• compare and contrast the therapist’s role and responsibilities to that of physicians associated with the differential diagnosis/medical screening process.
• integrate medical screening principles into an efficient and effective patient examination scheme.
  
• evaluate history and physical examination findings (red flags), and decide whether communication with a physician is warranted regarding a patient’s health status, and indications for imaging.
  
• employ strategies to facilitate professional communication between therapist and physician, and therapist and patient; including when, how and what to communicate as part of a patient referral.
  
• describe the risk factors, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations of selected medical conditions and medications that could potentially present to therapists as back, joint and limb pain complaint

Course Schedule

Registration: Saturday, March 24, 7:30 am - 8:00 am

Saturday, March 24, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Sunday, March 25, 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

More details coming soon.

A light continental breakfast and afternoon snack will be served. Lunch is on your own.

Speaker Biography 

William Boissonnault earned a Doctor of Health Science degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in St. Augustine, FL in1999 and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the MGH Institute of Health Professionals in 2008. He is currently a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a senior physical therapist at UW Hospital and the curriculum director of the UW/Meriter Hospital Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinical Residency Program. Dr. Boissonnault holds adjunct faculty positions at Arcadia University, Columbia University, Marquette University, Medical University of South Carolina, Samuel Merritt University, University of California-San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Tennessee-Memphis.

Dr. Boissonnault is the current president of the Foundation for Physical Therapy-the national research fund-raising organization. He was president (1995–2001) of the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA. His research interests include investigating the impact that illnesses, medication and substance use (caffeine, tobacco and alcohol) have on outcomes following rehabilitation, investigating physical therapists’ role in medical screening-identifying patients/clients who should be referred to a physician, and health policy and health care delivery-investigating patient direct access to physical therapy services. He also has an interest in investigating the intervention thrust joint manipulation from a physical therapy educational perspective.

Registration Information