Sorry for taking a break from this and leaving you all waiting for the conclusion to the House. School has actually been busy. I am right back in the swing of things, but remembering the schedule of classes and trying to schedule interviews for internship along with each facility's informational session...whew. At least I got my wallet back, in all of its many pieces!
The House started bright and early Wednesday morning...8ish? I apologize for a lack of details as I am in Sterling tonight and do not have my notes with me. They went right into RC 37, a MA motion to look into producing a series of white papers showing the benefits and cost effectiveness of physical therapy in comparison to other options for treatment. A few amendments were brought up to take out "cost-effectiveness" as many believe that is a trap in health care and we as PTs should not stoop down to play that game. But the point was made that cost is an unfortunate reality and it needs to be addressed. Others were concerned that data gathered would show PT as ineffective. This surprised me...I thought PTs would be certain it was most effective. But this was the minority and the motion was passed. Now comes the easy part - RCs 38-40 were all withdrawn, 39 with more "ceremony" with regards to recognition of those who achieve a tDPT - but I forget what the big deal was all about.
And that was it! They finished up with a celebration of the newly elected officials and recognition of Frank Mallon - the outgoing CEO of the APTA. I was pretty sad when it was over...almost like when all the presents are unwrapped at Christmas. Fortunately for me, the Advocacy Academy continued at the conclusion of the HoD. More on that later...probably in Day 3 : Part 2.
Good luck on all your interviews to those in my class!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Day 2 - Part 2
Where were we... oh right, by the pool. It was a very nice caucus, great to get out into the sun for a bit. It energized people I think, which was good as there were a few more long "battles" to go through before the day was over.
RC25 - This picked up after lunch...There were a great deal of questions regarding risk of liability if a student was under a non-credentialed CI and did not pass his/her clinical. Could a student sue the clinic...the school? It was made clear by the lawyers on staff that advice was "off the cuff" but that it would not help to decrease liability. The student assembly delegate rose to speak in favor of the motion, but I disagree - and the foundation for my disagreement was brought up. While the student delegate did have a good point that it encouraged professional development and worked toward leveling off clinical experiences, there is actually evidence that students under credentialed CIs fair no better than those under non-credentialed CIs. That is what the education section made a point about as well. Another consideration in opposition is that this would severely limit the number of "suggested" CIs. While the APTA staff did show that there is 1 credentialed CI to every 2 students throughout the nation, I think they should have considered that this may not be true in regions saturated with PT schools (eg Boston/NE) and many students would be forced to relocate. Then someone tried to amend it to say that this motion would be effective immediately. That was a pretty dumb idea because there are students out on clinicals now that are not under credentialed CIs. Anyway, that was defeated as was the main motion, but it took a while.
RC26 - Passed - Here you go Amanda! It was amended to say "Physical therapists as practitioners of choice in the rehabilitation and management of vestibular related balance disorders." There was some discussion over the wording as at one point it seemed to imply medical/pharm management and that is outside our scope of practice. But they got it all figured out.
RC27 - Passed - The APTA endorsed the Core Values of Accountability, Altruism (although many think that fidelity might be the best here as altruism implies philanthropy), Compassion, Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and Social Responsibility.
RC28 - Passed - The APTA now recommends that all individuals visit a PT at least annually to promote optimal health, wellness and fitness, as well as to slow the progression of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities. It originally read "all adults" but the pedi special interest group amended it to say "all individuals" to include children.
RC29 - Withdrawn
RC30 - Passed - The APTA will pursue the inclusion of a screening by a PT as a component of the "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam. This is a little weak, as the medicare definition of screening is not hands on... "Any dummy can do it" is what I heard around... but it is a start.
RC31 - Referred to the Board - The BoD will investigate a marketing campaign focused toward NPs, PAs, and other appropriate providers to promote and utilize PTs as exercise experts. Many wanted to know why the wording did not include MDs, but the Board will take a look at it and we'll see what they think next year.
RC32 - You shoulda been there
RC33 - Withdrawn
RC34 - Postponed Indefinitely - but not without sufficient discussion. This motion stated "That the APTA develop strategies to address the problems associated with PT practices that are owned and/or managed by non-physical therapists." Basically, looking for ways to deal with situations when PTs are perhaps asked to practice in situations that may not be ethical because non-PT owners/managers are not bound by our code of ethics. Now, this seems harmless, but it implies that only PTs can own a PT practice. First this got the PTA caucus all riled up - what if there were a PTA who also had his/her MBA...could he not own a clinic? They played defense for a great deal of the time trying to keep in the ownership game. On the other hand, there were those thinking that maybe a PTA shouldn't own one because it would be included in management and PTAs are technically not allowed to "manage" patient care. Beyond these discussions, there were some concerned about what this would mean for hospital based clinics, rehab institutions and snfs. I think we may have been on this one for an hour or so, maybe more. Finally it was postponed, but I am not sure if indefinitely means that we'll see it next year in different language. It was from AZ, so who knows... ;)
RC35 - Passed - That the APTA investigate the barriers to and opportunities for adopting the ICF model to describe PT practice, with a report to the HoD next year. I think this is great since most PT schools are using the ICF as it can be used for all people, not just those with a disability. It is an enablement model basically. So they'll look into it, but it should be adopted as describing PT if we want to keep up with all the other medical professions as the majority seem to be swinging that way in the US, and it has been the trend in Europe as well.
