14-1 Creation of the National Council of Physical Therapy in Israel

Creation of the National Council of Physical Therapy in Israel.
Meetings with Senior Management in the Healthcare System
Orly Wachsler Yannai, M.H.A., P.T.,Noa Ben Ami M.Sc., P.T.

Abstract

The Higher Council of Physical Therapy in Israel was founded in 2008 with the aim to advance the physical therapy profession in the country. As part of this process, it was decided to meet with upper management in the healthcare system in order to determine how the physical therapy profession is perceived by the primary stakeholders in the healthcare system, and to identify the issues they believe must be addressed by the physical therapy profession in order to advance its standing in the professional community.

The primary objectives of this article are to present the process involved in the establishment of Higher Council and its activities to date, and to present the primary issues that were raised during meetings with senior management in the health system regarding the profession of physical therapy.

From the meetings, it became obvious that physical therapy is highly regarded as a necessary and sought after profession, and that physical therapists are considered as very professional, though somewhat isolated from the healthcare system as a whole. Thus, it was pointed out that physical therapists live to a certain extent in a ‘bubble’ focusing on their treatment protocols and not contributing to the overall healthcare organization.

We were advised to advance our research agenda, to be more involved in the promotion of healthy living, to develop specializations and to focus on advancing the management of our profession.

Key words: higher council of physical therapy, stakeholders, health promotion, specialization.