Physical Therapy Certifications

This month CE For Therapy has partnered with PESI Inc. to offer the online course Orthopedic Myofascial Certificate: Solutions for Pain, Posture & Mobility. Link to Course  Join Theresa Schmidt, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, LMT, CEAS, CHy to build a solid foundation in the leading soft tissue treatment techniques, including: Myofascial Release, Cupping, Trigger Point Release, Positional Release (strain and counterstrain), Foam rollers and Mobilization Tools, AND MORE!

CE For Therapy has an extensive database of Physical Therapy  Certifications, Methods, Techniques, Specialties, and Topics offered by Continuing Education Providers. If you are aware of additional Physical Therapy Certifications, Specialties, Methods, Techniques, or Topics that you think should be added, please contact us.

Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

Human Movement Specialist Certification

Brookbush Institute ↗

The Human Movement Specialist (HMS) certification acknowledges that you have completed 80 hours (or more) of course work toward a growing expertise in human movement science. All courses are short (1 - 4 hours), you choose the courses you think are important to your current work environment, you get credit for each passed exam, there is no giant final exam at the end, no timelines and it’s all included in membership, with no additional fees. Link to Certification

Halliwick Aquatic Therapy/Water Specific Therapy Certification

Inertia Therapy Services ↗

From a broad perspective Halliwick-Aquatic Therapy (HAT) is an intervention tactic that uses the specific constraints of the aquatic environment to therapeutically influence human functioning for those that have impairments in function or structure of organ systems, limitations in their activities and/or restrictions in their participation. The special focus of the course this year will be about influencing neuroinflammation with aquatic therapy. Link to Course

Corrective Exercise – Advancements in Exercise Selection: Corrective Exercise Lab

Brookbush Institute ↗

This course is recommended for any human movement professional looking to improve their skills and knowledge of corrective/therapeutic exercise. More than 100 self-administered techniques, are covered designed to address the most common movement impairments.This is a very interactive lecture, with plenty of time given to compare techniques, discuss common practices, case studies, answer questions and refine execution. Link to Corrective Exercise

Process-Based Specialist in Movement & Pain (PSMP)

Dynamic Principles, LLC ↗

The Process-Based Specialist in Movement and Pain (PSMP) is a certification program that was created to help clinicians develop competence, critical thinking, and comfort in the use of a biopsychosocial process-based framework called the Human Rehabilitation Framework (HRF)™.

The HRF stands as a notable advancement in the field of rehabilitation, embodying a scientifically sound, coherent, and individual-centered approach to clinical decision making and treatment. It prompts a transdisciplinary and transdiagnostic approach to tackling physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems in human functioning, marking a new era in rehabilitation.

This coursework is designed for: Physical Therapists, Athletic Trainers, Occupational Therapists, Chiropractors, Physical and Occupational Therapist Assistants, Massage Therapists, Psychologists/Social Workers, Nurses/Nurse Practitioners, Osteopaths, and Physicians.

Postural Restoration Certified™ (PRC)

Postural Restoration Intstitute ↗

The Postural Restoration Institute credentialing program recognizes individuals with advanced training and extraordinary interest in the science of postural adaptations, asymmetrical patterns and the influence of polyarticular chains of muscles on the human body. The PRC credentialing program is available to PTs, PTAs, OTs, and chiropractors who have attended the required PRI courses, demonstrated a thorough understanding of the science through completion of the PRC application, and successfully participate in both clinical and analytical testing.

Running Technique Specialist Certification (CRTS)

Romanov Academy of Sports Science ↗

The Certified Running Technique Specialist (Pose Method) credential is for any individual who wants to demonstrate a higher level of running technique instruction, coaching knowledge and ability. The purpose of the CRTS (Pose Method) is to ensure that an individual possesses the knowledge and competency required to teach and train clients safely and effectively. To attain this credential individuals must meet all eligibility requirements, pass the CRTS (Pose Method) examination, and commit to a standard of professional practice. As the demand for skilled Technique Specialists is at a critical level due to increase in movement related injuries and increase in numbers of participants in athletic activities, practitioners who hold the CRTS (Pose Method) certification are well positioned to provide the professional skills necessary to successfully lead and achieve positive results.

Movement Analysis and Dysfunction – Advanced Training Specialist (ATS) Certification-Level 1

Pinnacle Training & Consulting Systems, LLC ↗

This 100% online course provides a deeper and clear understanding of how human movement occurs, by teaching the functional anatomy, biomechanical principles & biomechanics behind daily & sport specific movements. Paticipants will gain a clearer understanding of the essential integrative training components, and truly understand the foundation of periodization training, and recognize and understand comprehensively about how common movement dysfunctions occur, all based on evidenced based research with practical application. Link to ATS

Medical Errors

CEUFast ↗

This course goes over the common issue of medical errors and how to apply strategies for prevention. Those who take this CE will be able to discuss the impact of human error, identify where these errors tend to happen and explain programs that reduce medical errors.