RC36 - Withdrawn
And suddenly, it was 7pm and we still hadn't gotten to MA's second motion. Fortunately, we had 30 minutes for business the next morning and hoped we could get through it. But really, can you believe how little we got through on day one, and then the work done day 2? It was great!!
That evening there was an address by a Rhode Island congressman, Jim Langevin as part of the Advocacy Academy which would begin in full the next day upon conclusion of the House proceedings. It was very good to hear him discuss the importance of advocating outside of the clinic, outside of the medical world even - to lawmakers. Definitely got me excited about the rest of the week.
After the address, the PT-PAC put on a reception...a FREE reception with tons of food and an open bar. Then on top of that they had a comedy group called the "Capitol Steps" preform. They were hilarious, singing spoofs of all the big-wigs on capitol hill. MA was well represented with both Ted Kennedy and John Kerry taking hits.
Here are the lyrics to the first number they sang. I encourage you to check them out if you want a laugh.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Nancy Pelosi and I am your new Speaker of the House.
Do we have any republicans here? Thank you for taking time off from watching fox news so you could be with me this evening.
How about democrats? Now fellow dems, lets be gracious and try not to gloat...oh who are we kidding?
Things are swell
Marry Gays
Raise the terrorist minimum wage
Startin here - startin now
Honey, everything's run by Pelosi (you got it)
Raise the bar, hybrid cars
NBC will become NPR
Startin here - startin now
Honey, everything's run by Pelosi (I got 6 grandkids)
Arent' we dems swell
Soon the white house is mine
I'll show them, well
My running mate will be a stem-cell
I'll be grand, feelin great!
And I don't have to wait til '08
Since I start third in line
Cheney's heart, aint that fine
We'll impeach George Bush
I guarantee
The most powerful woman this country has seen will be...
Alright, Oprah
But then ME!
RC25 - This picked up after lunch...There were a great deal of questions regarding risk of liability if a student was under a non-credentialed CI and did not pass his/her clinical. Could a student sue the clinic...the school? It was made clear by the lawyers on staff that advice was "off the cuff" but that it would not help to decrease liability. The student assembly delegate rose to speak in favor of the motion, but I disagree - and the foundation for my disagreement was brought up. While the student delegate did have a good point that it encouraged professional development and worked toward leveling off clinical experiences, there is actually evidence that students under credentialed CIs fair no better than those under non-credentialed CIs. That is what the education section made a point about as well. Another consideration in opposition is that this would severely limit the number of "suggested" CIs. While the APTA staff did show that there is 1 credentialed CI to every 2 students throughout the nation, I think they should have considered that this may not be true in regions saturated with PT schools (eg Boston/NE) and many students would be forced to relocate. Then someone tried to amend it to say that this motion would be effective immediately. That was a pretty dumb idea because there are students out on clinicals now that are not under credentialed CIs. Anyway, that was defeated as was the main motion, but it took a while.
RC26 - Passed - Here you go Amanda! It was amended to say "Physical therapists as practitioners of choice in the rehabilitation and management of vestibular related balance disorders." There was some discussion over the wording as at one point it seemed to imply medical/pharm management and that is outside our scope of practice. But they got it all figured out.
RC27 - Passed - The APTA endorsed the Core Values of Accountability, Altruism (although many think that fidelity might be the best here as altruism implies philanthropy), Compassion, Caring, Excellence, Integrity, Professional Duty, and Social Responsibility.
RC28 - Passed - The APTA now recommends that all individuals visit a PT at least annually to promote optimal health, wellness and fitness, as well as to slow the progression of impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities. It originally read "all adults" but the pedi special interest group amended it to say "all individuals" to include children.
RC29 - Withdrawn
RC30 - Passed - The APTA will pursue the inclusion of a screening by a PT as a component of the "Welcome to Medicare" physical exam. This is a little weak, as the medicare definition of screening is not hands on... "Any dummy can do it" is what I heard around... but it is a start.
RC31 - Referred to the Board - The BoD will investigate a marketing campaign focused toward NPs, PAs, and other appropriate providers to promote and utilize PTs as exercise experts. Many wanted to know why the wording did not include MDs, but the Board will take a look at it and we'll see what they think next year.
