Leadership in academic physical therapy is a dynamic and evolving journey shaped by context, community, and personal growth. Whether in the classroom, clinic, research lab, or boardroom, leadership shows up differently for every role and career stage.
The ACAPT Leadership Compass was created to honor that complexity while offering a clear, adaptable framework to support leadership growth across the academic physical therapy landscape.
Who is the Compass for?
Everyone.
- Students discovering their leadership voice
- Faculty balancing mentorship, scholarship, and service
- Administrators leading teams and shaping strategy
- Clinicians integrating academic and practical expertise
- Emerging and established leaders seeking to grow with purpose
No matter where you are, the Compass helps you reflect, connect, and move forward with clarity.
What is the Leadership Compass?
The Leadership Compass is a developmental tool tailored specifically to the academic physical therapy community. It’s organized around 12 essential leadership categories that reflect the real challenges and opportunities faced by our profession.
To deepen your leadership journey, the Compass invites you to explore these categories through three powerful lenses:
Developing – Building self-awareness and leading from within
Relating – Collaborating, communicating, and leading with empathy
Influencing – Mentoring and elevating others
You can use the Compass to:
- Map your personal leadership strengths and growth areas
- Enhance teamwork and interprofessional collaboration
- Foster inclusive mentorship and institutional change
- Align leadership development with programmatic goals
- Build a leadership culture across your academic community
Why it Matters
Leadership in academic physical therapy is about influence, impact, and intentional development. The Leadership Compass helps you cultivate leadership that’s:
- Reflective – Grounded in self-awareness
- Responsive – Adapted to the evolving needs of students, peers, and systems
- Relational – Built on trust, collaboration, and community
Start Your Journey
Ready to explore?
Use the Compass to chart your leadership path, connect with others on a similar journey, and shape the future of academic physical therapy.
FREE ACCESS (ACAPT Members): If a U.S. accredited PT program has paid annual ACAPT member institution dues, then the program's PT program chair(s), PT faculty, and PT clinical affiliates are eligible for free ACAPT individual membership. Each individual must create an account in order to be "bundled" with their member institution. ACAPT individual members can access the Leadership Compass at no charge after their account has been verified.
DPT & PTA students can receive free, unlimited access to the Leadership Compass. Students are ineligible for ACAPT individual membership, but can set up a free ACAPT account.
PAID ACCESS (Non-Members): If you do not fit the criteria above, you may purchase an annual subscription to the Compass for $175.
If you have any questions, you can email acapt@acapt.org.