplus.
- Validation and Review: Share the framework with experts and stakeholders for feedback and validation. Ensure that the framework aligns with the reality of the situation and accurately represents the complexities of the workforce surplus.
- The task force is committed to ensuring that its work will be rooted in principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. By integrating DEI considerations into our work, we aim to address systemic disparities, remove barriers, and foster an environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, have equal access to opportunities and representation within the field of physical therapy.
Outcomes
By following the above objectives, and any others discovered, this Task Force will create standardized resources for the use by all institutions, which shall include:
- Provide a current analysis of the workforce in physical therapist workforce.
- Define the metrics to be used and the recommended frequency for conducting such studies in the future.
- Identify recommendations for confronting current/future workforce challenges in physical therapy.
- Policy Recommendations: Based on the framework, develop policy recommendations that could help address the workforce surplus in DPT graduates.
- Dissemination: Publish the findings, framework, and policy recommendations in relevant journals, conferences, or reports. Share information with policymakers, educators, and relevant organizations to facilitate informed decision-making.
Composition
The Task Force shall not exceed 10 people. The Task Force will seek to have:
- Representatives from large and small institutions.
- Representatives from research-intensive institutions.
- Representatives who can show direct experience implementing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- Representatives of gender diverse groups
- Equal representation of academicians and clinicians.
- Representation from diverse geographic and practice settings.
The Chair’s primary responsibility will be to ensure the Task Force is meeting its charge as outlined in this document and within the timeline defined. The Chair will meet quarterly with the Institute Chair and Vice Chair, providing written progress reports on the work of the Task Force.
The Vice Chair’s responsibility will be to serve as the secretary of the Task Force whose responsibilities include polling for meetings, developing the agenda with the Chair, circulating minutes to Task Force members, staff and the Institute Chair and Vice Chair, and delivering all documents and work products to ACAPT for archiving.
- To ensure diverse engagement and equitable opportunities, no person serving on the Task Force may be serving on another of ACAPT’s volunteer leadership groups unless permission is sought and granted in advance by the Board of Directors.
- The Task Forces are accountable to their Institute Chair and Vice Chair, who are accountable to the ACAPT Board of Directors.
- All who are appointed to the Task Force will receive a letter acknowledging their appointment that may support promotion and/or tenure.
Timeline
- Task force members will meet or communicate at least monthly via conference calls and emails to review tasks completed and next steps to meet project milestones.
- Task force members may meet at CSM in person or virtually. The budget will determine if/what resources are available to support such a meeting.
- The Institute Chair and Vice Chair will conduct a virtual meeting quarterly with all task force chairs and vice chairs within that Institute to evaluate progress on their charge and to address any barriers or potential changes needed to their charge in response to changes in the profession.
- The task force will submit information to the Institute Chair and Vice Chair that may reflect their activity during the year and reported in ACAPT’s annual report, which is created in August and disseminated to members electronically in September.
- Task forces should be prepared to discuss their activity with ACAPT members at the Physical Therapy Education Leadership Conference (ELC) during a networking event created for the Institute.
- Task forces are expected to conclude their work by December of the calendar year in which they were created.
- If a task force needs more time than the calendar year for which they were created, the Chair of the task force will notify the Institute Chair. Together, they will evaluate what is causing the delay, evaluate if there are new circumstances informing the work not previously identified, and if there are additional resources needed. If the need for additional time is determined necessary by the Institute Chair, they will submit a request to the Board for an extension, to include how that may impact resources. The Board will make an assessment based on the charge, needed outcomes, and resources available and either extend the work for a limited time, expand the size of the task force to increase productivity to meet the charge and timeline, or disband the task force.
- The final work product(s) will reside on ACAPT’s website and shall be an ACAPT product.
Members
- Chair: TBD
- Vice Chair: TBD