The Consortium for Humanities, Ethics and Professionalism (CHEP) of the American Council of Academic Physical Therapy (ACAPT) advocates for the importance of the humanities, ethics, and professionalism in physical therapy education practice because excellent clinical practice requires the ability to make meaningful connections with patients and to make decisions in unclear or vulnerable circumstances.  To that aim, the consortium provides a forum for discussion of the art of physical therapy and the lived experience of patients, thereby creating a platform for sharing resources that focus on how to teach humanities, ethics, and professionalism in physical therapy education.

CHEP joins the Journal of Humanities in Rehabilitation (JHR) to sponsor a judged writing competition designed to encourage deep thinking by students about the role and value of humanities, ethics and professionalism in academic training and professional life. The annual CHEP/JHR Physical Therapy Student Essay Contest offers a creative opportunity to ignite critical reflection in PT students across the nation about ways in which approaching patient care in a holistic manner improves patient outcomes.

Essay Prompt

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) recently added the core value of inclusion to our profession’s Core Values, as efforts have increased to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in clinical and educational environments. However, people with disabilities often remain in the margins during DEI-related discussions, and little consideration is given to the importance of the representation of individuals living with disability in our educational programs and professional clinical settings. 

Given our professional training and overdue efforts to address DEI across professional settings, what perspectives and/or key strategies could shape our profession to be more inclusive of individuals with disabilities? What can be done, both collectively and individually, to promote a culture of inclusion, belonging and respect for persons living with disabilities within the field of physical therapy? Why do you believe these efforts will be effective? How will this effort pay off with improved patient care? Consider using a personal or observed experience that illustrates your point, in a clinical or non-clinical setting. You may also use envisioned experiences, especially if you have had less clinical experience. Your essay should be a narrative that emerges from your personal, observed, or envisioned experience by describing the experience with detail and using analysis to come to conclusions about DEI in clinical and educational environments. 

For more information on how to write a personal narrative, check out the Personal Narratives section of our Submission Guidelines page. Please note that the word length for this essay contest (800 word limit) is different from the word length for our general narrative essay submissions.

Prize Description

The winner of the Physical Therapy Student Essay Contest will receive a $250 award from the ACAPT CHEP.  Additionally, the contest winner and two finalists will have their personal narratives published in a future issue of JHR.

Eligibility and Required Materials

All students currently enrolled in a Doctor of Physical Therapy or Physical Therapy Assistant program are eligible to apply. Submissions must include an original, unpublished personal narrative as well as a short (3-4 sentence) personal bio that includes the student’s current academic institution.

Timeline

Submissions will be accepted until EXTENDED DEADLINE – January 16th, 2023. Any
submissions sent in after this date will be considered late. Late
submissions will not be reviewed. The winner and two finalists will be announced early in the Spring of 2023.

Judges

Submissions are reviewed by a selection panel comprised of our guest judge(s), JHR Editorial Board and CHEP leadership committee. Submissions are judged upon their engagement with the prompt, narrative structure, and attention to language.

Instructions to Submit

1. Only electronic submissions will be accepted.
2. All submissions should be sent as a single email attachment to CHEP [dot] JHR [dot] essay [at] gmail [dot] com by 11:59 PM (EST) on EXTENDED DEADLINE – January 16th, 2023.
3. Submissions should follow these formatting guidelines: twelve-point font, double-spaced text. Narratives in both PDF or Word files (.doc and .docx) will be accepted.
4. 800 word limit
5. As the winning personal narrative, as well as two finalists, will be published in a future issue of JHR, we ask that all personal information such as individuals’ names other than the author’s and specific locations be de-identified.