Which is a core value of the APTA?

• A. Cooperation
• B. Diversity
• C. Accountability
• D. Empathy

Answer: (C)

This item tests knowledge of APTA's official core values. Accountability is the one formally named among them. It means taking responsibility for your actions, decisions, and their outcomes, and being answerable to patients, families, colleagues, and the public. In physical therapy, accountability underpins safe, ethical, and high‑quality care: staying competent, following evidence-based practices, documenting accurately, and pursuing improvement when outcomes aren’t optimal. While cooperation, diversity, and empathy are valuable in clinical work, they aren’t designated as core values in APTA’s framework; compassion is, and it overlaps with empathy, but accountability is the explicit core value here. So this is the best answer because it reflects the formal standard that guides professional behavior across all aspects of practice.