Physical Agents Syllabus for 2017-2018
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Course

PTHA-1431-001 Physical Agents

Prerequisites

<p>Prerequisites: PTHA 1413, PTHA 1301, and PTHA 1405</p> <p>Corequisites: BIOL 2402, PTHA 2301, and PTHA 2409</p>

Course Description

Biophysical principles, physiological effects, efficacy and application of physical agents.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact your advisor, the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(4 sem hrs; 3 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

REQUIRED TEXTS: Manual for Physical Agents, 6th Ed. by Karen W. Hayes and Kathy D. Hall

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: From Research to Practice, 4th Ed. by Michelle H. Cameron

Supplies

Lab supplies: electrodes for use with electrical stimulation units

Student Performance

General Considerations for Physical Agents

1. Demonstrate appropriate teaching strategies for patient-centered instruction regarding disease/condition, treatment interventions, and HEP in a role-play situation.
2. Demonstrate the ability to implement and modify a treatment session based on patient status and within the physical therapist’s plan of care, utilizing physical agents, and communicate these modifications back to the physical therapist.
3. Apply current knowledge, theory, and clinical judgment while considering appropriate physical agents for a patient, based on the plan of care established by the physical therapist.
4. Integrate appropriate evidence based resources to support clinical decision making for modality choices for the patient within the physical therapist’s plan of care.
5. Identify normal and abnormal integumentary changes associated with physical agents.
6. Demonstrate the ability to competently assess a patient for absent or altered sensation before applying physical agent modalities.
7. Demonstrate proper draping techniques to enhance patient privacy while utilizing physical agent modalities.
8. Recognize activities that aggravate or relieve edema, pain, dyspnea, or other symptoms (ventilation, respiration, and circulation examination).
9. Recognize when an intervention should not be provided due to changes in the patient’s status, and communicate these changes to the physical therapist.
10. Recognizes when the direction to perform an intervention is beyond that which is appropriate for a physical therapist assistant.
11. Identify the indications, contraindications, and precautions of using the following physical therapy interventions:
    1. Direct contact, immersion and pulsed ultrasound
    2. Hydrotherapy (whirlpool, aquatic pool)
    3. Compression therapies (Intermittent Compression)
    4. Hot packs
    5. Cold packs and ice massage
    6. Paraffin
    7. Phonophoresis
    8. Contrast baths/pack
    9. Lumbar traction
    10. Cervical traction
    11. Laser/Ultraviolet/Infrared
    12. Diathermy
    13. Fluidotherapy
12. Demonstrate the ability to competently perform the following physical therapy interventions:
    1. Direct contact, immersion and pulsed ultrasound
    2. Compression therapies (Intermittent Compression)
    3. Hot packs
    4. Cold packs and ice massage
    5. Paraffin
    6. Phonophoresis
    7. Lumbar traction
    8. Cervical traction
13. Identify the indications, contraindications, and precautions for performing the following electrotherapy interventions:
    1. TENS
    2. Interferential Current
    3. Biofeedback
    4. NMES
    5. Iontophoresis
    6. High Volt
14. Demonstrate the ability to competently perform the following electrotherapy interventions:
    1. TENS
    2. Interferential Current
    3. NMES
    4. High Volt
15. Compare the mechanisms of heat transfer and how they apply to the application of physical agents.
16. Identify the laws of physics related to the use of physical agents.
17. Identify the physical principles of water related to aquatic therapy.
18. Design a treatment session from within the physical therapist’s plan of care for a patient treated in a therapeutic pool.
19. Recognize common treatment goals for the application of biophysical agents.
20. Describe the rationale for the selection of physical agents based on clinical goals and patient responses.
21. Identify the appropriate parameters required to accomplish specific treatment goals with utilizing physical agents.
22. Describe potential adverse responses to the application of a physical agent.
23. Accurately compose a SOAP note summarizing a treatment session utilizing a physical agent.
24. Describe the properties of electricity, (including conductance, resistance, and capacitance), related to the application for electrotherapy.
25. Compare the physiological effects of different physical agents.
26. Identify the indications, contraindications, and precautions for performing therapeutic massage.
27. Compare the physiological effects of different massage techniques, such as effleurage, petrissage, and tapotement.
28. Demonstrate the ability to competently perform therapeutic massage.

Inflammation, Pain, and Motion Restriction

29. Explain the phases of inflammation and healing for various musculoskeletal tissues.

30. Identify the mechanisms of pain reception and transmission, including the various theories.

31. Discuss pain management with physical agents, exercise, and pharmacological approach.

      32. Identify tissues and patterns that can cause motion restriction.

      33. Recognize activities, positioning, and postures that aggravate or relieve pain or alter sensations.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

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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

Students are to read the Amarillo College "Student Rights and Responsibilities" information with emphasis placed on the Academic Information, Student Conduct and Responsibilities, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Education/Prevention Program sections.

Students will not use cell phones in the classroom. All such devices must be placed on silent mode and kept stored. If a student expects that there may be some type of emergency situation, the student should inform the instructor prior to the beginning of class. Unauthorized use of cell phones in class will result in the student being asked to leave the class and being counted absent for the lecture/lab.

Student participation is a required element during Lecture and Lab classes. If a student refuses to participate actively in a discussion or activity, the student will be asked to leave class and will be counted absent for the day.

When asked, the student will attend class in professional dress including black, navy, or khaki pants for men and women or skirt for women, shirt with collar, shirt able to be tucked into pants at waist upon request, and closed toe white tennis shoes or colored dress shoe with heel not exceeding 1 inch with socks or hosiery to compliment pant/skirt. Amarillo College Badge/ID's are also part of the professional dress to be worn and are expected whenever the student is participating in off-campus program-related activities.

