Pinoy Blog Machine (Beta)

The University of Santo Tomas College of Rehabilitation Sciences cordially invites you to its third module of their Certification Course in Manual Therapy. Topic is on the Thoracic Region: Manual Therapy Evaluation and Treatment Techniques.

When & Where
August 31, 2008
8AM to 5PM
Room 209 (Physical Therapy Skills Laboratory), Medicine Building
University of Santo Tomas
Espana, Manila, Philippines

Programme for Module 3
8:00AM – 10:00AM : Biomechanics of the Thorax
10:00AM – 10:20AM: Break
10:00AM -12:00NN : Form and Force Closure of the Thorax
12:00NN-1:00PM : Lunch Break
1:00PM – 3:00PM : Soft Tissue Manipulation of the Thorax
3:00PM - 3:20PM : Break
3:20PM -5:00PM : Thoracic Manipulation

Course Presentors
Valentin C. Dones III, MSPT, PTRP, DMS, COMT
Leomil P. Adriano, MSPTc, PTRP, DMS, PTAc

Registration Fee: Php 2,000 per module

Slots are limited to only 30 per module so early registration is encouraged. For further inquiries, please call (632) 4061611 local 8454/8455 and look for Trina, Janine, Pau or Donald or send an email to k3nalb@gmail.com.

Here is an important announcement from the organizers of the First North Luzon Child Care Development Convention, which will be held on 22 August 2008 in Dagupan, Philippines.

Medialink Events Management after its momentous success in bringing the Information Communication Technology Congress in the region last February will once again launch a new informative and the latest symposium on child care entitled The 1st North Luzon Child Care
Development Convention with the theme “Awareness and Early Detection of Child Developmental Delays for a Healthier Environment” which will be held on the 22nd of August 2008 from 9AM to 5PM at Dagupan Peoples Astrodome. This one-day event has lined up key lectures from doctors, prominent leaders and advocates on early child care development and child behavioral disabilities.

This seminar is highly interactive which will prepare attendees to pursue and maintain global competitiveness in the field of child care development. It explores the current and future directions in
assessing child with behavioral concerns, cognitive and motor delays, causes of behavioral disabilities, promoting awareness on AD/HD and autism cases in the world and the intervention that the community can do for the affected individuals.

This seminar desires to empower the front liners of child care which includes the parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, therapists, health care assistants, social workers, care givers and even school
administrators.

In line with this, we would like to invite you, your faculty and your students’ parents to take a significant part of this event. We assure you that this event will be worth their time and effort.
Your presence will make the event a bigger success. Thank you for your steadfast support. More power and God bless!

Respectfully yours,
Kharmina B. Velasco
Events Chairman
0927-688-8106/ 075-5162114

24-30 August 2008 is Speech Pathology Week in Australia. This year’s theme is: ‘Communication: More than just words’.

Speech Pathology Week will showcase the speech pathology profession and highlight how timely and specialist intervention from a speech pathologist can assist individuals and their families.

What is a Speech Pathologist?

According to Speech Pathology Australia…

A speech pathologist has been trained to assess and treat people who have a communication disability.
Speech pathologists complete a degree at university which encompasses all aspects of communication including speech, writing, reading, signs, symbols and gestures. Speech pathologists also work with people who have difficulties swallowing food and drink. Speech pathologists or speech-language pathologists were formerly known as speech therapists. They are different from speech and drama teachers.

Source: Speech Pathology Australia

When & Where
November 7 & 8, 2008
Boston/Natick, MA
Pre-symposium Workshop - November 6, 2008

“Interweaving the Cognitive Disabilities Model with other Intervention Models”

Program Highlights

Featured Guest Speaker: Joan Toglia, PH.D., OTR

Dr. Toglia is Associate Professor and Program Director of the Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY and a Professional Associate in the Rehabilitation Medicine Department at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical Center. With over 25 years of expertise, Dr. Toglia has published and presented nationally and internationally on perceptual cognitive rehabilitation.

“Looking through a Different Lens: Dynamic Assessment and the Multicontext Treatment Approach”

Dr. Toglia’s presentation will describe the theoretical assumptions, methods and characteristics of dynamic assessment and the multicontext approach with clinical applications and research implications for persons with schizophrenia, dementia and brain injury. Comparisons will be drawn between this approach and the cognitive disability model.

