Presentation: 
Are We Lowering the Red Flags Too Soon? Screening for Sinister Medical Conditions in Physical Therapy with 
Appropriate Medical Screening and Diagnostic Imaging

Course Description: 
Physical therapists are now commonly looked upon as the provider of choice for musculoskeletal care.
Screening for conditions not amenable to treatment by a physical therapist or that require consultation/referral to other providers is a key skill. Therefore, physical therapists in today’s practice settings should have a clear understanding of how to appropriately screen for underlying medical conditions that can present as musculoskeletal conditions so that appropriate medical evaluation and management can be initiated as necessary. Equally important is knowing what one can omit from the examination scheme on a given day while placing the client at minimal risk. This course will explore the physical therapist's role as an interdependent practitioner working within a collaborative medical model. A proposed examination scheme will provide the structure for the course. The main focus of the course will also be on presenting the clinical tools and decision-making processes necessary to efficiently and effectively collect and evaluate the history and physical examination data, including a focus on diagnostic imaging for medical referral. Professional communication with the patient/client and other healthcare professionals will also be a central theme. Interactive patient cases will be presented throughout the course as a means of applying medical screening and diagnostic imaging principles and promoting informed clinical decision-making. This course will focus on clinical decision-making principles in an outpatient, direct-access physical therapy setting. However, the principles presented will be applicable to any clinical setting.