RC32 - You shoulda been there
RC33 - Withdrawn
RC34 - Postponed Indefinitely - but not without sufficient discussion. This motion stated "That the APTA develop strategies to address the problems associated with PT practices that are owned and/or managed by non-physical therapists." Basically, looking for ways to deal with situations when PTs are perhaps asked to practice in situations that may not be ethical because non-PT owners/managers are not bound by our code of ethics. Now, this seems harmless, but it implies that only PTs can own a PT practice. First this got the PTA caucus all riled up - what if there were a PTA who also had his/her MBA...could he not own a clinic? They played defense for a great deal of the time trying to keep in the ownership game. On the other hand, there were those thinking that maybe a PTA shouldn't own one because it would be included in management and PTAs are technically not allowed to "manage" patient care. Beyond these discussions, there were some concerned about what this would mean for hospital based clinics, rehab institutions and snfs. I think we may have been on this one for an hour or so, maybe more. Finally it was postponed, but I am not sure if indefinitely means that we'll see it next year in different language. It was from AZ, so who knows... ;)
RC35 - Passed - That the APTA investigate the barriers to and opportunities for adopting the ICF model to describe PT practice, with a report to the HoD next year. I think this is great since most PT schools are using the ICF as it can be used for all people, not just those with a disability. It is an enablement model basically. So they'll look into it, but it should be adopted as describing PT if we want to keep up with all the other medical professions as the majority seem to be swinging that way in the US, and it has been the trend in Europe as well.
RC36 - Withdrawn
And suddenly, it was 7pm and we still hadn't gotten to MA's second motion. Fortunately, we had 30 minutes for business the next morning and hoped we could get through it. But really, can you believe how little we got through on day one, and then the work done day 2? It was great!!
That evening there was an address by a Rhode Island congressman, Jim Langevin as part of the Advocacy Academy which would begin in full the next day upon conclusion of the House proceedings. It was very good to hear him discuss the importance of advocating outside of the clinic, outside of the medical world even - to lawmakers. Definitely got me excited about the rest of the week.
After the address, the PT-PAC put on a reception...a FREE reception with tons of food and an open bar. Then on top of that they had a comedy group called the "Capitol Steps" preform. They were hilarious, singing spoofs of all the big-wigs on capitol hill. MA was well represented with both Ted Kennedy and John Kerry taking hits.
Here are the lyrics to the first number they sang. I encourage you to check them out if you want a laugh.
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Nancy Pelosi and I am your new Speaker of the House.
Do we have any republicans here? Thank you for taking time off from watching fox news so you could be with me this evening.
How about democrats? Now fellow dems, lets be gracious and try not to gloat...oh who are we kidding?
Things are swell
Marry Gays
Raise the terrorist minimum wage
Startin here - startin now
Honey, everything's run by Pelosi (you got it)
Raise the bar, hybrid cars
NBC will become NPR
Startin here - startin now
Honey, everything's run by Pelosi (I got 6 grandkids)
Arent' we dems swell
Soon the white house is mine
I'll show them, well
My running mate will be a stem-cell
I'll be grand, feelin great!
And I don't have to wait til '08
Since I start third in line
Cheney's heart, aint that fine
We'll impeach George Bush
I guarantee
The most powerful woman this country has seen will be...
Alright, Oprah
But then ME!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Day 2 Part 1
Back in Mass and working on catching up/organizing my life. Somehow that included a group session at MGH about internships, sea kayaking, a bbq, misplacing my wallet, and an outdoor concert featuring Vega 4, The John Butler Trio, Mat Kearney, KT Tunstall, and Guster. It was a good time. Now after spending some time trying to find my wallet and cleaning...haven't found the wallet yet and am nervous about that.... but anyway, time to reflect on some more of the House of Delegates.
The day started nice and early with a coffee at 7:15am. It was a time where the delegates could follow up with the candidates for the Board of Directors, Secretary, and Vice Speaker. Again, I didn't have much to do with this, but whole-heartedly took part in the coffee. We had a quick caucus before the House started with a plan of attack so to speak, and then headed to hopefully make more progress than the day prior.
And what progress was made immediately: The board withdrew RCs 5-9! They had realized that at this point, the RCs were too convoluted and wordsmithing them on the floor would take too much time with, perhaps, unequal return.
RC 10 - Passed - Opening the House document on therapy documentation beyond intervention to "plan of care"
RC 11 - Passed - Changed the wording of HOD p06-00-21-33 on PT and PTA regulation to require graduation from a PT education program accredited by CAPTE...where before it had just said "an accredited PT education program" without saying who it had to do the accreditation. Someone tried to amend the document by allowing newly graduated PTs who had not passed the boards practice as PTAs. I do not think that part passed, but I'll have to check the minutes when they are posted.