Dr. Toglia’s presentation will be followed by a panel discussion comparing the two models and sharing clinical applications that integrate aspects of both approaches.

Additional presentations and posters by OTs, PTs, and SLPs will address the interweaving of other practice and discipline-specific models with the cognitive disabilities model in clinical practice, education, and research in physical rehabilitation, geriatric, mental health contexts.

Click here for more information.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy will be holding the CSP Congress with “Moving physiotherapy forwards for patient health and well-being” as its theme for this year.

When and Where
17-18 October 2008
Manchester Central Convention Complex
Manchester, UK

What is Congress 2008?
This high-profile two-day event showcases the latest best practice, research, educational and professional developments in physiotherapy.

The programme features keynote speakers, a packed programme of lectures, workshops and debates as well as an extensive social programme.

Congress 2008 is structured around four programme strands: musculoskeletal, neurology, cardio-respiratory, and health, work and wellbeing.

For more information, click here.

For therapists who are working (and will be working ) in skilled nursing facilities, you encounter terms such as  Medicare RUG (Resource Utilization Group) level, reference periods, minutes, etc.  OT-Advantage.com has an article titled Capturing Minutes for Occupational Therapy Treatment featuring tips on maximizing time with patients while helping them reach quantitative results.

Capturing Minutes for Occupational Therapy Treatment

If you are an Occupational Therapy practitioner or even a Level II student at a skilled nursing facility, you have probably found it difficult to strike a balance between giving quality treatments in accordance with meeting a Medicare RUG (Resource Utilization Group) level.  Typically, when a patient is admitted to a skilled nursing facility from a hospital, and has Medicare coverage, the MDS coordinator sets reference periods.  If you are new to this area of practice, the reference periods are critical when establishing how many treatment minutes a client can/will receive for Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapy. 

To give you a crash course with reference periods, there are different levels a patient can reach, dependent upon their therapy treatment minutes, nursing intervention (i.e., IV antibiotics), and the period of time the patient will be receiving these.  Furthermore, the assessment period becomes Medicare’s crystal ball.  They have preset reimbursement rates, given the set criteria.  For example, if the patient is receiving 150 minutes of therapy a day during a reference period, Medicare will reimburse accordingly.  If a patient is receiving 30 minutes of therapy combined (OT/PT/SLP) and IV antibiotics, Medicare will reimburse according to the designated RUG level as well.  Generally speaking, the more therapy treatment time the greater the reimbursement.

What becomes even more tricky is coordinating a patient’s medical status (e.g., patient is nauseated and cannot participate with therapy on the day of admit), the amount of time Occupational/Physical/Speech Therapy has to evaluate and treat the patient upon admission (evaluation minutes do not count), nursing assessment (e.g., wound care or IV antibiotics), and how all of this can be combined to determine a patient’s RUG level.  Usually, the MDS Coordinator and Rehabilitation Coordinator work together when setting assessment dates and the treating therapists assist in carrying out the plan. 

Now that you have a small background on what happens when a patient is admitted to a skilled nursing facility, it is time to tap into a frustrating area for Occupational Therapy practitioners.  Many times OT clinicians feel the pressure to see patients for 75 minutes of therapy a day, from their rehabilitation managers.  Rightfully, the patient’s Medicare coverage is paying your facility based on the reference period RUG level for the patient’s stay.  This is the key reason you cannot see a patient for 75 minutes a day during a reference period and then immediately taper them down to 30 minute treatment sessions a day.  This is a fraudulent act.  The reason being, the crystal ball that I previously mentioned, Medicare wants assessment periods set to pay for future dates of therapy.  If a patient was seen for 30 minutes a day by Occupational and Physical Therapy combined during a reference period, Medicare will pay that designated RUG amount for X amount of future days.

Read more »

Source: OT-Advantage.com

While reading online resources about the peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (the blog entries of Manolo Quezon and peace advocate Fr. Jun Mercado are particularly engaging), I am viewing some Youtube clips of old Bioman episodes.

I just realized that after more than 15 years, I still can’t get over with the death of Kc, the original Yellow 4.

From Youtube user bampam69:

It’s a good thing that Jun, who became the new Yellow 4, is as skilled as Kc.

