Management of Neurological Disorders Syllabus for 2011-2012
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Instructor Information

Course Information

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Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

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Course

PTHA-2431-001 Management of Neurological Disorders

Prerequisites

Course Description

Advanced course integrating previously learned and new skills/techniques into the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected neurological disorders.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

\N

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(4 sem hrs; 3 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

\ Physical Rehabilitation: Assessment and Treatment by O’Sullivan and Schmitz, 4th ed.
\ Case Studies in Rehabilitation by Ghikas

Supplies

\  1 scantron for each major exam

Student Performance

COURSE DESCRIPTION:    Advanced course integrating previously learned and new skills/techniques into the comprehensive rehabilitation of selected long-term pathologies.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:  This course is designed to give the student the knowledge needed to treat patients with long term and chronic disabilities.  It also provides the student the opportunity to pull together all of their knowledge of treatment approaches from previous courses.

COURSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
a.    Goals: Given the course textbook, personal notes, handouts, and other material, the student should:
i.    Demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
ii.    Demonstrate a commitment to meeting societal expectations for healthcare providers.
iii.    Demonstrate understanding of the plan of care established by the physical therapist.
iv.    Demonstrate competence with components of selected treatment interventions.
v.    Perform selected data collection skills.
vi.    Understand causes/implications/characteristics of chronic disabilities as well as specific treatment indications.
vii.    Within the plan of care, discuss alternatives to treatment interventions.
viii.    Identify changes in patient status that prohibit intervention.
ix.    Discuss appropriate ways to report changes in patient status to the supervising physical therapist.
x.    Review current physical therapy literature.

The student will know that these goals have been successfully completed if he or she earns a final grade of “C” or higher as evaluated by the faculty of the department.

B.    Objectives:
a.    Given the course textbook, personal notes, handouts, and other material, the student should be able to do each of the following on a written and/or practical examination with an accuracy of 75% or higher as evaluated by faculty of the department:
i.    Goal #1
1.    Demonstrate understanding of language and terminology appropriate to physical therapy.
2.    Demonstrate appropriate nonverbal communication skills (i.e. touch and facial expressions) with simulated patient/therapist interactions.
3.    Demonstrate appropriate verbal communication skills with simulated patient/therapist interactions.
4.    Present oral presentation(s) to classmates.
ii.    Goal #2
5.    Ensure patient, personal, staff, and environmental safety.
iii.    Goal #3
6.    Explain the rationale and effectiveness of delegated interventions.
iv.    Goal #4
7.    Observe the patient’s basic performance level in self-care and home-management skills with/without equipment.
8.    Observe the individual using assistive or adaptive devices for intended effects and benefits.
9.    Learn to use developmental sequence as a basis for treating neuromuscular disorders.
10.    Observe effect of neuromuscular disorders on gait and balance.
11.    Recognize the safety of a patient while using a device.
12.   Begin to perform wheelchair management and mobility training with specialized patient populations (i.e. patients with hemiplegia and spinal cord injuries)
13.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques to teach balance/coordination training to specialized patient populations.
14.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques to teach breathing exercises and coughing techniques to specialized patient populations.
15.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques for conditioning/reconditioning for specialized patient populations.
16.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques for ROM with specialized patient populations.
17.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques for stretching with specialized patient populations.
18.    Demonstrate understanding of techniques for strengthening with specialized patient populations.

v.    Goal #5
19.    Classify patients according to the Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale and determine appropriate treatment interventions for patients at each level of the scale.
20.    Classify patients according to the Glasgow Coma Scale.
21.    Differentiate between different states of arousal (i.e. coma, persistent vegetative state, stupor, delirium)
22.    Identify changes in muscle tone and potential causes for each type of change.
23.    Describe chest wall expansion and excursion.
vi.    Goal #6
24.    Explain the philosophy of rehabilitation.
25.    Contrast the differences between acute and chronic disabilities.
26.    State etiology and pathology of cerebral vascular accidents.
27.    Identify the various synergies associated with CVA’s.
28.    Describe traditional and non-traditional approaches to the treatment of CVA.
29.    Identify the various synergies associated with CVA’s.
30.    Describe traditional and non-traditional approaches to the treatment of CVA’s.
31.    List etiology and pathology of multiple sclerosis, and Parkinsonism.
32.    Describe the PT management of multiple sclerosis, and Parkinsonism.
33.    List etiology and pathology of spinal cord injuries and identify special problem areas associated with SCI’s.
34.    Outline the disabilities associated with lesions at various segments of the spinal cord and describe PT management of SCI.
vii.    Goal #7
35.    List alternatives to treatment interventions.
viii.    Goal #8
36.    Demonstrate awareness of patient symptoms that prohibit treatment.
ix.    Goal #9
37.    Demonstrate awareness of what changes need to be reported to the supervising physical therapist as well as techniques to report those changes.
x.    Goal #10
38.     Submit  at least one abstract from a peer-reviewed journal for each case study.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Grading Criteria

