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With all the changes that are going on within physical therapy, this is an exciting time to be in the field!
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I look back at my own career and PT practice as it was 40 years ago. There was no cardiopulmonary physical therapy service. We were not allowed to see patients with cardiac disease—they were “too sick.” The only interventions that fell within our purview were pulse and an occasional blood pressure measurement.
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I look forward with a sense of satisfaction at how far our profession has come. There is a new standard of care embodied in clinical specialization, an area of practice that began with my own efforts in 1966 with the development of the first specialist program in the nation at the University of Southern California. This was a Cardiopulmonary Specialization 2-year program terminating in an MS degree. Those first graduates included Ray Blessey, Randy Ice, and Scott Irwin.
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Now there is a new standard of practice that is evidence-based. There is also a new standard of education embodied in entry into the profession as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. As we move into the 21st century, it is imperative that we have textbooks that reflect these developments. The text that professors DeTurk and Cahalin have put together incorporates these important practice trends. It is a comprehensive textbook that spans the entire scope of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy practice and, most importantly, reflects current best practice. It also contains the latest and best available evidence that adds strength to our clinical decision making.
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I believe you will find that this textbook will serve you well. Now go forth and practice your craft with confidence!
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Oath of the physical therapist:
I pledge to hold faithful to my responsibility as a physical therapist;
To use the highest science and skills of my profession at all times;
To exercise judgment to the highest degree of which I am capable when determining treatment to be offered;
To refrain from treatment when it will not benefit the patient;
To always place the welfare of my patients above my own self-interest.
I pledge to uphold and preserve the rights and esteem of every person placed in my care;
To hold all confidences in trust;
To exercise all aspects of my calling with dignity and honor.
I commit myself to the highest ideal of service, learning, and the pursuit of knowledge.
These things I do swear.
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Helen J. Hislop, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Emeritus Professor and Chair
Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
University of Southern California