Accreditation For Physical Therapy Education Curriculum

The Commission for Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education Curriculum as Viewed Through the Lens of Social Meliorism Nancy Smith ECI 700 Curriculum Theory North Carolina State University The Commission for Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education Curriculum as Viewed Through the Lens of Social Meliorism Curricula can be viewed from different perspectives in order to critically evaluate how they might best influence students, institutions, and faculty. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Commission on Accreditation for Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) Evaluative Criteria for Physical Therapist (PT) Programs and its relationship to a social meliorist framework. First, a description of the curricula†¦show more content†¦CAPTE was established in 1977 by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and has served as the sole accrediting agency for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant programs (http://www.capteonline.org/WhatWeDo/ , retrieved 12/10/2014). While accreditation is a voluntary process for programs, graduation from a â€Å"PT or PTA program that meets the accreditation standards of CAPTE or is substantially equival ent† is required for students to be able to be eligible to take the PT national licensure exam. (NPTE Candidate Handbook. General Information, retrieved 12/10/2014). In its work as an accrediting body, CAPTE has established programmatic standards and criteria for evaluation of Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant programs. These standards are influenced by â€Å"the profession in defining the nature of contemporary practice and determining practice expectations and the demands that are placed on graduates† (CAPTE Evaluative Criteria, p. i, 2014). CAPTE references five documents in the derivation of these standards: the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, which describes patient/client management, and the Normative Model of Physical Therapist Professional Education, â€Å"which focuses on the prerogatives, perspectives, beliefs, and values relative to PT education,† the APTA Code of Ethics, the Guide for Professional Conduct, and the Standards of Practice (CAPTE Evaluative