Some Youtube commenters say that the new Yellow 4 is even better than the old one, especially when matched against Jun’s old rival, Farrahcat. Speaking of Farrahcat, do you know that the actress who played Farrahcat, Yukari Oshima, is Cynthia Luster?

Taken from Youtube user cscentrITV:

The episodes also remind me of the group project we did for visual literacy class under Prof. Isabel Kenny, about the gendered realities of news–how stereotypes of women are portrayed in the news. I still adore Bioman that’s for sure. But come to think of it, how come many–if not all–Super Sentai shows have male characters as lead? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall any Super Sentai show with female character as a lead. Is it because men are seen as better leaders than women? And that women are still seen as mere secondary leads, sidekicks, or love interests?

And what about the colors? How come female characters in Super Sentai shows typically have
yellow and pink as uniforms while the male ones usually have red, green, blue, or black uniforms?

(Bioman photo from http://www.supersentai.com)

There is new information for candidates who wish to take the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) examination in 2009.

OTR Examination:
Beginning January 2009, the OTR certification examination will consist of three (3) Simulation Test Items and 170 Multiple Choice Test Items.

COTA Examination:
The COTA examinations will continue to contain 200 multiple?choice items only.

Both the OTR and COTA examinations will remain 4 hours in duration.

To read more on this, click here.

Quoted below is an excerpt of the latest news by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).  A survey has revealed that there have been an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years.  The lack of “tummy time” was noted to be the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

LACK OF TIME ON TUMMY SHOWN TO HINDER ACHIEVEMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES, SAY PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
APTA Recommendations In Line with National Survey Findings

ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 6, 2008 — The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging parents and caregivers to ensure that babies get enough “tummy time” throughout the day while they are awake and supervised, in light of a recent survey of therapists who say they’ve noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much time on their backs while awake.

In the national survey of 400 pediatric physical and occupational therapists, conducted on behalf of Pathways Awareness, a non-profit group dedicated to early detection of motor delays in children, two-thirds of those surveyed say they’ve seen an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years. The survey was conducted with the assistance of APTA’s Section on Pediatrics and the Neuro-Development Treatment Association (NDTA).

Those physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that the lack of “tummy time,” or the amount of time infants spend lying on their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

APTA spokesperson Judy Towne Jennings, PT, MA, a physical therapist and researcher from Fairfield, Ohio, said, “We have seen first-hand what the lack of tummy time can mean for a baby: developmental, cognitive, and organizational skills delays, eye-tracking problems, and behavioral issues, to name just some complications.” She added, “New parents are told of the importance of babies sleeping on their backs to avoid SIDS, but they are not always informed about the importance of tummy time.”

Jennings explains that because new parents now use car seats that also serve as infant carriers - many of which fasten directly into strollers and swings without having to remove the baby from the seat — this generation of babies spends prolonged periods of time in one position. She recommends that awake babies be placed in a variety of positions, including on their tummies, as soon as they return home from the hospital. “Ideally, babies should be placed on their tummies after every nap, diaper change and feeding, starting with 1-2 minutes,” she said. Jennings is co-author of the research, “Conveying the Message about Optimal Infant Positions,” Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, Volume 25, Number 3, 2005.

Read more »

Whew. I’m back blogging. I just hope I would be able to blog on a more frequent basis this time.

Anyway, ANC’s Media in Focus tackled last night the rampant practice of plagiarism in journalism, basing on the story I did for the the May-June 2008 issue of the PJR Reports. I was invited to be a guest for the episode, but because I had a class on visual literacy under Prof. Isabel Kenny that time (more on my MA Journalism classes at the Ateneo de Manila University in future posts), I declined and referred other people as guests instead.

In case you have not read this, here’s my story on plagiarism.

Plagiarists
The Vampire Chroniclers
by Hector Bryant L. Macale
May-June 2008
PJR Reports

In the age of Web 2.0, when computers and the Internet have become necessary research and writing tools for reporters, any one can plagiarize by using online search and copy-and-paste technology. But this convenience is a double edged sword: the same tools can also be used to detect plagiarism.

Investigative journalist Alecks Pabico found that out one Sunday. Since he had been writing about the generics drug law for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Pabico kept himself updated on the issue through Google Alerts. A useful tool that journalists can use to monitor issues, Google Alerts can send anyone information on whatever topic s/he wants through e-mail.

