AP5. Professionalism
Professionalism includes adhering to the professional code of ethics and core values and behaving in a manner consistent with professional practice and patient centered-care. This section describes the components of professionalism for the physical therapy student.
Code of Ethics
Students are expected to adhere to the principles delineated in the Code of Ethics and Guide for Professional Conduct of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values
Students are expected to behave in a manner consistent with the APTA Core Values for the Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant. These values include: Accountability, Altruism, Collaboration, Compassion/Caring, Duty, Excellence, Integrity, and Social Responsibility.
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to the IHP policy on Academic Integrity.
Attendance
The design and pace of the curriculum is reliant on active participation and collaboration. Student absences can be disruptive to the learning experience for self, peers, and faculty; therefore, attendance is expected for DPT program sessions (including orientation, cohort retreats, and class sessions). Students are responsible for meeting the objectives of any missed program sessions. Given the nature of the curriculum, the ability to fully meet the objectives of a missed session is difficult and needs to be considered. Absences, except in the case of illness, emergency situations, or religious observances, may result in grade deductions, scores of zero on missed assignments/quizzes/examinations, required make-up assignments, or other consequences specific to the missed session.
Please refer to the Clinical Education section of the Student Handbook for attendance details specific to clinical experiences and clinical internship.
Notification of Absence
In the case of illness or other unanticipated absence, students should contact (via email) the faculty member in charge of the program session before the start of the scheduled session to report the absence and reason for the absence.
In the case of an anticipated absence the student is expected to discuss the absence with the faculty member in charge of the program session well in advance of the scheduled session.
Punctuality
Students are expected to be punctual for all DPT program sessions. If a student is going to be late, they should contact (via email) the faculty member in charge of the session and notify them of the estimated time of arrival. Repeated episodes of tardiness will result in professional behavior advisement and if not remedied may result in an oral or written warning. Keep in mind, Boston’s traffic is a challenge as well as public transportation may not always be timely; therefore, you need to plan your commute accordingly.
Schedule
Students are expected to adhere to the DPT Program Schedule. Program Schedule will be released one semester ahead of time. Program schedule details include dates for the beginning and ending of a semester, retake dates for semester practicals, and any events being held within a semester. Specific course schedules will be released two weeks prior to the start of the course. It is the student’s responsibility to check the DPT program schedule before making any plans that may result in an absence.
PT Department Generic Expectations
Generic expectations for department are outlined in each course syllabus.