RC 12 - Withdrawn
RC13 - Defeated - Keeping all the wording of PT Patient/Client Management Model on Diagnosis present. While some thought it to be cumbersome and that having it in there was overkill as people should know that when we say we can diagnose, we mean everything that diagnosis entails, others made the point that they use this document in legal cases and having all the language there would be very helpful to continue to protect physical therapists.
RC14 - Withdrawn
RC15 - Withdrawn
RC16 - Defeated - but with GREAT difficulty. This was Arizona's tricky motion trying to replace PT with DPT as the regulatory designator...making it difficult to rationalize that those who had not achieved a DPT degree would be doctors. After discussion on the original wording, there was more on two proposed amendments, and finally all three were defeated. I don't know how long this went on, but it was fiery because people have very strong views on this topic. And again, refer to the minutes please, but I think this one took a standing counted vote. I am not sure and wish I had taken note, but I'll try to remember to follow up.
RC 17 - Withdrawn (see day 1 part 2)
RC 18 - Defeated - Keeping the Guidelines for Student and Employer Contracts as a House document. It was proposed to replace it with a document that the education staff are working on, but it is not completely finished. Also, it was thought that these were good for employers as well. A common agreement throughout this discussion was that in these days of high demand for PTs, students do need to take care not to eat up the best deal, and realize they are hooked in a facility that will not serve their development as a therapist well.
RC19 - Withdrawn
RC20 - Passed - To include web-bases and media APTA documents in a copyright.
RC21 - Withdrawn
RC22 - Passed - Adopting a position on professional development, lifelong learning, and continued competence in physical therapy as a house document. It outlines definitions of this and a method for reflecting back on this to see how one is practicing in comparison.
RC23 - Passed - The position on continuing education is now included in the document passed in the prior motion and so the document outlining just the position on cont. ed. is now unnecessary.
RC24 - Passed - Same as above but with regards to the position on professional development.
RC25 - Defeated - But again, a very long discussion - which I will leave for next time because we took a recess half way through and I need one now to continue the search for my wallet. My friend who had the bbq does not have it at his house and so it HAS to be here or I am in bad shape.
More to come on the rest of the house. Right now, picture the MA delegation caucusing pool-side and eating steak burritos or taco salad because that is what we did.
The day started nice and early with a coffee at 7:15am. It was a time where the delegates could follow up with the candidates for the Board of Directors, Secretary, and Vice Speaker. Again, I didn't have much to do with this, but whole-heartedly took part in the coffee. We had a quick caucus before the House started with a plan of attack so to speak, and then headed to hopefully make more progress than the day prior.
And what progress was made immediately: The board withdrew RCs 5-9! They had realized that at this point, the RCs were too convoluted and wordsmithing them on the floor would take too much time with, perhaps, unequal return.
RC 10 - Passed - Opening the House document on therapy documentation beyond intervention to "plan of care"
RC 11 - Passed - Changed the wording of HOD p06-00-21-33 on PT and PTA regulation to require graduation from a PT education program accredited by CAPTE...where before it had just said "an accredited PT education program" without saying who it had to do the accreditation. Someone tried to amend the document by allowing newly graduated PTs who had not passed the boards practice as PTAs. I do not think that part passed, but I'll have to check the minutes when they are posted.
RC 12 - Withdrawn
RC13 - Defeated - Keeping all the wording of PT Patient/Client Management Model on Diagnosis present. While some thought it to be cumbersome and that having it in there was overkill as people should know that when we say we can diagnose, we mean everything that diagnosis entails, others made the point that they use this document in legal cases and having all the language there would be very helpful to continue to protect physical therapists.
RC14 - Withdrawn
RC15 - Withdrawn
RC16 - Defeated - but with GREAT difficulty. This was Arizona's tricky motion trying to replace PT with DPT as the regulatory designator...making it difficult to rationalize that those who had not achieved a DPT degree would be doctors. After discussion on the original wording, there was more on two proposed amendments, and finally all three were defeated. I don't know how long this went on, but it was fiery because people have very strong views on this topic. And again, refer to the minutes please, but I think this one took a standing counted vote. I am not sure and wish I had taken note, but I'll try to remember to follow up.
RC 17 - Withdrawn (see day 1 part 2)
RC 18 - Defeated - Keeping the Guidelines for Student and Employer Contracts as a House document. It was proposed to replace it with a document that the education staff are working on, but it is not completely finished. Also, it was thought that these were good for employers as well. A common agreement throughout this discussion was that in these days of high demand for PTs, students do need to take care not to eat up the best deal, and realize they are hooked in a facility that will not serve their development as a therapist well.
RC19 - Withdrawn
RC20 - Passed - To include web-bases and media APTA documents in a copyright.
