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

CORE™ Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training™

Merrithew™

Merrithew™ ↗

This is a training program focusing on functional fitness, targeting core strength and kinesthetic awareness, which together can lead to improvements in total-body strength and power, and is designed for both novice and high-level athletes.The CORE Foundational Principles followed in this training regime enhance performance by improving precision, control, strength, power and agility. The CORE system helps retrain unbalanced muscles, initiates the core, and builds strength from within that transfers on and off the playing field.

Halo® Training

Merrithew™

Merrithew™ ↗

A versatile training program and tool that promotes functional strength and stability for all of your clients – from post-rehab to elite athletes. Halo® Training is a multi-functional and three-dimensional exercise program that incorporates the science of core-integrated bodyweight training with the use of the Halo® Trainer Plus and Stability Ball™. The program offers exercises that follow unique progressions or regressions designed to increase functional strength and stability for a client at any level of condition from rehab through to athletic performance training.

Pilates for Rehabilitation Matwork Certification

Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute

Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute ↗

Attaining certification as an APPI Pilates for Rehabilitation Matwork Instructor requires the completion of three matwork courses (Level 1,2 and 3), pre-course requirements, hours of observation, self practice, practice teaching and the certification exam (to be completed after matwork level 3). The matwork Pilates training series has been designed for those teaching in the rehabilitation setting, and is based on the most up to date evidence in spinal stability, pelvic stability, strength/conditioning and pain.
Link to Certification

Pilates Reformer Certification

Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute

Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute ↗

The certification course is comprised of six days of practical and theoretical teaching. You must have attended Pilates for Rehabilitation (Matwork Level 1) or equivalent two-day matwork course with a recognised Pilates training institution. in order to attend this certification course. Ninety five beginner and intermediate original and APPI evolved movements are taught along with countless modifications and variations There is a 60 minute written examination and a 60 minute practical examination for APPI reformer certification. Link to Certification

 

Physical Therapy Certifications

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.

Physical Therapy Certifications

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

Physical Therapy Certifications

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

Physical Therapy Certifications

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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