by David Emerick, Sr, PTA, President, National Assembly
For the past 2 years, the National Assembly (NA) and APTA have been looking at the structure of affiliate membership within APTA. Established in 1998 by the APTA House of Delegates, the NA is a forum within which physical therapist assistants (PTAs) meet, confer, and promote their interests. The House of Delegates charged the APTA Board with the task of reviewing the effectiveness of the NA structure after 4 and 6 years.
Over this time, input has come from multiple sources. During PTA forums and through surveys conducted by the Task Force on the Future Role of the PTA (RC 40-01), it became clear that PTAs want to be valued, have influence, receive recognition, and meaningfully participate—whether in the clinical setting or in the Association’s governance process. Also in 2001, the Representative Body of the National Assembly (RBNA) asked its officers and NA delegates to investigate strategies for closer, more proactive collaboration among the NA, the RBNA, APTA, and the House of Delegates.
Information from the RC 40 Task Force, the charge from the RBNA, and the House request to review the NA structure at the 4- and 6-year marks fueled discussions. A Task Force on Affiliate Structure, comprised of four APTA Board members and four NA Board members, recognized the critical need to seek ways to integrate, rather than separate, PTAs from the APTA governance structure. It identified significant inadequacies in the current structure of the NA and RBNA that limited PTAs’ opportunities for meaningful input and recognition. As a result, the Task Force on Affiliate Structure recommended changes to the full APTA and NA boards in November 2003. The proposed new structure seeks to include PTA leaders in current and viable Association governance structures. The APTA and NA boards feel strongly that PT and PTA leaders must work together to effect the necessary changes in organizational structure.
Proposed Structure
The NA Board proposed a new structure for affiliate members (PTAs) at a town hall meeting during the Combined Sections Meeting in February 2004. Its main points are:
- Creation of an advisory panel of PTAs. This would provide a direct, established link to the APTA Board of Directors and ensure PTA members meaningful participation in Association governance and decision-making in the critical areas of practice, education and governance.
- Establishment of a PTA slot on selected existing advisory panels (such as the Advisory Panel on Education and the Advisory Panel on Practice). This would ensure PTA influence on selected panels. While PTAs currently are eligible to apply for appointment to all panels, no slots are reserved for them. Ensuring PTA representation on select advisory panels would create a structure in which PTs and PTAs would work together to meet challenges facing the profession.
- Increasing the number of PTA delegates to the House of Delegates from two to five. Because the NA now has two nonvoting delegates and three consultants in the House of Delegates, this proposal does not decrease the number of PTAs sitting in the House but increases the number of nonvoting delegates to five. Each of these five delegates, unlike the current three consultants, could speak and make motions, and would provide representation in the House for PTAs from a particular region of the country. The delegation would represent PTAs at regional caucuses and in APTA candidate interview groups. This retains the positive features of the NA.
- Creation of a PTA Caucus to replace the RBNA. This maintains the important aspect of nationwide representation, because one PTA from each chapter would be elected or appointed to attend the PTA Caucus. It also maintains the ability of PTAs to network, communicate, and develop issues.
- Dissolution of the National Assembly and the RBNA. Enacting the previously described steps would make these existing bodies duplicative and obsolete. The proposed changes would maintain the strengths of the current NA and would further the integration of PTAs into the Association’s governance structure, strengthening PTAs’ ability to address their own and the profession’s concerns.
An advisory panel provides advice and counsel to the APTA Board of Directors. All panels have one face-to-face meeting each year and communicate between meetings via conference call and e-mail. Advisory panels annually report, in writing, to the APTA Board. These reports typically include advisory alerts, recommended initiatives, and responses to tasks or questions. How would the proposed PTA Caucus structure work?
The PTA Caucus would consist of one representative from each chapter and this caucus would meet annually. Standing items on the meeting agenda could include discussion of House RCs; announcements of vacancies on advisory panels and application instructions; and open forum time for ideas, issue identification, and suggestions. The PTA Caucus would provide the same opportunity for in-person discussion that the RBNA’s meeting has in the past, but those ideas and concerns would then go to the Advisory Panel of PTAs, which could make recommendations to the APTA Board or to the PTA delegation that could take motions to the House of Delegates. Why not keep the NA and add the Advisory Panel?
That would create two parallel governing bodies to represent the PTA member, and the distinct purposes of each would be duplicative, as would responsibilities and accountability. How will PTAs communicate with each other in the proposed structure? The role of the PTA Caucus member will be to represent the views of the PTAs in his or her own chapter. The PTA Message Board will continue to provide a forum within which all PTA members can discuss issues. Specific information related to PTAs will be shared in a periodic PTA column in PT Magazine and in a newsletter specific to PTAs two times per year. The PTA chief delegate will continue to schedule PTA town hall meetings at the Combined Sections Meeting and the Annual Conference. Where can I find more information about the proposed structure?
Information is posted on the National Assembly page on APTA’s Web site. Go to www.apta.org and click on "Member Groups."
What is the timeline for the proposed changes?
February 2005 Town hall meeting at CSM 2005 on Friday, February 25, from 5:30 to 7 pm to discuss organizational structure changes and address questions.
June 2005
1. NA members to vote on dissolution.
2. House of Delegates to vote to establish a five-member PTA delegation to the House of Delegates and PTA Caucus.
3. APTA Board of Directors to vote on creation of Advisory Panel of PTAs, and PTA slots on existing advisory panel.
(Passage of these actions are contingent on one another.)
With whom can I discuss my questions?
Contact any member of the Task Force on Affiliate Member Structure, your chapter’s RBNA representative, or your chapter’s delegates to the House of Delegates. Members of the Task Force are listed below:
Joan Bohmert, PT, MS
Debbie Bornmann, PTA
Nancy Brox, PTA
David Emerick, Sr, PTA
Connie Hauser, PT
Ben Massey, Jr, PT, MA
Cherie Metz, PTA
Chris Scott, PTA, MBA
Scott Ward, PT, PhD
What’s Next?
The APTA and NA boards of directors have worked hard over the past 2 years to ensure that the proposed governance structure would increase PTA influence, recognition, and participation. Under the new structure, regular APTA communication with all PTA members through APTA publications and electronic messages would continue. While PTAs would gain more meaningful representation in APTA governance, PTAs, like PTs, would continue to be represented and led by the APTA House of Delegates and Board of Directors. Input has been received from PTAs and PTs around the country-including members of the RC 40 Task Force Report and the RBNA Representative Task Force on Affiliate Structure, and participants on APTA message boards—and discussions continue.
The NA and APTA boards believe that the proposed structural changes would achieve the desired objectives. I encourage you to ask questions and strongly urge you to tell your RBNA representative and chapter delegate that you support these bylaw amendments.