Click here for more. Or better yet, read the same article posted on the Eye on Ethics blog. The blog carries the two sidebars of the article, unlike the PJR Reports site which only carried the sidebar on tips regarding plagiarism.

Not only does the Eye on Ethics blog carry the two sidebars (one on the tips and the other views by journalists and media educators on the articles in question). More importantly, it carries the links of the articles so you can compare the articles for yourself and decide whether they were actually plagiarized.

Here’s how Eye on Ethics continued my two paragraphs above:

“One item from Google Alerts caught Pabico’s attention: a special report on the issue from The Manila Times posted online that same day, Feb. 3. He was surprised that the Times report contained sentences and quotes that were eerily familiar. Pabico found that the Times report as well as an accompanying story had lifted several portions of a story he did on the generics law almost two years ago. The stories contained several paragraphs nearly identical with portions of Pabico’s September 2006 report. Even several of the quotes in his story two years ago were in the Times stories.”

One colleague told me that the article has provoked some discussions in the press community regarding plagiarism. Some mass communication students were also asking my views regarding the subject. I think the article just shows that, despite the existence of rules against plagiarism in the Journalist’s Code of Ethics and newsroom ethics manuals, there is not enough discussion within the press on what constitutes plagiarism and how news organizations sanction journalists guilty of plagiarizing.

In this age of Web 2.0, when tons of information are available online and copy-and-paste technology is a common practice not just by journalists but other people as well, the issue of plagiarism in journalism needs to be revisited, Philippine Daily Inquirer lifestyle sub-editor Lito Zulueta tells me in an interview while doing the story. The newsroom guidelines regarding plagiarism were created before the advent of Internet, Zulueta says.

Some comments on the plagiarism story posted on Eye on Ethics are very interesting. “Beautiful article,” writes Eliza, a journalism graduate who dabbles in fiction writing. “This article shows that apparently there is no such thing as a ‘one-time plagiarist’. Investigations into cases like these should be done as thoroughly as possible.”

Another reader, Frank, asks: “It’s been consciously taught in the classrooms that plagiarism is and will not be tolerated. How about in the newsrooms, when everyday, editors and reporters alike are faced with deadlines? Do newrooms teach this?” PJR Reports editor Luis Teodoro replies: “They used to. But I seriously doubt if it happens on a regular basis nowadays, among other reasons because the new technologies have reduced opportunities for personal interaction–i.e., reporters send in their stories via fax or e-mail and in many cases don’t have the opportunity to interact with editors.”

UP journalism professor and Philippine Journalism Review managing editor Danilo Arao and Asahi Shimbun reporter Anthony Ian “Tonyo” Cruz, whom I interviewed for the story, also posted the story on their blogs (Prof. Arao’s entry here, Tonyo’s here). When the Media in Focus’s guest coordinator asked for my help on who to guest for the episode last night, I recommended Sir Luis, Prof. Arao, and Tonyo. Thank God they all decided to appear on the “Word Theft” episode.

The hour-long episode was very engaging not only because I wrote the story. More importantly, plagiarism is an issue that strikes at the heart of the ethical values we hold dear in journalism: truth-telling. If we journalists cannot uphold the value of truth-telling when we report, how can we claim credibility and integrity? How can we gain the trust and loyalty of the citizens? How can we claim that we are doing a great service to the public, whom we are supposed to serve? Doesn’t journalism exist, as Kovach and Rosenstiel clearly elucidated in their definitive book Elements of Journalism, to provide the public accurate, honest, and comprehensive information on issues they need to know in order to effectively self-govern?

Plagiarism, of course, is not a problem endemic only to journalism. How many times have we heard from the academe horror stories of students, from high school to postgraduate levels, submitting papers and projects plagiarized, some even completely sourced from–gasp!–Wikipedia?

Anyway, I feel that the hour-long Media in Focus episode was still not enough to comprehensively discuss various issues related to plagiarism–although Sir Luis, Prof. Arao, and Tonyo adequately explained some of the core issues, including the element of deception when someone copies a quote, sentence, or paragraph without proper attribution. The Media in Focus episode also happened when there were questions of alleged plagiarism over a piece written by a local lifestyle columnist (more on this case a bit later).

