Building Professionalism & ePortfolio Dr. May Tom PT/DPT Assistant Professor/ACCE LaGuardia Community College

Professionalism The competence or skill expected of a professional– Oxford Dictionary

Professional identity is the result of a developmental process that facilitates individuals to reach an understanding of their profession in conjunction with their own self-concept, enabling them to articulate their role, philosophy, and approach to others within and outside of their chosen field - Brott & Myers, 1999, Smith & Robinson, 1995

LaGuardia Community College Physical Therapist Assistant Program ePortfolio is used to develop professionalism and a student’s professional identity from the pre-clinical stage of their education to the clinical stage of their education

Pre-Clinical Phase - Health Science First Year Seminar In addition to assisting the student develop successful academic skills and tools for college & a career in healthcare, the students are introduced to developing a personalized professional ePortfolio About Me

Clinical Phase – Physical Therapist Assistant Program Utilizes ePortfolio to facilitate reflection as an integral part of a student’s learning experience. The PTA students are prompted to assess their developing professional identity based on their academic, co- curricula activities (community & academia), their emerging knowledge of the physical therapy field, the professional organization and clinical experiential activities at pivotal points in the program.

Clinical Phase – Physical Therapist Assistant Program LaGuardia PTA Program Mission Statement APTA Valued Behaviors - PTA Assisting you to become a Lifelong Learner & Critical Thinker who has found ways to develop and grow as a result of formal schooling and has a range of commitments and interests of which you can become passionate. Assisting you become Socially Responsible and giving back to your community. Ensuring you possess a Global & Intercultural Understanding and understand how to interact with people of various cultures and backgrounds. Assisting you to become an educated person who has fully explored his/her interests, strengths and skills and has exhibited a Career Readiness as a Promoter of Health and Wellness. Preparing you in a Leadership role within your community. To promote Compassion and Caring Altruism Caring & Compassion Continued Competence Duty Integrity PT/PTA Collaboration Responsibility Social Responsibility

Mission Statement/Professional Identity

Mission Statement Reflection The PTA students continue to share their learning experiences on ePortfolio by connecting and reflecting on their previous course work with current classes and their participation in their clinical experiential learning as a PTA student Review their Mission Statement where the students stated their reasons, their influences and their values for choosing the profession of physical therapist assistant

Mission Statement Reflection Sample Prompts Has the education process and your clinical experiential learning changed your perception of your career path? Has your professional mission statement taken a different direction? Do you still have the same ideals and goals as you did when you entered the program? What have you learned about yourself as a healthcare provider ? What areas do you think you still need to improve?

Summary ePortfolio can assist the student in monitoring their journey towards a healthcare profession, clearer understanding of themselves and their role in the profession ePortfolio can transform the students academic and clinical learning experience into meaning; in this process faculty will have a clearer understanding of the student & will be able to offer more meaningful advisement & guidance ePortfolio can be a stepping stone for the student to further their academic career Build success, professionalism and a professional identity

Joanne Paulino, PTA Edward Kollar, SPTA Paul Perolini, SPTA Acknowledgements Joanne Paulino, PTA Edward Kollar, SPTA Paul Perolini, SPTA

Thank You Questions ??