Making Vision 2020 a Reality

Three years ago, the APTA House of Delegates adopted Vision 2020. It is a bold but tangible vision of where the profession of physical therapy sees itself in just 17 years. Our shared vision has united our members, focused our attention on the really important issues, and distinguished our profession among our health care colleagues. Three years ago, the House of Delegates elected me to serve as your President. To serve this profession that all of us love so dearly has been a great honor and a privilege. And to serve as President for the initial years of our quest for Vision 2020 has been an awesome experience for me. During the past 3 years, the House has consistently elected officers and members of the Board of Directors who have brought their talents, tireless commitment, and mature wisdom to lead this Association, to carry out the mandates of our members—to make Vision 2020 a reality. And we have required all their talents for this monumental task. At a retreat in the fall of 2000, your Board of Directors determined that if we are to achieve our Vision—a vision of becoming an autonomous profession—we must focus our efforts on 5 key areas: 1. Professionalism, 2. Direct Access, 3. The Doctor of Physical Therapy, 4. Evidence-Based Practice, and 5. Practitioner of Choice. I'd like to take a few minutes to trace our progress and to share with you my assessment of some of the work yet to be done. 1. Professionalism: At a recent regional caucus of delegates, a vote was taken as to which of the 5 components of the Vision they felt was the key to achieving our Vision. The vote was unanimous—professionalism. The same professionalism that our professors and instructors tried to instill in us from the first days of our professional education. The …