At a time when the role of traditional journalism in today’s world is being questioned–some even predicting the eventual demise of mainstream media–journalists should prove why society still needs them. “I know full well how hard it is to defend traditional journalism today. The right and the left join in a critique that says there is no such thing as an unbiased, nonpartisan journalist and that only the despicable MSM, mainstream media, refuse to admit it. The failures of established news organizations justifiably lead to public skepticism,” writes American journalist and educator Samuel Freedman (the link of which I got from my media ethics class under Prof. Chay Hofileña). “When we fall short of our own professional standards, we lend support to the cynical or naïve presumption that journalism is something anybody can do.”

(Photo above from http://www.pandemiclabs.com)

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), Inc. will be holding it’s 14th Annual State Regulatory Conference with “The State of Continuing Competency” as its theme.

This year’s conference features speakers covering a variety of topics, including:
• Effective Rule Writing
• Renewal Requirements for Professional Licensure and Certification
• The Central Principle of Balance in Health Care Regulation
• A Multi-Faceted Approach to Continuing Competency and Competency Assessment
• Top Recent Regulatory Cases
• Challenges to the Occupational Therapy Scope of Practice
• NBCOT Overview: A Statistical and Content Update

When & Where
Friday, October 24th and Saturday, October 25th, 2008
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

For more information, you may download the conference brochure here.

Bobath Philippines would like to invite everyone to a workshop titled Tone Influencing Patterns for Feeding and Oromotor Function in celebration of the Cerebral Palsy Awareness and Protection Week (September 6-10, 2008). This is the third of a series of workshops on assessment and management of the child with cerebral palsy based on the Bobath Concept. (Participants of this workshop need not be attendees of the July 20 or August 17 workshops.)

When & Where
September 7, 2008
9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Function Hall, 2nd floor, EGI Tower, Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila (near Dela Salle University)

Workshop Objectives

• Discuss the oromotor problems of the child with cerebral palsy and their relationship to the problems in postural tone and movement.
• Demonstrate positions that promote good alignment and preparation for feeding and speech and language activities.
• Demonstrate activities (tone influencing patterns) to promote good feeding and speech and language activities.
• Disuss the application of facilitation, inhibition and stimulation in the planning and implementing of occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy management of the child with cerebral palsy.

Schedule of Activities

8:30 - 9:00 Registration
9:00 - 10:00 Lecture: Oromotor and feeding problems of the child with cerebral palsy
10:30 - 11:45: (with working break) Mat Activity: Handling and Positioning
11:45 -12:00 BAG Announcements
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch Break
13:15 - 15:00: Mat Work: Tone Influencing Patterns in Treatment Activities (Problem Solving)
- Preparation
- Feeding
15:00 - 15:15 BREAK
15:15 - 16:00 More mat practice!
16:00 - 16:15 Q&A about specific problems

Seminar Fee
Pre-registration (From July 28- August 13, 2008): 1, 200 PhP
On-site registration: 1, 500 PhP
(Registration fee includes 2 snacks and handouts.)

For reservations and inquiries, sms or call BAG-Philippines at 0917 733 6409. You may also e-mail them at bobath_philippines@ yahoo.com.

The latest World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) News is now available for download at their website.

Inside

• Physical therapists urgently needed in world disaster zone
• World health professions’ conference on regulation
• Breakthrough on professional recognition in Israel
• Reports of major meetings by WCPT regions and subgroups

Click here to download WCPT News July 2008.

Here is an invitation from our friends at Ovspring in Singapore to their 3-day workshop on Advanced Therapeutic Listening with the Whole Body to be held in December of this year.

Dear Colleagues,

Vital Links, USA (http://www.vitallinks.net) will be in SINGAPORE to run a combined 3-day Advanced Therapeutic Listening with the Whole Body Certification workshop from December 10th to 12th, 2008. Please refer to the web links below for registration & more information.

Therapeutic Listening workshops has had successful runs in Hong Kong, Australia, United Kingdom and USA. Due to the nature of the hands-on nature of the workshop, seats are very limited. This workshop will not repeat for at least the next 3 years in Singapore. If you have questions about any aspect of the course content, therapeutic use of listening CDs or any other concerns, please email us and we will direct your questions appropriately.

Title: 3-Day Advanced Therapeutic Listening with the Whole Body Workshop
Faculty: Sheila Frick, OTR (VITAL LINKS USA)
Dates: December 10th to 12th, 2008 (Wed to Fri)
Time: 9am to 5pm
Limited Seats due to hands on nature of workshop

Download registration info/forms: http://www.ovspring.com/listening

Applicable to Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists & Speech-Language Therapists in Private, School & Hospital Settings.