Jewelry and cologne are to be kept to a minimum. No tattoos are allowed to be seen at off-campus activities. Piercings allowed are a single pair of ear studs for women only. All other piercings on men and women must be removed prior to entering off-campus sites. If professional dress code is not followed, the student will receive a 0 grade for the day, will not be allowed to accompany the class on assignment and will not have an option to makeup the assignment.

Courtesy and respect are expected between the learner and instructor. Learners are expected to be attentive to instructor, guests, and other students during presentations. Learners are required to extend highest respect to patients/clients/others when making off campus contact. Lack of regard to this expectation at any time by any single learner or group of learners may result in immediate dismissal of the learner/s from the situation by the instructor, guest lecturer, or patient/client/other.

Dishonesty in the classroom or in completing any assignment will not be tolerated. Students demonstrating academic dishonesty as defined in the "Student Rights and Responsibilities" publication will receive a grade of "F" in the course and will be subject to all PTA Program policies regarding course failure.

Student Grievance: A student who has a problem with the course or course instructor should make every attempt to resolve the problem with the course instructor. If that is not successful, the student may appeal the decision of the instructor to the program director, Allied Health Dean, Dean of Instruction, and the Amarillo College President - IN THAT ORDER.

Grading Criteria

Quizzes/Homework Assignments        5%

Lecture Exams/Final                           70%

Practical Exams                                   25%

The student's lowest quiz/homework grade will be automatically dropped. The lecture exam grades and the final exam grade will be averaged to create one test average. This average must be at least 74.5% for the student to successfully pass the course.  In addition to passing the lecture exams/final exam, the student must successfully complete all assignments and meet course objectives in order to pass the course.
** Students who do not meet minimum proficiencies during the comprehensive lab practical will be given one opportunity to re-test before the course is completed. Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in ALL critical safety elements and performing modalities before being allowed to pass the course. Any student scoring a 79 or lower on a test or practical is REQUIRED to contact the instructor to schedule a remediation session. IT IS THE STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO SCHEDULE THIS SESSION.
 

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 or homework. 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: Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the learner to attend class. At the beginning of each lecture and lab, learners will be expected to sign the roster provided by the instructor. Failure to sign in will result in the learner being marked absent for attendance purposes even if he/she is present in class and seen by the instructor.

Each learner will be allowed only one absence for lecture only courses and two absences for lecture/lab courses. After the absence(s), a penalty of five (5) points will be deducted from the final course grade for each subsequent absence. For example, a learner who misses three (3) lectures will have five (5) points deducted from the final grade for the course.

Full attendance of class time is also expected. A learner will be counted as "absent" if the learner is out of class more than 20 minutes of a class time. For example, if in a given day a learner arrives 10 minutes late to class, takes an extra 5 minutes for break and leaves class for 5 minutes for any reason (phone calls, appointments, bathroom breaks, illness), that is considered an "absence" for the day. This type of absence counts in the total number of absences resulting in lowering of the final course grade.

If a student is asked to leave a class due to disruption or lack of participation, the student will be counted absent for that entire class.

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

USE OF CELL PHONES/ELECTRONIC DEVICES (I-PODS, MP 3 PLAYERS, ETC.): The use of a cell phone/electronic device(s) will not be permitted during lecture/lab or testing/application exams. This includes the ability to send and receive text messages. Cell phones/electronic device(s) should be turned off and put away during these times. If it is necessary to receive a call during lecture/lab times, prior arrangements with the instructor are required. At no time will the cell phone/electronic device(s) be permitted during testing/application exams.

ASSIGNMENTS: All assignments are due AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TIME on the assigned due date.  NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

REQUIRED READING: The student is expected to complete all reading assignments. All assigned material is considered testable information, however may not be covered during lecture, therefore it is the student’s responsibility to discuss (at an appropriate time) with course instructor clarification of material as needed.

LAB DRESS CODE: Appropriate dress is required during scheduled lab times.

Females: shorts, halter or swimsuit top (fasteners need to be in the back), lab coats or sweat suits for a cover-up

Males: shorts, tee shirts, lab coats or sweat suits for a cover-up.

LAST DATE TO DROP/WITHDRAW: November 21, 2017

Instructional aids: use of equipment, handouts, electronic media

Instructional methods: lecture and lab, demonstration and return demonstration

SAFETY PROCEDURES: In case of an emergency, the student needs to call the Safety and Security department at 9-371-5163.  In an emergency situation, use the nearest phone that is available.  The student should also know in case of a medical emergency, the following procedure should be performed and in the order written:

1. call 9-911 for an ambulance
2. call safety and security

Amarillo College Resources link:http://www.actx.edu/resources/

PHYSICAL RESTRICTIONS: The activities presented in this course may have physical restrictions.  It is the responsibility of the student to let the instructor know if any of these restrictions apply to you. 

If you have:

Cardiac problems, high blood pressure– do not have cryotherapy performed on you

Cardiac pacemaker – do not have any diathermy or e-stim performed on you

Metal implants– do not have diathermy performed on you

Pregnancy– do not have any modalities performed over the trunk area.  If you have maternal heart disease, hypertension, or uncontrolled diabetes, you are not to have modalities performed on you.

Thermoregulatory problems– clothing may need to be adjusted to accommodate the temperature of the environment.  Do not have cryotherapy or diathermy performed on you.

Peripheral Vascular Disease– do not have any heating modalities performed on you

Diabetes/hypoglycemia– bring medication and snacks as needed

Decreased sensation– do not have any modalities performed over the area of sensory loss

Latex sensitivity– latex gloves during sterile techniques are to be avoided.  Notify the instructor by the 3^rd day of classes so that alternative gloves can be provided

THE LEAD INSTRUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY THE SYLLABUS AS NEEDED DURING THE SEMESTER.  ANY MODIFICATIONS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS.