Excellence in Academic Physical Therapy: Powering the Leadership Team
There has been an ever-increasing demand for professional development and training of new leaders and leadership teams for Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) programs, including:
- Program directors
- Directors of clinical education (DCEs)
- Other members of the program leadership team
Challenges for leadership teams
The DPT program leadership team, including the DCE, is the bedrock of any functioning program and is essential to the establishment of a new physical therapist program; however,
- Leadership turnover and burnout are high.
- Many entering these positions have limited knowledge of or experience in the skills required to meet their position’s expectations.
To address these concerns, ACAPT is developing a DPT program leadership team training to:
- Emphasize the value of a team working more cohesively within the program, while providing training unique to each position.
- Present new and developing programs with training opportunities on using & integrating the ACAPT Excellence Framework and
a culture of assessment and continuous improvement as programs work to obtain or maintain accreditation.
- Prepare leadership teams to lead physical therapist programs.
Many who participate in this workshop may seek additional leadership training through APTA’s Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership (FHEL); ACAPT's
new training & the fellowship program complement each other. (ACAPT also offers diversity awards for
FHEL.)
How the new leadership team workshop will work
- Hybrid training with a 2.5-day, face-to-face learning session, and 2 online learning sessions.
- For leadership team members, first registration priority is for those teams who have been working together for 4 years or less. This includes programs that are developing, in candidacy, or fully accredited.
- Attendees from leadership teams with more than 4 years of working together and leaders attending individually, not as a part of a team, will be permitted to apply and attend as space allows.
Call for Proposals
Where to submit the proposal:
ACAPT aims to fund the development of the content for this workshop. Individuals with experience with physical therapist program leadership are encouraged to submit a proposal by emailing events@acapt.org by Friday, March 17, 2023.
Scope:
This call for proposals seeks an individual or team of individuals (up to 4) to propose the development of a curriculum for physical therapy leadership team development.
- The curriculum will include 2 webinars and 1 face-to-face, 2.5-day session for 30 participants. No more than two of the developers will present the face-to-face workshop.
- Four key categories of content that are built around critical categories within the ACAPT Leadership Compass and
Excellence Framework should be addressed. These categories include:
- Nurturing a collegial culture
- Stewardship of the DPT curriculum
- Program administration
- Personal leadership
Eligibility:
Proposals will be considered from individuals or a team of individuals (up tp 4 members) who meet the following criteria:
- At least one member with experience as a program director or DCE in a physical therapist program – 5 or more years
- Experience in curriculum development and assessment
- Experience with institutional and program accreditation; have led the writing of 50% or more of a program self-study
- Past participation in formal leadership training/development
- Dynamic speaking ability
- Proven involvement in DEI initiatives, strategic planning, budget development
- Experience in online/hybrid educational delivery
- Proven experience with team dynamics
- At least one member must commit to a role in presenting the curriculum across the full initial workshop series (2 webinars and 1 face-to-face workshop).
Funding:
- A total honorarium of $6000 will be awarded for the development of the curriculum content.
- A separate honorarium is available for the individual(s) who serve as the presenters for the 2.5 day, in-person portion of the inaugural workshop (limited to 2 presenters).
Proposal requirements & evaluation:
Successful proposals will:
- Outline a plan for integration of the specified content within the workshop curriculum that includes a proposed schedule and learning objectives. Break-out sessions to address some content is acceptable (Appendix 1).
- Demonstrate intended integration of creative and engaging curriculum delivery in a manner that facilitates active learning and leadership team collaboration.
- Outline the qualifications of the proposal team to develop and/or deliver the curricular content.
- Outline an assessment plan for workshop outcomes.
- Reference contemporary resources and materials related to the content and adult learning principles.
Click here to view the Proposal rubric
- Qualifications of proposal team
- Content development experience in the 4 main areas
- Assessment plan of workshop outcomes
- Use of contemporary references and resources
Proposal timeline:
- February 8: Call for Proposals released
- March 17: Deadline to submit proposals
- March 20-31: Review and scoring of proposals
- April 3: Notification of applicants
- April 2023: Selected developers begin their work
- Q1-2 2024: Course begins the in-person workshop in either January or May/June
Email questions and proposals to events@acapt.org.