Thursday, February 29, 2024
Dr. Beverly McNeal鈥檚 path to becoming a faculty member in The at Fort Worth鈥檚 began when she arrived on campus for training in 2022.
HSC hosted the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Geriatrics鈥� Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults certification course. There, McNeal met HSC professor Dr. Myles Quiben who was a course instructor and past chair of the DPT program.
鈥淲hen I started seeing the CEEAA course being offered and looked into it, I realized this is a pretty big deal,鈥� McNeal said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e in academics, you need to have certain credentials, and I felt I needed it to be able to confirm that I鈥檓 teaching current evidence, and I am doing a good job teaching.鈥�
Over the course of three weekends, starting on April 27-28, the Department of Physical Therapy will once again host the APTA Geriatrics鈥� CEEAA certification courses. It will mark the fourth time the university has hosted. The credential is considered one of the most prestigious in the field. The three-weekend course 鈥� open to licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants 鈥� will teach PTs to better incorporate the most up-to-date evidence into practice. APTA Geriatrics is the second largest of the APTA with more than 7,000 members.
Quiben, who was recently elected as vice president of the APTA鈥檚 Geriatrics board
of directors, will once again be one of the course鈥檚 instructors. She said the training
will give learners an even greater, nuanced understanding of many of the lessons they
learned in PT school.
鈥淭he CEEAA credential really gives them an edge because we really focus on geriatric care and exercise,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f I were a patient, I鈥檇 like somebody who has that credential. It鈥檚 a post-professional credential. You don鈥檛 have to get it, but it means that your therapist studied more. It means that they鈥檙e more dedicated and that they did extra study.鈥�
The need for this type of training has never been more urgent in health care, as people are . Older people are also a populations, so learning how to adapt to a patient鈥檚 circumstances can be key to helping them.
Aging causes muscles to lose mass, bone density to thin and joints to stiffen 鈥� affecting balance, coordination, and strength. At the same time, hormonal shifts and persistent low-level inflammation can set the stage for such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
These changes start during a person鈥檚 30s and continue declining into midlife. Up to 25% of a person鈥檚 peak mass can be gone by the time they are 60. Exercise can muscle loss, cognitive decline and fatigue, particularly if the person planning the exercise regimen is well-trained.
The faculty for the credential reads like an all-star team of well-known PTs, including Quiben.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the other big appeal for clinicians is when you see the list of faculty,鈥� McNeal said. 鈥溾�極K, these are like people who know what they鈥檙e talking about鈥欌�� versus lots of continuing ed out there. They鈥檙e very selective about who gets to be on the faculty of this. It鈥檚 all the people who鈥檝e produced the research that they鈥檙e talking about.鈥�
The instructors include plenty of academics, but also a wide range of people all along the PT career spectrum.
鈥淲e鈥檙e authors,鈥� Quiben said. 鈥淲e teach in different universities. We鈥檙e clinicians. We teach for continuing ed programs. I think one of the benefits of doing the onsite classes is you get perspectives from different educators, researchers, and clinicians.鈥�
At the conclusion of the curriculum, each participant must pass a practical test to earn the accreditation, in addition to written exams. Participants earn continuing education credits, a national credential and new lens when developing challenging exercise programs for older adults.
鈥淭he department is once again excited to host the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Geriatrics鈥� Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults certification course here in Fort Worth,鈥� said Dr. Michael Furtado, chair of SHP鈥檚 Department of Physical Therapy. 鈥淭his course provides an opportunity for physical therapists to demonstrate expert clinical decision-making skills in designing and applying an effective examination and exercise prescription for the aging adult. The physical therapist can then put their expertise into practice in different settings and communities across the country.
鈥淚 truly believe this course helps us live the mission, 鈥榗reating solutions for a healthier community,鈥� and I am looking forward to hearing about the success of this cohort, which will learn in our facilities from our faculty,鈥� he continued.
To register, follow this .
From - Community by Eric Griffey