Early Bird Rates before September 30th: Singapore Dollars $909.50 inc GST per person
Regular Rate from 1st October: Singapore dollars $1016.50 inc GST per person
* Rates for workshop fees plus 2 tea breaks daily, excluding lunch

Course payment by cheque (S$), bank transfer or credit card payment for overseas participants (note there is a slight surcharge for credit card fees)

Course Requirements: Participants are required to:
(1) Purchase personal Copy of 2nd Edition “Listening with the Whole Body” (released in Quarter 4, 2008)
(2) Bring along Seinheiser HD-500 earphones, or pre-order with us at a discounted rate off retail if so required

Note that (1) & (2) are NOT included in the workshop fees.
* we are working with Seinheiser to see if they can give bulk discounts if we can pull orders together

There will also be a half day parent-workshop on 13th December, registration information will be available soon.

Please do contact me if you have further questions.

Kind regards
Hana Japar
hana@ovspring.com

www.ovspring.com
Training Division
Ovspring Developmental Clinic
1 Fifth Avenue #03-04
Singapore 268802
Tel +65 6466 8090
Fax +65 6467 1344
http://www.ovspring.com

TOP 10 PHYSICAL THERAPY EXAMINEES

1. Bernadette Monteiro Cid, University of the Philippines-Manila — 85.40%
Kriszel Urquiza Gatdula, University of Santo Tomas — 85.40%

2. Maria Socorro Cruz Britanico, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila — 85.00%

3. Cristine Anota Kuzhuppilly, University of the Philippines-Manila — 84.80%

4. Jocelyn Sheila Tomalon Gajudo, University of Santo Tomas — 84.70%
Michael Caezar Camacho Ong, University of Santo Tomas — 84.70%

5. Maria Angela Faye Posada Lacap, University of the Philippines-Manila — 84.55%

6. Kris Bernadette Catotocan Alcedo, University of Santo Tomas — 83.95%
Juan Carlos Inquimboy Rodriguez, San Juan De Dios Educational Foundation, Inc. — 83.95%

7. Jaime Venturina Umali Jr., Emilio Aguinaldo College-Manila — 83.90%

8. Martha Louise Marco Alleje, University of Santo Tomas — 83.75%

9. Gary Martin Sarmiento Abano, University of Santo Tomas — 83.50%
Jon Timothy Magtibay Rivero, University of Perpetual Help Rizal-Las Piñas — 83.50%
Maria Michaela Sinio Valenzuela, University of Santo Tomas — 83.50%

10. Maria Corazon Palmiery Riego, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas Health Science Campus — 83.25%

TOP 10 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EXAMINEES

1. Kristel Anne Llanza Ayroso, University of Santo Tomas — 81.60%

2. Juan Vicente Manuel Dorotan Goncero, University of Santo Tomas — 80.80%

3. Aira Alondra Tan Uy, University of Santo Tomas — 80.40%

4. John Ryan Cachapero Yee, University of Santo Tomas — 80.20%

5. Rebecca Angela Barba De Guzman, University of the Philippines-Manila — 80.00%

6. Quennie Irina Monzon, University of Santo Tomas — 79.40%

7. Jennifer Anne Jamias Dañar, University of the Philippines-Manila — 79.20%

8. Christine Marie Cruz Buzon, University of the Philippines-Manila — 79.00%
Anne Lorreine Nogrado Daulat, University of the Philippines-Manila — 79.00%
Jaymee Antollena Ramos Flores, University of Santo Tomas — 79.00%

9. Katherine Grace Cristobal Reyes, University of Santo Tomas — 78.80%

10. Mizzie Mei Romero De Vera, University of Santo Tomas — 78.60%
Dahlia Guevara Lumawig, University of Santo Tomas — 78.60%

Source: Inquirer.net

Here are the most awaited results of the recent licensure examinations for both physical and occupational therapy held earlier this month. The tests were conducted by the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy in the cities of Manila, Baguio and Cebu.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 439 out of 909 passed the Physical and Occupational Therapist Licensure Examinations given by the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy in the cities of Manila, baguio and Cebu this July 2008.

