Global Identity

I congratulate the members of our profession who are getting involved in a movement to strengthen our profession's identity.¹ These days, when our profession may be challenged, it is so important for us to create a strong global identity. The term “movement system” is a great identifier, but as Jull and Moore state, “considerable work would have to be done towards the scientific definition and promotion [of this term].”¹ I am looking forward to the ongoing discussion, the results of which I hope will be acted upon without delay so that united as a profession we can work to promote our profession on a global scale.

However, I am reminded that our identity is weakened by the division of the profession by name. The fact that we use both the terms “physiotherapy” and “physical therapy,” not to mention other international differentiations, does not give us a strong global identity. If we are to define our profession by a system to strengthen our identity, then perhaps we should also decide on a name. Consideration of this proposal certainly presents many challenges, especially when both terms are rooted in their own history and geographical variation. However, we cannot ignore this issue, as the current situation threatens our profession, for example, by generating public confusion and at the extreme allowing training institutes to offer “physical therapy” qualifications after minimal training.²

Working in the global sphere, I am very supportive of presenting a united front with a strong professional identity. I wonder if there is anything that we can do about this? I look forward to future discourse.

• © 2014 American Physical Therapy Association