Background and purpose

Abstract

Professionalism is not a spectator sport. Stefan Schulz1 Although the physical therapy-specific Generic Abilities2 have been validated,3 expanded,4 and used in the profession for 10 years, the difficulty of identification, remediation, and evaluation of inappropriate behaviors, or “Generic Inabilities”5 remains a challenge for academic and clinical faculty. Evidence indicates that clinical instructors (CIs) are able to recognize and address cognitive deficits6,7,8,9 but are less likely to address and remediate deficits in the affective domain.10,11,12,13 “Professional growth involves changes in our knowledge, our skills and our attitudes, values and beliefs”14(p33) and inappropriate behavior can potentially affect patient care and outcomes. Therefore, academic and clinical faculty must be able to identify and respond to these Generic Inabilities. For the purposes of this article, Generic Inabilities refer to behaviors in any domain of learning (cognitive, psychomotor, and/or affective) that are perceived to be the antithesis of expected professional behaviors. The purpose of this article is to identify factors that foster Generic Inabilities and to provide guidance to clinical and academic faculty on their fiduciary responsibilities and courses of action.