Saturday, February 27, 2010

URGENT! Student Needed for APTA Federal Advocacy Forum

Students – We need you at the Federal Advocacy Fourm in Washington DC April 25th – 27th.

PTWA is taking on the APTA student advocacy challenge!

Partial funding from PTWA for student attendance is available to those who act soon. Time is short and we urgently need your response by March 3rd. We are particularly interested in having student representatives who live in the 5th Congressional district – Representative Cathy McMorris- Rodgers and in the 8th district, Representative Dave Reichert. Those living in other districts are still encouraged to respond.

What is the Federal Advocacy Forum?
Federal Advocacy Forum is the annual 2 and ½ day APTA hosted conference culminating in an exciting day on Captiol Hill for visits with our senators and representatives on Capitol Hill, Tuesday April 27th. Participants will have extensive briefing by APTA Government Affairs staff to include educational sessions on current legislative bill priorities for physical therapists and physical therapy patients along with presentations by members of congress and other distinguished guest speakers.

Who attends the Forum?
All members are welcome to attend. PTWA has had good representation at the Advocacy forum so your legislative visits will include a mentor.

2 Options for attending!
This year there are two ways you can attend the Advocacy Forum. Forum is partially funded by PTWA/APTA for registration and housing. (actual amounts subject to the number of requests). There is good availability for shared lodging.

Student Full Forum – $100 registration - Attend Sun 4/25 afternoon through TueS 4/27 at 4 pm.
Student Partial Forum - $75.00 registration - Attend Mon afternoon 4/26 through Tuesday 4/27 at 4 pm. (listed on website as Captiol Hill day only)

$140 per night lodging approximate reduced APTA rate (Crowne Plaza in Alexandria VA).

Who do I contact, and how soon?
Please call/email if interested and able to attend. Email sharonemc@comcast.net or call 206-419-4252 your basic contact information, name, phone to the PTWA Federal Affairs Liaison, Sharon McCallum and a good time to reach you by phone in the next few days.

Sharon will explain the arrangements for PTWA funding in greater detail and help process the information for you to be our PTWA student key contact.
Please do not make any arrangements prior to speaking with Sharon McCallum, PTWA Federal Affairs Liaison.

Other amenities! April is cherry blossom time in Washington DC. Weather can range from warm to a cool spring day. Typically the conference includes a few light meals a social evening, often at a DC museum or other point of interest, with light snacks and a breakfast on Captiol Hill.

Monday, February 22, 2010

CSM - share your experiences!


There was great representation from WA PT students this weekend at the Combined Sections Meeting of APTA in sunny San Diego, CA. The conference took place over three days, February 18-20, with programming, education courses, poster and research presentations from all areas of PT and beyond! Hundreds of students attended from all over the nation.

SSIG would like to see your pictures and hear your comments! Please email your best memories and photos to students.ptwa@gmail.com and they may be posted to this blog! Thank-you!

SSIG Fundraising Activity

The SSIG Board of Directors have been dialoguing constantly about how to best serve WA students. Some of the ideas currently on the table regard fund raising and development of a treasury:
  • 50/50 Raffle at PTWA spring conference
  • Recruiting corporate/private PT sponsors
  • Monetary support of students to local/national PT conferences
  • Development of a SSIG logo for T-shirts
Would you like to get more involved with SSIG activity to advance the education and profession of Physical Therapy? Email students.ptwa@gmail.com now!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Spring 2010 PTWA Conference Costs

SPRING PTWA CONFERENCE
GREATER TACOMA CONVENTION CENTER
APRIL 16-17

When considering a PTWA Conference, the ongoing dialogue amongst students often comes down to cost. Yes, membership costs money ($80 - APTA dues, PTWA does not charge extra for student membership, but many states do!). Yes, the PTWA Conferences cost money ($60 per day advance registration). Unfortunately these conferences cost a lot to put on, and in fact, our student registration cost doesn't even cover the cost of our food for the day! So, in reality we are still getting a significant break and should take advantage of it while we can.

Attending conferences can be a lot of fun! It is a great networking opportunity, and getting out of the classroom and hearing about the issues we will be faced with when we graduate is invaluable. There is always tons of free stuff - pens, goniometers, tape measures, book-bags, everything! Also, many of the continuing education courses are great review sessions for classes you are currently in, upcoming exams, and the national licensing exam.

If you've noticed, PTWA Conference registration did go up this Spring, and does every year. The PTWA budget has been slashed all over the place to try to protect students, but they have to continue inching toward at least covering the cost of food. Sometimes your school may help pay for conference costs, and if you're an APTA section or SIG member (ie: Acute Care Section, Pediatrics Section, Private Practice SIG) they may also be an avenue for funding to at least ask. As mom always said, "No never hurt anybody." So, pony up the extra dough, contact some folks for possible financial support, get registered, and see you in April.

More info here: http://ptwa.org/Content/Conference/Conference.htm

Conference Programming:
Pharmaco-Therapeutics presented by David Hachey, MD
Management of Diabetes presented by Mary Sinnott, PT, DPT, MEd
The Art and Science of Running presented by Michael Hansen, PT
Legal Issues and Clincal Performance presented by Steve Milam, JD

Monday, February 1, 2010

Legislative Impact Day



On January 28, 2010, PTs, PTAs, PT Students, PTA Students, administrative staff and even some OTs, massage therapists and others attended PTWA Legislative Impact Day in Olympia, WA to meet with Senators and Representatives about the current spinal manipulation legislation.

Currently, physical therapists in WA are not allowed to perform joint manipulations to the spine. About 750 supporters marched on the Capitol last Thursday to talk about changing that legislation.

The Student Special Interest Group also held a meeting on Legislative Impact Day, with about 50 students in attendance from UW, UPS, and EWU. Many other PT and PTA students attended Legislative Impact Day and met with their Senators and Representatives during that time.

Techie needed

Are there any fabulous (or "pretty good") web designers out there who might be interested in creating a PTWA Student Special Interest Group website? The blog is fantastic, but a website would be an even better way to communicate and make information/important links available to students.

Please email: students.ptwa@gmail.com

Cultural Competency Task Force

Student SIG is looking for a student representative to sit on the Cultural Competency Task Force set up by PTWA at the last Board of Directors Meeting.

The Cultural Competency Task Force will be developing and implementing plans for increasing cultural compentence in the physical therapy profession.

Interested persons should contact students.ptwa@gmail.com and SSIG will put you in touch with the right people!