RC21 - Withdrawn
RC22 - Passed - Adopting a position on professional development, lifelong learning, and continued competence in physical therapy as a house document. It outlines definitions of this and a method for reflecting back on this to see how one is practicing in comparison.
RC23 - Passed - The position on continuing education is now included in the document passed in the prior motion and so the document outlining just the position on cont. ed. is now unnecessary.
RC24 - Passed - Same as above but with regards to the position on professional development.
RC25 - Defeated - But again, a very long discussion - which I will leave for next time because we took a recess half way through and I need one now to continue the search for my wallet. My friend who had the bbq does not have it at his house and so it HAS to be here or I am in bad shape.
More to come on the rest of the house. Right now, picture the MA delegation caucusing pool-side and eating steak burritos or taco salad because that is what we did.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Days 2 and 3
Will have to catch you up on the last 3 days. And I apologize again for mistakes pointed out by my editor. Thanks Bo.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Still on Day 1
Sorry it is taking so long for me to get these up here. The devil is in the writing and then finding internet access to allow me to post. Also, I meant to say that all my comments on the RCs are my thoughts, thoughts gleaned from others, or thoughts that I got wrong. There have been times in my life that I have served as a fountain of misinformation. I hope all you readers are aware that if that indeed is the case I would welcome any and all corrections...ahHA, requesting constructive feedback... And lastly, before this blog entry really begins, I apologize for editorial errors, I am trying to get this up quickly and will read everything over and correct later, hopefully.
Day 1 : Part 3 - It starts . . .
I never knew they were so productive in the House of Delegates. As the HoD convened tonight, APTA President, Dr. R. Scott Ward described the electricity he experienced at his first house in 1983…yes, the year I was born. I felt that electricity tonight. The music was blaring, people were smiling and there was a general hubbub around every delegation as I entered the conference room. They quickly passed the first 4 (of about 40) motions, 3 honorary members and one allowing student status to be given for PTs in a residency or fellowship. Swimming along, I thought…
Then we hit the BoD’s motions. I think the general idea of these is to help “simplify” the process of bringing motions forward, and move toward a year round governance. Well, after much hemming and hawing over where the power was given to create a deadline was done over RC 5, they tabled it for first business Tuesday. RC 6 – RC 6 is a story in itself.
I stopped writing this at 1am Tuesday morning and have now opened it up again at 10:30 Tuesday night. It has been a very busy day.
Ok, so RC 6 – This RC was proposed a change in the timing of election of delegates to the delegation. Again, this is me thinking, which is very dangerous….but it was to encourage complete delegations that could deliberate over a greater time period throughout the year, allowing for efficient time for business to be accomplished. However, states that already have elections in place in the fall of each year were upset as adopting this would throw a wrench, so to speak, in the process they have set up which works well for them… and it does work well for them. The states disagreeing with this where those who regularly have well ordered and thought out motions before the house (or so I hear.) Then the parliamentarian made the point that adopting this would not force each state to change their process, it was just a recommendation. Thus, after some discussion, it was adopted.
Then RC 7 was brought forth. This motion proposed a change in the date when members in each state would be counted and delegate seats apportioned. As the House hashed through this, some implications of RC 6 started to appear, which those who had voted to pass had not thought of yet. The chief delegate of MA pointed out that now, if a state did not change their voting schedule in accordance with the “optional” guidelines set forth in RC 6, a delegation could be set but when apportioned, they would have to either get a new delegate if a seat were added, or “lop one off” if membership dropped and a seat had to be taken away. This caused a great deal of confusion on the floor. Questions were asked, frustrations were stated, points for and against were made, and finally it was moved that RC 6 be reconsidered. Upon going back to RC 6, the Board of Directors thought it would be best that RCs 6 and 7 be considered before the house reconvened Tuesday morning.
That was enough to squelch some of the emergent emotions that were becoming more and more prominent throughout each state’s delegation as well as the Board. However, RC 8 promised to play its best confusion act and throw a fog over the first day of the House. It brought forth a set of detailed guidelines that a motion would have to meet before it could be considered by the reference committee. Now, while I did say these guidelines were detailed, I should add they were meticulous enough to leave sufficient room for any what-if question that might cross a delegate’s mind. And up went the question-mark signs! Fortunately, and this is probably the only context in which this would be fortunate… RCs 5-7 had taken so long there was little time left for RC 8 and the House Day 1 was complete. The Board stuck around to discuss their ideas with the, er, stimulating RCs, and we caucused. I do love the word caucus. But things were not done yet…we got to go eat “fun size” portions of stale food in the Mexican category and stiff spinach stuffed mushrooms. Then we grabbed a bite to eat across the street along with about every other delegation staying at the Omni.