PGP: The Pelvic Girdle Puzzle

Institute Of Physical Art ↗

This course is a lab-intensive introduction to the Functional Manual Therapy® system for the management of the pelvic girdle. In the Functional Manual Therapy® (FMT) treatment approach, management of the pelvic girdle is an essential aspect of patient care for the restoration of efficient mobility, alignment and motor control of the human system. Participants will be instructed to utilize a clinical reasoning framework for examination, evaluation, and treatment planning for the management of the patient with decreased function secondary to neuro-musculoskeletal impairments of the pelvic girdle.

Foot and Ankle – DFA: Dynamic Foot and Ankle

Institute Of Physical Art ↗

This course is a lab intensive introduction to the Functional Manual Therapy® system of management for the foot and ankle. Through lecture and demonstration, the participant will gain a better understanding of the anatomical and biomechanical presentation of an efficient foot and ankle which provides for a dynamically stable and mobile base of support. Each participant will explore the biomechanical and functional impact of the foot and ankle on the entire kinetic chain and examine the role of the foot and ankle as an essential component of optimal mobility, alignment, and motor control of the human system.

Pelvic Rehabilitation – Athletes & Pelvic Rehabilitation: Transitioning from a Local to a Global Systems Approach

Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute ↗

This two-day online course, developed by an instructor with extensive experience working with professional athletes, will cover an evidence-based, immediately-applicable skills related to pelvic floor rehabilitation for the athlete, covering treatment philosophies for the pelvis and pelvic floor and global considerations of how these structures contribute to human movement. Topics covered will include urinary incontinence, as well as the intricacies of athletic movement and how energy transference throughout the kinetic chain is crucial to rehabilitation approach, injury prevention and high performance.

Kinetic Link Training – Level One (Strengthening Functional Movement)

Kinetic Link Training ↗

Study Anytime: Online / On Demand. Learn to design & deliver the most effective functional strength training programs by utilising an integrated approach to human biomechanics. Study the very latest functional strength training and movement restoration principles. Explore the evidence-based, time-efficient Kinetic Link Training system (KLT). KLT has been developed by Australian sports and exercise physical therapists as a unique training approach which focuses on developing strength and stability in integrated multi-planar movement patterns. KLT is incredibly adaptable for a wide spectrum of clients, from rehab patients through to elite athletes.

Postural Alignment Specialist Certification (PAS)

Egoscue Institute ↗

Posture therapy is a method of restoring the body back to its functional design posture, alleviating pain and allowing people get to an active, pain free lifestyle. As a Certified Postural Alignment Specialist, it is your job to help change your client's focus from a symptom-driven approach to a cause-driven approach, and you will have the knowledge on how to assist clients in relieving chronic pain through a series of gentle, corrective exercises. This method of posture therapy enables pain sufferers to free themselves from chronic pain and regain proper function of the body. Link to Egoscue Courses

CE for Therapy presently features multiple providers that offer a wide variety of Physical Therapy Certifications, Methods and Techniques. Here are some brief descriptions of some of our favorites, taken from the Physical Therapy Certifications / Techniques appearing above:

Torticollis: Assessment and Treatment of Infants and Children Online Series, offered by Education Resources, Inc.,  is instructed by Cindy Miles, PT, PhD, PCS, NDT, a leading expert on torticollis and plagiocephaly, who discusses the increased incidence, etiology, and pathophysiology of this disorder. This course is chock-full of case studies and interactive at-home lab practice opportunities to provide the knowledge of effective assessment and treatment of children with torticollis. Evidence-based treatment strategies that can be integrated into routines and functional play will be provided as well as recommendations for follow-up. At-home labs are offered and can be practiced with a baby-doll or partner.

Swim Whisperers – Overcome Roadblocks for Aquatic Therapy offered by Swim Angelfish. This course dives into identification of the 14 most commonly seen roadblocks for swimmers with special needs. Connection between each roadblock to the underlying problem as a therapist along with learning a strategy to overcome the roadblock will be identified for clinical use. 2 Hour Online Course. Link to Course

3D Movement Analysis and Performance System (3DMAPS®) Certification,  offered by the Gray Institute, leverages movements that are authentic to everyday life by utilizing all three planes of motion. This system allows the practitioner to examine, evaluate, and treat patients based on the philosophy that the influence of one part of the body effects another. This 10-hour, 100% online Physical Therapy Certifications course is the perfect complement for physical therapists and other movement professionals.

