Integrating AI-Augmented Practice Into Physical Therapy Education: A Competency Overlay Framework
Dustin HardwickBackground and Purpose.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly embedded in health care documentation systems, clinical decision support, and workflow technologies. Physical therapist education must prepare graduates to evaluate AI-generated documentation and recommendations, yet curricula rarely specify observable behaviors for doing so. The purpose of this position paper is to propose an AI Competency Overlay Framework that defines entry-level supervisory expectations for AI-augmented physical therapist practice and supports targeted integration into existing curricula.
Position and Rationale.
Physical therapy education programs should adopt an AI Competency Overlay Framework: 9 observable entry-level competencies organized across AI Literacy and System Awareness, Supervisory Practice in AI-Augmented Care, and Ethical and Systems Stewardship. The rationale rests on documented automation-bias risks, emerging health professions AI-readiness expectations, and competency-based education theory. The framework is offered as a conceptual position for consensus refinement and empirical testing.
Discussion and Conclusion.
The proposed overlay clarifies how established obligations for patient safety, documentation integrity, and ethical reasoning apply when AI contributes to clinical work. A staged implementation pathway is presented as an illustrative route for adoption. Implementation will require curricular and assessment changes, faculty development, consensus validation, and pilot testing.