Physical Therapy Ethical Practice Considerations (2026) - 2 Hours
Presented by Aimee E. Perron
Nonfinancial: Aimee E. Perron is a delegate and board member for the APTA of Massachusetts. She has no competing nonfinancial interests or relationships with regard to the content presented in this course.
Ethical principles are fundamental to the practice of physical therapy, guiding decisions and actions that impact patient care, professional conduct, and the overall integrity of the physical therapy profession. This course is designed to promote a foundational knowledge of ethics, morals, and legal behavior with the goal of facilitating a better decision-making process for physical therapy professionals in ethical situations. This course will review the American Physical Therapy Association guiding documents for both physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, including the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist, Guide for Professional Conduct, Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant, and Guide for Conduct of the Physical Therapist Assistant. Case-based examples are provided to help identify appropriate ethical responses/actions to specific situations.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the relationship and differences of laws, morals, and ethics that apply to the practice of physical therapy
- Identify the nature of professional ethical standards using the APTA Code of Ethics and Guides for Professional and Ethical Conduct
- Interpret the Realm-Individual Process-Situation (RIPS) Model of Ethical Decision-Making to case-based examples
- Differentiate the principles in the Realm-Individual Process-Situation (RIPS) Model of Ethical Decision-Making
Meet your instructor
Aimee E. Perron
Aimee E. Perron is currently an assistant professor and associate director of clinical education at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She earned her MS in physical therapy from Boston University and her DPT from Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. She has more than 27 years of…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Ethics for Professional Practice
This chapter will provide an overview of the relationship and differences of laws, morals, and ethics that apply to the practice of physical therapy.
2. APTA Documents Guiding Ethical Practice
The American Physical Therapy Association provides guiding documents for both physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, including the Code of Ethics for the Physical Therapist, Guide for Professional Conduct, Standards of Ethical Conduct for the Physical Therapist Assistant, and Guide for Conduct of the Physical Therapist Assistant. In this chapter, the presenter will review these documents and share relevance in practice.
3. Ethical Decision-Making Model and Case Studies
In this chapter, therapists will learn to utilize an established sequence of steps to foster effective resolution for ethical situations. This chapter will review the decision-making framework called the Realm-Individual Process-Situation (RIPS) Model of Ethical Decision-Making.
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