Acute care is a complex practice environment where the medical condition of the patients is often dire; however, the role physical therapists play in this setting is not well understood. The June 2011 article "Physical Therapist Practice in the Acute Care Setting: A Qualitative Study" examined the role of physical therapists in acute care and the skills and decision-making processes that they use. In this podcast, two of authors, Diane Jette and Carey-Leah Havrilko, are joined by Sharon Gorman, the lead author of a recent practice analysis of acute care physical therapy, Gail Jensen, an expert on qualitative studies, and moderator Rebecca Craik to discuss how physical therapists practice the acute care setting. What does a qualitative study add to our understanding of the acute care environment? How does acute care differ from other practice settings? Are physical therapist education programs adequately preparing their graduates to practice in acute care settings? Should acute care be a specialty?