At this point, I really should mention that I was amped after the house recessed. Yes, with all the processing, questioning, and discussing in as calm a manner as ever, it was like the feeling you get right before a huge summer thunderstorm. The anticipation for what might come next, and who would get struck by lightening was very exciting.
End Day 1.
Coming up:
Day 2 – House of Delegates – Can they do it?
Day 1 : Part 3 - It starts . . .
I never knew they were so productive in the House of Delegates. As the HoD convened tonight, APTA President, Dr. R. Scott Ward described the electricity he experienced at his first house in 1983…yes, the year I was born. I felt that electricity tonight. The music was blaring, people were smiling and there was a general hubbub around every delegation as I entered the conference room. They quickly passed the first 4 (of about 40) motions, 3 honorary members and one allowing student status to be given for PTs in a residency or fellowship. Swimming along, I thought…
Then we hit the BoD’s motions. I think the general idea of these is to help “simplify” the process of bringing motions forward, and move toward a year round governance. Well, after much hemming and hawing over where the power was given to create a deadline was done over RC 5, they tabled it for first business Tuesday. RC 6 – RC 6 is a story in itself.
I stopped writing this at 1am Tuesday morning and have now opened it up again at 10:30 Tuesday night. It has been a very busy day.
Ok, so RC 6 – This RC was proposed a change in the timing of election of delegates to the delegation. Again, this is me thinking, which is very dangerous….but it was to encourage complete delegations that could deliberate over a greater time period throughout the year, allowing for efficient time for business to be accomplished. However, states that already have elections in place in the fall of each year were upset as adopting this would throw a wrench, so to speak, in the process they have set up which works well for them… and it does work well for them. The states disagreeing with this where those who regularly have well ordered and thought out motions before the house (or so I hear.) Then the parliamentarian made the point that adopting this would not force each state to change their process, it was just a recommendation. Thus, after some discussion, it was adopted.
Then RC 7 was brought forth. This motion proposed a change in the date when members in each state would be counted and delegate seats apportioned. As the House hashed through this, some implications of RC 6 started to appear, which those who had voted to pass had not thought of yet. The chief delegate of MA pointed out that now, if a state did not change their voting schedule in accordance with the “optional” guidelines set forth in RC 6, a delegation could be set but when apportioned, they would have to either get a new delegate if a seat were added, or “lop one off” if membership dropped and a seat had to be taken away. This caused a great deal of confusion on the floor. Questions were asked, frustrations were stated, points for and against were made, and finally it was moved that RC 6 be reconsidered. Upon going back to RC 6, the Board of Directors thought it would be best that RCs 6 and 7 be considered before the house reconvened Tuesday morning.
That was enough to squelch some of the emergent emotions that were becoming more and more prominent throughout each state’s delegation as well as the Board. However, RC 8 promised to play its best confusion act and throw a fog over the first day of the House. It brought forth a set of detailed guidelines that a motion would have to meet before it could be considered by the reference committee. Now, while I did say these guidelines were detailed, I should add they were meticulous enough to leave sufficient room for any what-if question that might cross a delegate’s mind. And up went the question-mark signs! Fortunately, and this is probably the only context in which this would be fortunate… RCs 5-7 had taken so long there was little time left for RC 8 and the House Day 1 was complete. The Board stuck around to discuss their ideas with the, er, stimulating RCs, and we caucused. I do love the word caucus. But things were not done yet…we got to go eat “fun size” portions of stale food in the Mexican category and stiff spinach stuffed mushrooms. Then we grabbed a bite to eat across the street along with about every other delegation staying at the Omni.
At this point, I really should mention that I was amped after the house recessed. Yes, with all the processing, questioning, and discussing in as calm a manner as ever, it was like the feeling you get right before a huge summer thunderstorm. The anticipation for what might come next, and who would get struck by lightening was very exciting.
End Day 1.
Coming up:
Day 2 – House of Delegates – Can they do it?
Monday, May 21, 2007
Day 1 : Part 2
Alright already…time to see these delegates in action. Really though, I can’t complain. After posting the last blog entry I walked around the hotel here and it is beautiful! Wide rounded staircases lead to curved grassy areas with tables scattered around patios and hammocks in the shade and sun. Of course I had to have a slight emergency - as I was walking down one of those staircases, I missed a step and spilled coffee on the sleeve of my pinstriped blazer. I should mention, though, how fortunate I am not to have spilled it on my white pants. J
Anyway, we finally caucused and I listened to discussion about the candidates for the Board of Directors. It was a little difficult to get exact ideas of what people were saying as I hadn’t seen the interviews. On the other hand, I was very interested to hear how the delegates were going about pinpointing what type of candidate they were looking for, what each should have focused on, and how their performance in the interviews related to what they knew of the candidate in “real life.” Then, they would roll all that together and see if it fit where they saw the profession going. If I do get slated to run for student assembly, this will be very useful as I pick out my strengths and weaknesses and order them to best enable me to work the student agenda into the progression of the entire profession of physical therapy.
