Scott Richardson, PT, PhD

Scott is running for Secretary in the 2020 Board Elections. 

After graduating from PT school, my first position was in a rehabilitation hospital and I thoroughly enjoyed working with patients who had experienced CVA, TBI, and other challenging diagnoses. One of the efforts continually made by the PT staff was to prepare patients for discharge home and to re-create their home environment. We also completed home safety assessments for a few patients. This gave me a desire to actually provide treatment to patients in their homes. I began seeing home health patients part time and was drawn to the unique opportunities to assist them in their homes. I have continued to practice in this setting for 24 years and I have enjoyed these interactions immensely. There is something very authentic about treating patients where they live. I am able to focus on functional activities that directly benefit the patients and have purpose in their daily lives. As my career progressed, I always had a desire to teach. I find the process of teaching and learning rewarding and the energy, ambition and desire to learn of my students is infectious. My ability as a professor to impact the thinking of future therapists is incredibly fulfilling. Evidence that home health is a growing area in our profession takes form in the many questions I field about home health practice from students. I am proud to say that every student who passes through our program receives from me an enthusiastic endorsement for home health physical therapy. Teaching in a DPT program is a unique and wonderful way to give back to a profession that has given me so much. I feel that the time is perfect for me now that I have completed my terminal degree and the Home Health Advanced Competency to engage more closely with my profession via service to the section.

Candidate Statement
I am grateful for the opportunity to be considered for service to the Home Health Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. I was able to complete the Advanced Competency in Home Health in 2019. This was a very rewarding process. My interactions with Home Health Section staff during the enrollment process followed by my experiences with the faculty during the in-person teaching sessions helped me appreciate the important work that is being done. I feel so proud of our profession, who we are and what we stand for as physical therapists. Recent changes to our world caused by the Covid pandemic have clearly illustrated the need for telehealth as well as home based services. Many therapists who perhaps hesitated to communicate with patients virtually or to provide a video home exercise program now see these as viable options. There is work to be done to advocate for favorable reimbursement for home health services. We can also increase public awareness about home based physical therapy services and provide greater accessibility to underserved areas and individuals. I am hard working, organized and passionate about the crucial role that the Home Health Section will play in the years to come. It would be an honor and a privilege to serve as secretary or as a member of the nominating committee.