The members of the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy who gave the licensure examinations are Dr. Reynaldo R. Rey-Matias, Chairman; Raul G. Agustin, Marylynn B. Querouz and Bernadette M. Reyes, Members.

The results were released in three (3) working days from the last day of examinations.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will start on Monday, August 11, 2008 but not later than august 29, 2008. Those who will register are required to bring the following: duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, current Community tax Certificate (cedula), 2 pieces passport size picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 1 piece 1” x 1” picture (colored with white background and complete nametag), 2 sets of metered documentary stamps, and 1 short brown envelope with name and profession; and to pay the Initial Registration Fee of P600 and Annual Registration Fee of P450 for 2008-2011. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.

To view the complete list of successful examinees, please click on the following link:
July 2008 Physical and Occupational Therapy Licensure Examination Results

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has launched its revised standards of conduct, performance and ethics (SCPE) for all registrants and potential registrants as of July 2008.

Amendments have been made to Standard 4 providing important information about conduct, competence or health. Standard 5, keeping professional knowledge and skills up-to-date and standard 8, effective supervision of tasks delegated to others to carry out. Minor amendments, including changes to terminology, were made to several other standards.

Read more »

A copy of the revised SCPE may be downloaded here.

The BBC, a television company, has approached the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy to seek help in finding physios who have appropriate stories to share in the new series of Bizarre ER. These would initially be for research but they may be asked to appear on the programme.

The aim of the BBC programme is to show how medical science, healthcare professionals and patients themselves are able to rise to the challenge of coping and adapting to situations that are truly testing.

Maverick Television are particularly interested in stories of unusual wounds, fractures, other injuries and symptoms, a bizarre accident in terms of its impact on the body or the accident itself or something that calls for a form of curious treatment or operation, or a fairly commonplace injury that was sustained in improbable or amusing circumstances. In any of the examples patients should have made a substantial recovery.

Interested parties who would like to contribute examples may contact the CSP press office.

Source: CSP

When & Where
Oct. 31 – Nov. 2, 2008
National Harbor
Maryland, USA

Preview 2020

Choose from 33 sessions and labs from 7 topic areas. Learn from the profession’s experts about clinical and practice management. Concentrate on one topic or attend a combination — you decide!

Join us in National Harbor, Maryland, for the 2008 edition of Preview 2020!

Click here for more information.

Here is an important development in the accreditation of health professions in Australia as agreed by the Council of the Australian Governments as reported by the Council of Occupational Therapists Registration Boards (COTRB), Inc. I reckon this is similar to the Health Professions Council (HPC) in the UK.

National Registration & National Accreditation

On 26th March 2008 the Council of the Australian Governments (COAG) signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for a National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for the Health Professions, which will commence on 1 July 2010.

This agreement will establish a single national registration and accreditation scheme for health professionals, beginning with the nine professions currently registered in all jurisdictions. That is, physiotherapy, optometry, nursing and midwifery, chiropractic, pharmacy, dental care (dentists, dental hygienists, dental prosthetists and dental therapists), medicine, psychology, and osteopathy.

The objectives of the national scheme, to be set out in the legislation, are to:

• provide for the protection of the public by ensuring that only practitioners who are suitable trained and qualified to practise in a competent and ethical manner are registered;
• facilitate workforce mobility across Australia and reduce red tape for practitioners;
• facilitate the provision of high quality eduacation and training and rigorous and responsive assessment of overseas trained practitioners;
• have regard to the public interest in promoting access to health services; and
• have regard to the need to enable the continuous development of a flexible, responsive and sustainable Australian health workforce and enable innovation in education and service delivery.

The inclusion of partially regulated professions, such as occupational therapy, will be determined during implementation of the national scheme against criteria agreed by Ministerial Council comprising Commonwealth, State and Territory Health Ministers.

Podiatry has been considered a special care and will automatically be included in the National scheme as soon as practicable post 1 July 2010.

The Council of Occupational Therapists Registration Boards (Australia & New Zealand) Inc. (”COTRB”) and OT AUSTRALIA have joined together to put a case forward for National registration of occupational therapists, and this process is well underway.

The establishment costs will be jointly funded by the Commonwealth, States and Territories and both schemes are to be eventually self-funding.

The IGA can be viewed at www.coag.gov.au under “COAG Meeting Outcomes”.