Accountability: Accountability is active acceptance of the responsibility for the diverse roles, obligations, and actions of the physical therapist including self-regulation and other behaviors that positively influence patient/client outcomes, the profession and the health needs of society.
Altruism: Altruism is the primary regard for or devotion to the interest of patients/clients, thus assuming the fiduciary responsibility of placing the needs of the patient/client ahead of the physical therapist’s self interest.
Compassion/Caring: Compassion is the desire to identify with or sense something of another’s experience; a precursor of caring. Caring is the concern, empathy, and consideration for the needs and values of others.
Excellence: Excellence is physical therapy practice that consistently uses current knowledge and theory while understanding personal limits, integrates judgment and the patient/client perspective, challenges mediocrity, and works toward development of new knowledge.
Integrity: Integrity is steadfast adherence to high ethical principles or professional standards; truthfulness, fairness, doing what you say you will do, and “speaking forth” about why you do what you do.
Professional Duty: Professional duty is the commitment to meeting one’s obligations to provide effective physical therapy services to individual patients/clients, to serve the profession, and to positively influence the health of society.
Social Responsibility: Social responsibility is the promotion of a mutual trust between the profession and the larger public that necessitates responding to societal needs for health and wellness.
American Physical Therapy Association. Professionalism in Physical Therapy: Core Values. American Physical Therapy Association, Alexandria, VA; August 2003 (www.apta.org/documents/public/education/professionalism.pdf)