Yes. I posted it as an opposition to your post, which I suppose makes it an argument. But, you're wrong. You don't need to be a doctoring profession via credentials in order to have autonomy. Many states have had some form of direct access for years prior to the first DPT being awarded. And now, all 50 states at least have direct access for an initial evaluation, even though none of those states require you to have a DPT in order to practice.
In order to work in mainstream healthcare you do. I would argue that massage therapy, personal training, accupuncture are not in the mainstream. They are not reimbursable by insurance. They are not commonly referred to by other professionals in the mainstream. I would actually argue that the lack of direct access for mainstream professions transitioning to a doctorate has to do with history. The lack of access is not a negative on the part of a transition, it's a negative on the part of the slowness of the law to change, ignorance among other professions, etc. There surely was direct access to PT's that were in effect prior to the DPT ( as there should've been and continue to be ), but how often was it utilized? Do you not think it is becoming more widespread, understood by other parties, respected? What profession can you name in the mainstream without a doctorate entry level that is reimbursable by insurance without referral? Now how many can you name with a doctorate, in the mainstream, that are reimbursed by insurance directly?
I take umbrage at several aspects of this statement:
1. I'm just as concerned about the "now" of our profession as I am the future. We have PT schools charging massive amounts of tuition and requiring students to take more credit hours to obtain a degree that provides absolutely no professional benefit to them, resulting in massively high debt-to-income ratios for new graduates. The DPT hasn't fixed this problem - it's caused it.
I take offense to implying that this is isolated to physical therapy education in the US nowadays. The DPT didn't cause squat, it's far more global and quite frankly the PT profession or the "DPT" is nothing but a fart in the wind regarding inflation. All aspects of economy would probably charge as much as they can for their product, education is no different. The experts in PT education in the US say it is warranted to have/transition to a doctorate. There is no doubt in my mind that the expansive knowedgebase of PT and scope of practice warrants a doctorate. Is it going to be remotely close to perfect education in 20 years of existance? Unlikely. Give it time and support it.
2. We have an ever increasing number of US citizens suffering from chronic pain, and the majority of PT schools don't even address modern pain science in a way that is relevant to a new clinician. Many are still using the Gate Control theory as the be all and end all, and take a very Cartesian view of the pain experience in general. The DPT hasn't fixed this.
I doubt it, but if true perhaps you should write CAPTE/APTA and share their response on here because I'd like to know about that as well.
3. You imply that the only way that the "old guard" could be a part of the future is to obtain a DPT, or more accurately, a tDPT. The letters aren't the thing. Engagement in the profession is, and a commitment to science-based practice. You either are engaged and committed, or you're not. The DPT can't instill those characteristics in you. They're inherent, not bestowed along with a diploma and a hood.
I keep hearing this argument that education doesn't matter, the professional does. Still, a professional needs a background/foundation for the engagement. A DPT to me provides a better foundation. I think I have seen pronounced progression of the profession in just the 5 years I've been out of school. It is progressing rapidly. Does this have nothing to do with the transition to a doctorate? I think the pro-DPT has more pro-PT sentiment, hard working tendency and engagement in the profession than does the anti-DPT part of the profession.
4. Of course there will be only DPTs practicing 70 years from now. The PTs with a BS or MS, many of whom have helped fight for the aforementioned direct access without having the letters DPT after their name, will have retired by then. Hell, you'll have retired by then. You're just stating the obvious here.
So, keep hoping that I'll be a part of your professions future. But your posts on this thread make me think that you don't "get it." So, I hope that you'll lose some of the arrogance and get a more objective view about the PT profession. Because putting a bunch of clinical generalists into the field with new initials and more debt hasn't been the panacea we were told it would be. It may have caused more problems than we had before.
