President's Note

Responding to Challenges

I'm honored to introduce APTA Magazine's first President's Note column. And I'm excited about the opportunity to engage in a new way with you, our members, in each issue of the magazine.

As PTs, PTAs, and students of physical therapy, we are comfortable with taking on challenges and well-acquainted with addressing those challenges on multiple fronts. The June issue of APTA Magazine provides numerous examples of how we thrive at complex problem-solving.

From honing leadership skills to thinking about new ways to increase access to physical therapy through group approaches to seeing productivity for the complex issue that it is, we have opportunities to improve our own practice. I hope this month's issue helps highlight these opportunities.

APTA is invested in advancing the profession in ways that bring true value to members. Our APTA Association Leadership Scholars Program continues to provide a unique, mentorship-based approach to nurturing the profession's next generation of leaders. In addition, we are launching APTA's first-ever Women's Leadership Summit this summer to address the challenges that are unique to women leaders in the profession and the disparities they face. Learn more from the next generation of women leaders in the field of physical therapy.

Productivity standards continue to challenge the members I hear from — and these standards can sometimes be at odds with quality patient care. APTA recently developed new online member resources on productivity, designed to help PTs and PTAs better understand the issue and work for positive change at both the systemwide and individual facility levels. For more on the complicated topic of productivity, read APTA Magazine Contributing Editor Troy Elliott's investigation.

Improving access to physical therapist services is sometimes an offshoot of the productivity conversation. One solution to this problem is increasing group therapy options. Frequent APTA Magazine contributor Chris Hayhurst looks at the challenges and opportunities of offering group physical therapy. Additionally, members should not overlook the continual flow of robust research featured in PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal, which gives you a convenient way to stay on top of the possibilities for improving care and access.

Our profession will always face challenges. It's how we respond to them that matters. The community we're building and the insights we're sharing leave me confident that we're continuing to live out our tradition of facing those challenges with openness to exploring new possibilities and commitment to our values.

Roger Herr, PT, MPA