certification report 9
- 1. Brianna Stahl, Rachael Ahler, and Rachel Zolnier May 5, 2015 KNH 103 KNH 103: Professional Certification Project The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) provides 8 specialist certifications. These include Cardiovascular and Pulmonary, Clinical Electro Physiologic, Geriatric, Neurologic, Orthopedics, Pediatric, Sports, and Women’s Health Physical Therapy. More specifically, in 1981, the APTA House of Delegates approved certification for physical therapists specializing in pediatrics. The first pediatric specialist was certified in 1981, and since then, 1,378 other people have also been certified as pediatric physical therapy specialists. For our certification project, we chose to further our education on the Pediatric Physical Therapy specialist certification. Because all of the members in the group are both Kinesiology and Nutrition majors and one member is pursuing physical therapy, we came to the conclusion that physical therapy could relate to all of our interests. We are all also interested in working with pediatrics in the future; therefore, we thought it would be unique for the class if we looked at the Pediatric Certification for Physical Therapy. The purpose of the Pediatric Specialist Certification is to further the education and skills of a physical therapist in the specific area of pediatrics. By acquiring this certification, these physical therapists can be recognized for their exceptional knowledge in the field of pediatrics. In order to receive this certification, there are several requirements that must be met. The general requirement for this particular certification is that the applicant must be a licensed physical therapist in the United States. Additional requirements include two different options; the first includes acquiring two thousand
- 2. hours of direct patient care in pediatrics within the last ten years, five hundred hours within the past three years. The second option is to complete an APTA-accredited post professional clinical residency in pediatrics. Renewal of the certification occurs every ten year. Originally, recertification was achieved by demonstrating ongoing practice by meeting a minimum amount of practice hours. In addition to this physical therapists had to either pass the exam again, prepare a professional development portfolio (PDP) or complete an APTA accredited residency program. Most people opted for the PDP and the specialty council did not feel that this was an adequate way to renew the certification. Therefore, more recently the Maintenance of Specialist Certification Process was put into place. This process has four requirements which are as follows; professional standing and direct patient care hours, commitment to lifelong learning through professional development, practice performance through examples of clinical care and reasoning, and lastly cognitive expertise through a test of knowledge in the profession. With that being said, a professional portfolio is no longer required. As with any certification there are many steps to completion. With our particular certification the steps include: licensure, fee schedule, application deadline, additional minimum eligibility requirements by specialty area, application, applying for a second area of certification, examination, and examination candidate guide. Licensure means that applicants must have a current license to practice physical therapy in the US. Fee schedule refers to applicants’ requirement to pay for the application and the total fees are $1,315 for an APTA member and $2,385 for a non APTA member. These fee totals are the result of a $515 application fee and $800 examination fee for an APTA member and
- 3. $860 application fee and $1,525 examination fee for a non APTA member. For the 2015 exam, all applicants had to have their minimum eligibility requirements completed by July 31, 2014 application deadline. Applications are only accepted online, and they must describe the applicant’s physical therapy experience. In order to apply for a second area of certification, applicants must complete application materials and fees for the specialist exam. The applicants must also pass a written exam that demonstrates their advanced knowledge. Applicants are encouraged to select the specialty area they are most interested in. This additional certification as a pediatric specialist makes them more valuable as a physical therapist. Work Cited "Pediatric Physical Therapy." Fox Valley Physical Therapy. Fox Valley Physical Therapy and Wellness, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://fvphysicaltherapy.com/>. "Specialist Certification." American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. American Physical Therapy Association, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.abpts.org/Certification/>.