\ GRADING CRITERIA:
\     Case Studies            20%       
\     Tests                          20%
\     Lab Practicals**       20%
\     Final                          40%
\
\ Students are responsible for correctly completing their scantron sheets.  Once the scantron is turned into the instructor, no changes will be allowed on the scantron.  Therefore, we strongly recommend you are careful with imprinting your responses.
\
\ ** Students who do not meet minimum proficiencies during the lab practical will be required to re-test until proficiencies are met before the course is completed.  The first test grade the student attains is the recorded grade.
\
\ In addition to passing the above tests, the student will be required to complete all assigned case studies.  If these items are not submitted, the student will receive an "F" for the semester.
\
\ GRADING SCALE:
\ A = 100-92.5
\ B = 92.4-83.5
\ C = 83.4-74.5
\ F=74.4-0
\
\ Note: A grade of C or better is required to complete the PTA major.
\  

\ MAKE-UP POLICY: There will be NO make-ups on quizzes.  Make-up tests and practicals will be scheduled at the mutual convenience of the student and instructor during the week of finals.  The make-up exam may vary in format from the original exam and a five-point penalty will be subtracted from the score of the make-up test or practical.
\  

Attendance

\ ATTENDANCE: Attendance is required for successful completion of all lectures and labs in the Physical Therapist Assistant program.  At the beginning of each lecture and lab, students will be expected to sign the roster provided by the course instructor.  Even if a student is present in class and seen by the instructor, failure to sign in will result in the student being marked absent for attendance purposes.  If a student signs in another student, both students will be counted absent.  Each student will be allowed only one absence for lecture only courses and two absences for lecture/lab courses.  After the first absence for lecture courses and second absence for lecture/lab courses, a penalty of five points will be deducted from the student’s final course grade for each subsequent absence.  For example, a student who misses 3 lectures in a lecture only course will have 10 points deducted from the his/her final grade in that course.  A student will be considered “tardy” if he/she arrives to class 1-10 minutes late or leaves before class is dismissed by the instructor.  Two “tardies” will be considered one absence.  Students arriving to class after 10 minutes will not be permitted to enter the lecture or lab until the next course begins.  Exceptions to this policy will only be made under extenuating circumstances and only if the course instructor receives the appropriate written documentation to support the event within 5 days of the absence.”

\ Following an absence, the student is responsible for getting missed notes/assignments/copies of handouts, etc. from classmates.  The student is also responsible for getting any needed clarification of missed information from the course instructor.

Calendar

Additional Information

\ CASE STUDIES

\ Students will be assigned case studies to complete utilizing the Ghikas textbook.  Case studies due dates are indicated in the course schedule.  Each case study must include an abstract  from a peer-reviewed journal.  The abstract must be referenced appropriately and needs to support the treatment(s) used for the patient.  The abstract must be typed; however, the treatment plans may be hand-written or typed.  The case study consists of two 30-minute treatment plans and needs to indicate the specific exercises/activities to be used with the patient.  The first treatment plan needs to outline the treatment for the patient at the current facility/level indicated in the text.  The second treatment plan will outline the treatment for the patient at the predicted facilty/level two weeks from the first treatment (this case study will indicate the patient's progress).  In addition, the case study will also include a detailed outline (may be typed or hand-written) consisting of patient education to be provided to the patient in both the 1st and 2nd treatment.

\ In addition to the case study documentation, the student is expected to post one 30-treatment plan using the "Discussion Forum" found under the course heading on AC Online.  Students need to respond tactfully, succinctly, and meaningfully to at least two other students treatment plans indicating what they think about the treatment plan.  Due dates for the discussion postings can also be found in the course schedule.