Development of the Revised Entry-Level Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults: Linking Domains of Competence, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education Standards, and the Geriatric 5Ms.

Abstract

Purpose: Geriatric physical therapy (PT) has evolved since 2011, when the Essential Competencies (ECs) in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of the Entry-level Physical Therapy Professional Program of Study were published. The purpose of the ECs was to ensure that all entry-level physical therapists were prepared to meet the unique needs of the growing older adult population. Changes in population demographics, medical and research advances, coupled with advancements in the profession of PT, necessitate a revision of the ECs.

Process: The Academic Education Committee of APTA Geriatrics was convened to revise the original ECs. Participation was solicited and obtained from experts in clinical and academic geriatric PT; committee work lasted from 2021 to 2024. The committee recognized the intersection of the Domains of Competence Framework developed by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), American Council of Academic Physical Therapy, and the Academy of Education partnership, the geriatric medicine 5Ms model, and the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) standards in guiding entry-level PT education. The committee determined that the Domains of Competence, Geriatric 5Ms, and CAPTE standards could synergistically enhance the establishment of contemporary ECs. Input from a nonresearch-based informational survey of APTA Geriatrics members, supported by feedback from discussion at a platform presentation at the APTA's Combined Section Meeting San Diego 2023, informed the revised ECs presented in the current manuscript.

Outcome: This manuscript presents the revised ECs and describes how each EC links to the Domains of Competence, the Geriatric 5Ms, and CAPTE standards. The updated ECs aim to promote best practices in entry-level PT education by providing all stakeholders clear and concise competency statements for the physical therapy examination and treatment of older adults.