Scope of Practice

3. Scope of the Individual

Contrasting clinical profiles for generalist and specialist practitioners helps to further develop an understanding of scope of practice:

• A generalist develops a broad base of skills, knowledge and experience in a range of areas, enabling them to deal with most patients (presenting with straightforward to moderately complex needs). Professional strength lies in the breadth of their understanding and approach underpinned by clinical reasoning and decision making.
• A specialist by contrast has developed finely honed skills via training and experience in a very specific area of practice, arising from a detailed and particular knowledge base. Professional strength lies in the depth of their understanding and approach underpinned by clinical reasoning and decision making.

However, while this basic division helps to clarify what is meant by scope of practice, it is not readily applicable to most physiotherapists as many practitioners move between the two categories throughout their career, with much depending on client group, team roles and environment. Such a changing role is certainly supported through general literature on professional practice:

"throughout a professional career, professionals will be changing the scope of their own competence, through becoming more specialist, through moving into newly developing areas of professional work or through taking on managerial / educational roles and they will also be continuously developing the quality of their work in a number of areas beyond the level of competency to one of proficiency / expertise". (Eraut, 1994)

Scope of practice in practical terms encompasses all elements that form a clinical intervention, including assessment, risk assessment, evaluation of the animal and treatment goals, treatment given, together with advice and training, following owner assessment. As such, all elements within the scope of practice of physiotherapy are covered by Professional Liability Insurance.