The Virginian
 
 
Association News
I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and enjoying the warm weather. We have had several exciting things happen over the last few weeks. Our first in-person (hybrid) Board of Directors meeting took place in June at the beautiful new APTA Headquarters, and it was great to see many faces after so long. We have approved a solid budget for the coming fiscal year and have weathered the events of last year to emerge in a great position overall.

APTA Virginia hosted a successful Spring Education event and has adopted a new format that will provide educational opportunities throughout the year. This new program is called "Virginia is for Learners," and we will share much more on this as we continue to work out the details and roll it out in 2022.

As a reminder, our direct access legislation, which increases the time a PT can see a patient by direct access from 30 days to 60 days, has gone into effect on July 1 of this year. For any questions regarding this, please visit our website.

Finally, I am very much looking forward to the fall, which will bring some large events! Our annual Fall Summit will take place on November 6. At this event, we will have some outstanding educational opportunities along with a fun and interactive trivia night for our annual PAC event, and of course it will include the annual members meeting. APTA will be celebrating our Centennial in DC this September with a number of events. I encourage you to visit the website for a detailed list of events and dates. These events include the annual Federal Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill (formerly Federal Advocacy Forum), to which I will ask everyone to join us at our nation’s capital to meet with our legislators and advocate for our profession. Please reach out to us at vpta@vpta.org with any questions.

Thank you all for your membership, enjoy the summer and stay well!
 
Sincerely,

Tony Grillo, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has announced the 2021 Honors and Awards Program recipients! It is our pleasure to inform you that several members of APTA Virginia have been selected by the APTA's Board of Directors to receive the awards.
The APTA-Virginia Research Committee is currently accepting abstracts for consideration for virtual platform or e-poster presentation during the Fall Summit, November 6, 2021.
Submission Deadline: September 10, 2021 by midnight
In an effort to improve access to high-quality care for the medically underserved and achieve greater diversity in our profession, APTA Virginia has created five teams. We are looking for excited and driven volunteers to join these new teams. A list of the teams' descriptions can be found at the link below.
The new direct access regulations took effect Thursday July 1, 2021. Please click the link below for a synopsis of the new regulation and to view the amended section of the code as passed by the legislature.
 
Advocacy
Here is a recent update regarding the Federal Affairs Liaison 2021 Briefing and APTA.
 
Student News
Catch up on the news from VPTA Student SIG! Learn about the latest events, enhance connections with students across different programs, and check out physical therapy-related content.
 
Industry News
American Physical Therapy Association
APTA state chapters in collaboration with national have achieved several legislative advocacy wins, from direct access improvements to expanded telehealth.
American Physical Therapy Association
The proposed rule, which includes a 2.3% pay increase, would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2022. APTA breaks down the key elements of the rule in this review. (Accessible with a free online account.)
Journal of Physical Therapy Education
There are no established standards in DPT education for the length and timing of clinical educational experiences (CEEs) to optimize students' clinical learning and performance. This investigation published in June 2021 assessed the development of DPT students' clinical learning and performance at three DPT programs during 6-, 8-, 9-, and 16-week CEEs.