Clinician's Commentary on Hussey et al.

What facilitates or deters a Canadian physiotherapist's decision to choose a career in cardiorespiratory practice? To explore this question, Hussey and colleagues1 conducted a cross-sectional, online survey of practising members of the cardiorespiratory and orthopaedic divisions of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. This study built on a previous survey of the factors that influence physiotherapy students' opinions of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy as a career path. Hussey and colleagues found that a perceived narrow scope of practice was the most influential professional factor deterring students from choosing cardiorespiratory physiotherapy as a career choice, which leads to the following questions: What is the definition or concept of a cardiorespiratory physiotherapist? Is it based on the practice setting, the treatment techniques that are used, or the diagnoses of the clinical population being treated