Chapter 468.217 of Florida Statues on OT states:
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(1) The following acts constitute grounds for denial of a license or
disciplinary action, as specified in s. 456.072(2):
(s) Practicing or offering to practice beyond the scope
permitted by law or accepting and performing professional
responsibilities which the licensee knows or has reason to know
that he or she is not competent to perform.
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How does a therapist determine if they are competent to perform a
specific procedure? Say a therapist attends a wound care class. Is this
class in and of itself enough to establish competency? When no
competency standard exists, how is competency established, if at all?
Also, our legal scope of practice is very vague and sweeping.
Understanding that scope is established by a therapist's schooling,
state practice act and standards of care, what if a therapist is working
in areas that are nontraditional for an OT? Take lymphedema as an
example.
Obviously, complete decongestive therapy (i.e. lymphedema treatment) is
not taught in OT school, is not addressed at the national level and is
not covered in our practice act, but OT's work in this area. Are such
OT's practicing outside their scope of practice?
As a health care professional, I want to ensure that my practice is of
the highest caliber, but advancing one's practice while staying within
the bounds of laws and ethics is an daunting task. What advice can be
provided?
Thanks,
Ron
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Ron Carson MHS, OTR/L
www.OTnow.com
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