Advanced Office Ergonomics Assessment Specialist Certification (AOEAS®), offered by The Back School, provides a comprehensive overview of the many causative factors of and solutions for the prevention of office musculoskeletal disorders. Using the OSHA survey tool the D-2, this Physical Therapy Certifications course certifies that you are able to perform an OSHA-compliant ergonomics analysis in multiple types of offices. Participants will learn to identify and resolve the common risk factors in today’s traditional and non-traditional office environments.

Process-Based Specialist in Movement & Pain (PSMP), offered by Dynamic Priniciples LLC, is a 90-credit hour online and live hybrid Physical Therapy Certifications program which can be flexibly completed over the course of 1 to 5 years. This course work is designed to help participants re-conceptualize movement, manual therapy, and pain science clinical understanding and interventions to current standards of science-based evidence, while simultaneously building up communication and behavior modification skills to help clinicians better work with clients and patients who struggle with movement and pain. In this process, clinicians are introduced to a biopsychosocial process-based framework called the Movement with Pain Framework (MWPF) to help them take on uncertainty and complexity with increased comfort. This coursework is combined with a portfolio review to encourage the clinician to incorporate different science-based perspectives from other educators within the domains of Movement, Manual Therapy, Communication, and Behavior. The program finishes with a capstone providing opportunities for both conceptual and experiential integration.

Geriatric Certification, offered by Evidence in Motion, offers PTs and OTs the opportunity to develop expertise in the clinical management of the aging patient population. The evidence‑based curriculum focuses on the development of clinical competencies in the treatment of older adults with functional and cognitive decline with the intention of returning patients to active and healthy lifestyles. Coursework for this Physical Therapy Certifications course consists of a dynamic combination of didactic, collaborative, and clinical education experiences using a blend of distance learning, online courses, and weekend intensive on-site courses.

Applied Functional Science Certification (CAFS®), Link to CAFS offered by the Gray Institute, was developed for movement professionals from all industries and from all levels. The program includes more than 25 hours of video content, testing, and supplemental documents to help you design and implement functional programs based on the needs, wants, and goals of each unique client. CAFS is entirely online and can be completed at your own pace. Once enrolled, the student will have access to the content for a period of three years and can continue to access the content to this Physical Therapy Certifications course even after completion.

Advanced Exercise Therapist Certification (AET) offered by the
Egoscue Institute, Link to EI will further develop your existing skill set. With your 5-year certification, you will be a health professional with a level of proficiency in the Method that very few have achieved. While this Physical Therapy Certifications course hits on a wide variety of topics, the program provides a particular focus on the gross anatomy knowledge needed for many of your therapeutic interactions.Practitioners with the AET Certification are the only students allowed to open an Egoscue Method facility. Link to Egoscue

Functional Manual Therapy Certification (CFMT), offered by the
Institute Of Physical Art, is an intense 4 days of review of 8 required courses, followed by 2 days of written and oral/practical testing. The Following is the required Physical Therapy Certifications course work: Functional Mobilization I, CoreFirst™ Strategies for Back Education and Training, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation I, FMT Foundations, Functional Mobilization II, Functional Mobilization Lower Quadrant, Functional Mobilization Upper Quadrant, and in addition, applicants must Attend Functional Gait.

The Human Movement Specialist (HMS) certification, offered by the Brookbush Institute, acknowledges that you have completed 80 hours (or more) of course work toward a growing expertise in human movement science. All courses are short (1 – 4 hours), you choose the courses you think are important to your current work environment, you get credit for each passed exam, there is no giant final exam at the end, no timelines and it’s all included in membership, with no additional fees. Link to Brookbush

In order to receive the Kinesio Taping® Practitioner Certification (CKTP), offered by Kinesio University, candidates must complete the Kinesio Taping Assessments, Fundamental Concepts and Techniques, and the Advanced Techniques and Clinical Reasoning Approved Seminars, and then must pass the online CKTP Exam with 80% or higher. The letters “CKTP” after a name ensure confidence that the practitioner has undergone the necessary training to integrate Kinesio Taping in to their practice.

More Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

Offers Physical Therapy Certifications

WoundEducators.com offers Physical Therapy Certifications. The PT Wound Care Certification Course Online Training Component contains 17 interactive modules that pertain to all areas of wound management and includes digital images, animated activities, and video clips that demonstrate important learning concepts. The Certification Training Kit has a current wound management textbook that reinforces online training, an Interactive CD containing case studies that allow you to apply your wound care knowledge through the diagnosis and treatment of patients, and a Wound Certification Study guide that includes an outline of each module and a note-taking area. The course requires 57 Hours to complete. Link to Cert Course

Constraint-Induced Therapy: Introduction to Modified Constraint-Induced Therapy
Offered by MedBridge. Link to MedBridge Learn the most well-known and intensively studied neurorehabilitative therapy, taught by one of its pioneers! Learn from Dr. Page, who was the first to develop and implement modified, distributed versions of constraint-induced therapy, and to show that this reimbursable outpatient approach changes the brains and movements of patients even decades after brain injury and stroke. In this introductory course, Dr. Page will introduce the rationale, scientific basis, and practical application of modified constraint-induced therapy into your clinic, including applications to the upper and lower extremities and speech.