Other news that I picked up in shreds was that MA is removing RC 17. In short, the motion was to get at the evolving idea that PT is a brand. It laid out groundwork to unify those within the profession in what initials they put after their names. I think one of the main points was that putting all the certification initials after PT can cheapen that brand. It can appear, for example, that PTs are not qualified to prescribe an exercise program to a person without CSCS after their name along with the PT. Apparently discussion surrounding it became more about who could put what initials after their names, while the main idea of the motion was lost in the kafuffle. At this point, it is a matter of why waste the House’s time in discussion when that discussion will not be productive toward an end beyond a recipe for alphabet soup.
And again, I may now head out for some internet access so I can post this. Hope all is going well for you all…especially my classmates who are starting classes today. Sorry I can’t be with you, well, um, sorta. J
Anyway, we finally caucused and I listened to discussion about the candidates for the Board of Directors. It was a little difficult to get exact ideas of what people were saying as I hadn’t seen the interviews. On the other hand, I was very interested to hear how the delegates were going about pinpointing what type of candidate they were looking for, what each should have focused on, and how their performance in the interviews related to what they knew of the candidate in “real life.” Then, they would roll all that together and see if it fit where they saw the profession going. If I do get slated to run for student assembly, this will be very useful as I pick out my strengths and weaknesses and order them to best enable me to work the student agenda into the progression of the entire profession of physical therapy.
Other news that I picked up in shreds was that MA is removing RC 17. In short, the motion was to get at the evolving idea that PT is a brand. It laid out groundwork to unify those within the profession in what initials they put after their names. I think one of the main points was that putting all the certification initials after PT can cheapen that brand. It can appear, for example, that PTs are not qualified to prescribe an exercise program to a person without CSCS after their name along with the PT. Apparently discussion surrounding it became more about who could put what initials after their names, while the main idea of the motion was lost in the kafuffle. At this point, it is a matter of why waste the House’s time in discussion when that discussion will not be productive toward an end beyond a recipe for alphabet soup.
And again, I may now head out for some internet access so I can post this. Hope all is going well for you all…especially my classmates who are starting classes today. Sorry I can’t be with you, well, um, sorta. J
Day 1 - Part 1 - DC
May 21, 2007
I am in DC! My Dad and I left at around noon from MA in a Monte Carlo rental car, a CD player and no CDs, and luggage enough for a week’s stay here in ole Virginia. The trip was really uneventful. We stopped at a diner in CT for lunch, a rest stop in MD for dinner, and made it to our hotel in Crystal City at 9ish. We really cruised down here. After getting settled into the hotel we took a walk over to the Hilton across the street where I’d be picking up a shuttle to the Omni Shoreham Hotel and then hopped back in the car to drive to the Omni so I could do a quick 10min explore of the conference center. We got back to the hotel around midnight and were asleep around 1am. Now, here I have to mention my mattress. This thing is the coolest! It is a sleep number bed and my new favorite toy. I tried it on 25 last night which is very soft. I was worried that I would wake up sore this morning, but planned to try it on a more firm setting the next night. However, I woke up so rested, even at 5:15 this morning, so I think I might keep it at that setting. Laying down and changing the firmness of the mattress is a great deal of fun as well. I can’t wait to tell people all about it.
As I mentioned, I was up at 5:15 this morning. See, I am not an official part of the MA delegation. I am just here to observe the whole process. So, when I checked my schedule yesterday I had written in “7am potential MA caucus.” But I had no way of knowing if that potential was now kinetic. :) Anyway, I called a student who texted me back and said she was joining the delegation around 11:30am, but I didn’t get that message until about 5:50 this morning. Ah well. Dad and I hit up starbucks and I caught the shuttle (a charter bus) over to the Omni where I sit at this moment. I keep thinking I hear Aimee Klein’s voice which is a little scary because she could creep up on me at any moment. Not that that would be on her list of priorities now since she is on the Board of Directors and has to bring the HoD through RC 8…it has the potential to be a real messy one to say the least.…wow I really thought I just heard her again. I just finished the next paragraph of this and saw her…so I was right. We’ll see if she recognizes the back of my head. I just lightened my hair, so she really may not. She did.
Now I am trying to get some internet access in the lobby, but I can’t. There is some wireless around…it just isn’t acquiring the address. Maybe the Omni is blocking it so I have to pay $10 to get on their network. I dunno. I would pay the money actually…but I think it requires a room number and I certainly could not afford to stay here on my $300 stipend. Hopefully I can post this tonight to keep people updated on what happens down here.
