Issues in Health Care Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course Information

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Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a class must:

• consult with their instructor to obtain a signed academic withdrawal request form to submit to the AskAC department for processing
• consult with the financial aid office if receiving financial aid
• consult with the Veterans Benefit Coordinator if receiving veteran benefits
• consult with their academic advisor to determine how withdrawing may affect their enrollment in future semesters
  • NOTE:  The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education for the first time fall 2007 and later may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. (Senate Bill 1231) Rule 4.10.

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The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

PTHA-2317-001 Issues in Health Care

Prerequisites

Course Description

Organizational patterns, administrative principles, legal and ethical issues in physical therapy, and preparation for licensure and employment.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

The textbook for this course is Scorebuilders PTA Exam Complete Study Guide 2015 Edition by Giles.  Students will be required to purchase the PEAT Online Exam as per the instructor's directions to complete this course successfully.

Supplies

 Computer with internet access

Student Performance

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:  This course is designed to prepare the student for development of job placement skills, interpretation of legal and ethical issues, preparation for the national licensing exam, and exploration of organizational patterns and practices in physical therapy and health care.

Course Objectives

1.Identify the required steps for obtaining PTA licensure.

2. Design a written resume that highlights professional qualities.

3. Develop a written plan to guide the review process for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for Physical Therapist Assistants.

4. Demonstrate the knowledge base of an entry-level physical therapist assistant by obtaining a passing grade on a mock licensure examination.

5. Demonstrate professional behaviors consistent with those expected of an entry-level PTA through displaying all Professional Behaviors at the entry-level.

6. Demonstrate the importance of personal and professional growth as related to a commitment to life-long learning.

7. Integrate appropriate professional resources into a patient case study highlighting evidence based assessment techniques and treatment interventions from within the physical therapist’s plan of care (7D11).

8. Describe the impairments, activity, and participation limitations for a patient treated during clinical education experiences utilizing the ICF model of disability (7D16).

9. Describe the process for reporting suspected cases of abuse of vulnerable populations (7D2).

10. Describe the process for reporting suspected cases of fraud and abuse related to the utilization of and payment for physical therapy and other health care services (7D3).

11. Compare common reimbursers for physical therapy and other health services.

12. Integrate appropriate resources on health care reimbursement for mock patient case scenarios.

13. Utilize the RIPS model of ethical decision making to implement a plan of action in response to an ethical situation, demonstrating sound moral reasoning congruent with core professional ethics and values (7D6).

14. Interpret the components of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant for ethical scenarios (7D6).

15. Compose a self-assessment regarding professional performance during the program’s terminal clinical education experiences utilizing the APTA’s Value Based Behaviors for the Physical Therapist Assistant (7D5).

16. Compare different PTA career and lifelong learning opportunities (7D14).

17.Recognize issues related to cultural and socioeconomic diversity as it relates to the health care environment (7D8).

18. Compose a letter to a policymaker advocating for physical therapy services.

19. Discuss current professional issues within physical therapy with classmates and faculty members.

 

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student 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:

            Journal Entries                                15%   

             Quizzes                                          5%

            Posts                                             15%

            Tests                                              15%

            Resume                                          10%

            Case Study                                     20%

             Final                                              20%

 

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.  

 

Attendance

ATTENDANCE: “Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement.”  Therefore, students enrolled in the PTA program are expected to attend all lectures, labs, and clinical experiences, and will be held accountable for obtaining all information presented during these times.  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.  Each student will be allowed only one absence per lecture course and two absences for lecture/lab courses in the PTA program.  After one/two absence(s), a penalty of five points will be deducted from the student’s final course grade for each subsequent absence.  A student will be considered “tardy” if he/she arrives to class 1-10 minutes late or leaves before the instructor dismisses the class.  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.

 

If a student is absent, it is the student's responsibility to get any missed notes/assignments from other students enrolled in the course and to seek clarification of any information from the instructor.

 

Make-ups are not allowed for quizzes, homework, or the final exam.  Students should expect to make-up a missed exam on the day they return to class.  If the instructor is unable to administer the exam on this date, an alternative time will be established.  The make-up exam may vary in format and will have 5 points deducted from the grade.

Calendar

Additional Information

 No late work will be accepted; therefore, the student is encouraged to closely monitor all due dates.

Case Study:

During the semester the student will be required to submit 1 case study based on a patient treated during the final practicum experiences.  This assignment must be 4-6 pages in length and must be written in AMA format.  A minimum of 4 references must be included with at least 3 of these references from peer-reviewed articles.  If sources are not cited in your paper, this will be considered plagiarism and will result in a failing grade for the assignment.  The student must adhere to all guidelines for essay submission.

Tests:

Two online tests will be completed during this course.  Although the student will be required to utilize computer resources to complete the tests, the student will NOT be allowed to collaborate with peers/others during the completion of these tests.  Collaboration with another individual before, during, or after the test will be considered cheating.

Journal Entry Assignments:

The student will be required to complete Journal Entries for this course.  Journal Entry Assignments will generally be opened 1 week before their due date.  Each Drop Box will contain specific instructions for its completion.  In general, journal entry assignments will be due by 11:59 pm on Sundays.

Posts:

The student will be required to complete Post/Discussion Board Assignments for this course.  Post Assignments will generally be opened the week before their due date.  In addition to the original posts, students will be required to provide at least 2 meaningful responses to their colleagues each week.  These responses are due on the same day as the post (usually 11:59 pm on Sunday).  Students should be diligent in submitting their posts early in the week to allow colleagues to read and comment.  All posts and responses should reflect original thoughts/opinions.  The grading rubric to be utilized for Posts/Responses will be posted in lessons.  If a student’s posts are submitted late on Sunday without ample time to allow other students to read and comment, the grades for the posts will be negatively affected.  Posts will not be considered for grading until the initial post and the 2 responses have been completed.

Resume:

The student is required to deliver or mail a hard copy of the resume to Sue Grady, P.O. Box 447, Amarillo, TX 79178 by March 20, 2016.  The resume must be received, not postmarked, by March 20^th or it will be considered late.  The resume will also be submitted through the Assignment Dropbox as a Word Document (not a pdf file).  Although there is no specific format required for the resume, the student is encouraged to browse online examples of resumes when completing the assignment.  Please do not pay for resume services in order to complete this assignment.

Comprehensive Final:

The comprehensive final will be provided by PEAT.  This computerized final will cost $79 for 2 exams and will be administered in the computer lab.  All students enrolled in the PTA program are required to pass a comprehensive final.  Thus, students failing to pass the PEAT comprehensive final on the initial try will have two more opportunities to pass different version of the comprehensive final during the semester.  Additional testing will be required in the summer if a student fails to pass the comprehensive final after 3 attempts.