VPTA sponsors a Medical Screening Course every spring that will satisfy all the requirements for direct access certification.
Medical Screening for Physical Therapists: A Lifespan
Speaker: Dawn T Gulick, PT, PhD, ATC, CSCS
Virginia Crossings – Richmond Virginia 8:30am-5:00pm
8 Contact Hours combined with online course and online exam for a total 15 hours
This course will focus on developing advanced clinical reasoning skills to determine whether physical therapy is appropriate for a patient/client. The presenter will identify conditions that can mimic musculoskeletal dysfunction. Medical screening, laboratory, and diagnostic procedures commonly used in the medical diagnosis of nonmusculoskeletal diseases will be discussed.
Upon completion of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Understand medical screening evaluation of patients/clients.
- Identify signs and symptoms of systemic origin affecting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine; sacroiliac joint; hip; shoulder; and chest.
- Describe the referred pain patterns originating from visceral organs and apply appropriate palpation techniques.
- Screen efficiently and effectively for cancer.
- Identify which conditions require immediate medical referral.
Dr. Gulick is an associate professor in the Institute for Physical Therapy at Widener University. She has been teaching for 18 years. She has been in clinical practice for over 26 years, 16 of which have been in private orthopedic and sports medicine practice. She is on the United States Olympic Sports Medicine Committee and has participated in numerous national and international sporting events. She has published over 30 manuscripts and 3 book chapters. She has over 28 conference presentations to her credit. Most exciting is her role in the F.A. Davis Notes Series. She is the author of Ortho Notes, Screening Notes, and soon to be released Sport Notes.
