Yesterday, APTA participated in a panel discussion for service members during Iron Majors week, an annual event to honor the best physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists, physician assistants, and dietitians in the Army Medical Specialists Corps (AMSC). The honored members come to Washington, DC, every March for an awards presentation and a week of educational programming. This is the third consecutive year that APTA has participated in Iron Majors week, and the second year that it has been invited to participate in a panel. The panel of the 4 professions, which make up AMSC, discussed the work and strategies of their respective organizations, specifically how each organization advances issues of importance to their military membership.
A March 2 podcast outlines APTA's current efforts on behalf of veterans and members of the armed services as part of the Joining Forces Initiative. For additional background, a July 2011 podcast recaps the progress APTA made with Veterans Affairs in securing new qualification standards for PTs and collaborating with the physical therapy discipline lead position.
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 2:30 pm to reflect the correct name of the Army Medical Specialists Corps.
Congratulations, APTA! You've returned to the roots of physical therapy: The Reconstruction Aides who rehabilitated US Soldiers after World War I. Every therapist who treats patients, pursues research, or teaches can trace their professional activity to those pioneers.
The first physical therapists I ever knew were AMSC Officers at Brooke General Hospital, where I was a "PT Specialist - MOS 91J20" in 1969-71. These were among the finest therapists I have ever met.
Posted by Dick Hillyer, PT, DPT, MBA, MSM
on 3/30/2012 7:53 PM
Thank you to all of the PTs and PTAs in the military! Thank you for serving our country by serving our men and women in uniform.
Posted by Renee Hill, P.T.
on 4/2/2012 3:02 PM
Thank you for honoring us military PTs. I have been honored to work and served while in active duty with some of the most knowlegeable,most wonderful PTs I have ever known . They truly deserveall the honors you could give them!!By the way, I myself I am very proud to say that I was the first Physical Therapist to establish a Physical Therapy Clinic at the 95th Evac HOspital in a combat zone area in Vietnam, Though the task was not easy working in such conditions, I succeded in doing so. Again thank you in honoring us.
Posted by Aida Nancy Sanchez, LT. COL AMSC. RET
on 4/7/2012 7:15 PM