Plan of the Day:
I do think I have been hanging out with military people too much that I have to have a plan of the day, or really that I just call it the plan of the day.
7:30am – 11:30am: Observation Hours – Sitting in the lobby and observing everyone. This may be one of my favorite parts, we’ll see. But I like to see how people interact, what people wear, the guy who just sprinted through the lobby with papers in his hand. I just met the first woman private practitioner. She is sitting right across from me at this sitting area in the lobby. So those are observation hours.
11:40-12:50pm: MA Caucus. I finally get to meet up with the MA delegation and catch up on what has gone down over the last day or so. They are all really great and very willing to help the other student and I understand anything they can. I am fortunate as well that they are very involved in the House. Maybe delegates from other states don’t appreciate their constant input, but I do. It keeps me on my toes trying to keep up with all of them.
12:50-3:00 – TBD. These open times (eg. observation hours and this one) are because I am not able to sit on the candidate interviews. Who knows what I’ll end up doing at this point.
3:00-4:30 – More MA Caucus
4:30-8:00 – The House of Delegates convenes!!! I can’t really expound on this since I have never experienced it, but be sure there will be much more comment to come!!
Alright, maybe observation hours are up for now. Maybe it will be explore/find internet access.
I am in DC! My Dad and I left at around noon from MA in a Monte Carlo rental car, a CD player and no CDs, and luggage enough for a week’s stay here in ole Virginia. The trip was really uneventful. We stopped at a diner in CT for lunch, a rest stop in MD for dinner, and made it to our hotel in Crystal City at 9ish. We really cruised down here. After getting settled into the hotel we took a walk over to the Hilton across the street where I’d be picking up a shuttle to the Omni Shoreham Hotel and then hopped back in the car to drive to the Omni so I could do a quick 10min explore of the conference center. We got back to the hotel around midnight and were asleep around 1am. Now, here I have to mention my mattress. This thing is the coolest! It is a sleep number bed and my new favorite toy. I tried it on 25 last night which is very soft. I was worried that I would wake up sore this morning, but planned to try it on a more firm setting the next night. However, I woke up so rested, even at 5:15 this morning, so I think I might keep it at that setting. Laying down and changing the firmness of the mattress is a great deal of fun as well. I can’t wait to tell people all about it.
As I mentioned, I was up at 5:15 this morning. See, I am not an official part of the MA delegation. I am just here to observe the whole process. So, when I checked my schedule yesterday I had written in “7am potential MA caucus.” But I had no way of knowing if that potential was now kinetic. :) Anyway, I called a student who texted me back and said she was joining the delegation around 11:30am, but I didn’t get that message until about 5:50 this morning. Ah well. Dad and I hit up starbucks and I caught the shuttle (a charter bus) over to the Omni where I sit at this moment. I keep thinking I hear Aimee Klein’s voice which is a little scary because she could creep up on me at any moment. Not that that would be on her list of priorities now since she is on the Board of Directors and has to bring the HoD through RC 8…it has the potential to be a real messy one to say the least.…wow I really thought I just heard her again. I just finished the next paragraph of this and saw her…so I was right. We’ll see if she recognizes the back of my head. I just lightened my hair, so she really may not. She did.
Now I am trying to get some internet access in the lobby, but I can’t. There is some wireless around…it just isn’t acquiring the address. Maybe the Omni is blocking it so I have to pay $10 to get on their network. I dunno. I would pay the money actually…but I think it requires a room number and I certainly could not afford to stay here on my $300 stipend. Hopefully I can post this tonight to keep people updated on what happens down here.
Plan of the Day:
I do think I have been hanging out with military people too much that I have to have a plan of the day, or really that I just call it the plan of the day.
7:30am – 11:30am: Observation Hours – Sitting in the lobby and observing everyone. This may be one of my favorite parts, we’ll see. But I like to see how people interact, what people wear, the guy who just sprinted through the lobby with papers in his hand. I just met the first woman private practitioner. She is sitting right across from me at this sitting area in the lobby. So those are observation hours.
11:40-12:50pm: MA Caucus. I finally get to meet up with the MA delegation and catch up on what has gone down over the last day or so. They are all really great and very willing to help the other student and I understand anything they can. I am fortunate as well that they are very involved in the House. Maybe delegates from other states don’t appreciate their constant input, but I do. It keeps me on my toes trying to keep up with all of them.
12:50-3:00 – TBD. These open times (eg. observation hours and this one) are because I am not able to sit on the candidate interviews. Who knows what I’ll end up doing at this point.
3:00-4:30 – More MA Caucus
4:30-8:00 – The House of Delegates convenes!!! I can’t really expound on this since I have never experienced it, but be sure there will be much more comment to come!!
Alright, maybe observation hours are up for now. Maybe it will be explore/find internet access.
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