Introduction to Musculoskeletal Imaging offered by Redefine Health Education

This course is designed for health professionals to enhance their foundational knowledge in diagnostic imaging modalities. The course focuses on a range of modalities including radiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography. The course will convey the inherent statistical properties of each modality and how that impacts interpretations and clinical management. The course will instruct on radiologic verbiage to maximize the students’ ability to garner information from an interpretation and for inter-professional communication with radiologists. Students will also be taught a communication strategy with radiologists to improve the interpretation, improve the clinical correlation, and ultimately improve the management of the patient.

More Physical Therapy Certifications and Techniques

CLINICAL AI CHI©- Certification Course offered by Inertia Therapy Services

The basis of Ai Chi is it’s 19 kata’s: continuous movements that form a sequence with gradual increasing difficulty. There is no need to perform all movements. Different protocols exist, consisting of a choice of the 19 movements and/or a different amount of repetitions.
Clinical Ai Chi® is Ai Chi, which is used to solve a patient-specific problem. This mostly means that it is adapted to the possibilities of a person with a musculoskeletal and/or neurological problem. The elements of Clinical Ai Chi® should fit in a custom-made treatment program and be the result of a clinical reasoning process.

Certified Expert in Applied Geriatric Neurology offered by Great Seminars and Books

This 5-hour course is designed to extend and enrich learning in the area of geriatric neurology. Prerequisites: successful completion of (>80% correct on the post-test) of 5 of the following 7 courses:

• Gait & Balance: Not Falling for You
• Seating and Mobility: Choose the Right Path
• Wiihabilitation: You Never Knew Skilled PT Could Be This Fun
• Vestibular Rehabilitation: Does the Thought Make Your Head Spin?
• A Master Clinician Demystifies MS: Steps to Rehab Success for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
• A Master Clinician Confronts Stroke
• Neuro-Oncological Rehab: Head to Toe

Musculoskeletal (MSK) Soft Tissue Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Certificate offered by Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

The MSK Soft Tissue Clinical Certificate is appropriate for medical professionals whose scope of practice requires the evaluation of MSK Soft Tissue to identify Abscess, Muscle Tear, and other common pathologies. POCUS for the evaluation of MSK Soft Tissue is portable, allowing for real-time imaging and on-the-spot interpretation. Point-of-Care Ultrasound can be used by physicians, advanced practice providers (e.g., physician assistants, nurse practitioners, physical therapists), and other medical professionals who use POCUS for clinical evaluation or therapeutic decision making.

Frequently Asked Physical Therapy Certifications Questions:

How many years does it take to become a physical therapist?

Professional (entry-level) and Post-Professional (transitional) physical therapist education programs in the United States currently offer the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree to all new students who enroll. The length of professional DPT programs is typically 3 years, and the curriculum that is offered is prescribed by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The course pre-requisites for admission vary significantly across PT education programs. PT programs may require preprofessional (pre-PT/undergraduate) science courses to be completed in a 4-year university/college within the 7-10 years prior to enrollment.

How do you become a certified physical therapist?

After graduation, Physical Therapists have the opportunity to become Board-certified Clinical Specialists through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS). Specialty certification is voluntary, and Physical Therapists can become board-certified specialists in the following areas: Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiology, Geriatrics, Neurology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Sports Physical Therapy, and Women’s Health.  Two avenues that are associated with significant PT Post Graduate Continuing Competency costs, are Clinical Residency and Clinical Fellowships.

A Clinical Residency is a planned program of post-professional clinical and didactic education for physical therapists that is designed to significantly advance a physical therapist resident’s preparation as a provider of patient care services in a defined area of clinical practice. A Clinical Fellowship is a planned program of post-professional clinical and didactic education for a physical therapist who demonstrates clinical expertise in an area of clinical practice related to the practice focus of the fellowship.

NEW ABPTRFE Policies

During the past year there have been several changes in the policies that the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) has put into place, that has caused some practitioners to be concerned about the basic survival of Residency and Fellowship programs.

ABPTRFE now has the following policies:

• Item 13.4 “Change in Curriculum” – requires a physical site visit for every additional participant practice site after the addition of a second new practice site in one calendar year.
• 4.2.4  Admission Criteria: requiring residency training, or American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) specialist certification– i.e. the elimination of the “Skills Track” as the third path for admission to a fellowship program.

Some practitioners are concerned that these new policies  threaten the future of post-professional residency and fellowship programs because they create divisiveness, disruption, and increased administrative burden in these clinical training programs. CE For Therapy will cover this issue on the “Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Programs Face ABPTRFE Mandated Changes” Post

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