NSC is an annual conference focusing on student and professional development in PT including our current and future scope of practice.
The following information was gathered by students in attendance at NSC this year!
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Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) is another annual conference in February focusing more on specializations (sections) within PT
Specializations/Sections in PT: There are many clinical specialties that we can pursue once graduating which can help refine and progress our practice and careers:
• Acute Care
• Aquatic PT
• Cardio & Pulmonary PT
• Clinical Electrophysiology and Wound Management
• Education
• Federal PT
• Geriatrics
• Hand Rehabilitation
• Health Policy and Administration
• Home Health
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Orthopedic
• Pediatrics
• Private Practice
• Research
• Sports PT
• Women's Health

o To become an APTA certified clinical specialist in one of these areas (take pediatrics for example) you must have 2,000 hrs direct pt care, 500 of which must be in the last year, your emergency care certification, ACLS certification, and patient reports to qualify to take the test. Once you have taken and passed the test the certification is good for 10 years

o It often takes at least 3-5 years to accrue these hours but there are also paid fellowship and residency programs

o Of the specialties orthopedic specialists are most common while pediatric, sports, and cardiopulmonary are far more uncommon

o Being a certified specialist in an area typically raises your pay at least several $1000/year, you're recognized as a specialist in your field and receive more referrals from colleagues in your area, and your job title typically gets bumped up (so say from PT I to PT II)

o About half of employers will subsidize or pay for the exam and certification

o Visit http://www.apta.org/specialist_certification for more info
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APTA members may access Open Door and Hooked on Evidence through www.apta.org
o These sites give access to tons of full-text articles/journals that we may have access to as students (but may not as practitioners).
o These resources ensure that we stay up to date with the literature, aiding us in providing evidence-based practice after we graduate.
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Clinical Residency and Fellowship Programs:
D.S.P. (Description of specialty practice): defines what a specialist does, recommended way to specialize in an area

Residency: Planned program of post professional education to advance preparation of care in a DEFINED area. It is an advanced mentoring program.
1500 hours
9-36 mo of training
Based on DSP
Board Based
Prepares for resident exam

Fellowship: Advanced curriculum in a sub-specialty (eg. manual therapy, movement science, hand, DIV1 athletics, etc)
1000 hours
6 - 36 months of training
Based on DSP
Validated Practice Analysis
Subspecialty focus
Advanced specialized practice
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Federal Physical Therapy:

1. Military PT: goal is to return pt to activity, direct access, PT may be only med provider on mission, rehab from war-TBI & amputation
2. US Public Health Service: under surgeon general, needs to be scientific not political, van work for a variety of agencies-humanitarian or response to natural disasters
3. Federal Bureau of Prisons: Musculoskeletal complaints, DM complications, cardiac, obesity, prevent inmates from needing outside medical appointments
4. Indian Health Services: tribes and Alaska natives. $25,000 in loan repayment/year until student loans are paid off.
5. Veterans Administration

Passing the Licensure Exam (NPTE):

Licensing authority = fsbpt.org
• Process: Apply to jurisdiction(your state), and apply online in conjunction with application to jurisdiction, register at the prometric center and take the NPTE
National PT Exam: 250 questions, 5 hours, 50 questions don’t count (=pre-test questions)
Hints:
-***READ the HANDBOOK
-Take the NPTE early, right after you graduate, best likelihood of passing right after graduation
-Don’t register until you are ready. You have a 60 day window to schedule your test at the testing center after your jurisdiction application is accepted.



Thanks to Catherine Jhung, SPT & Jon Younger, SPT (University of Washington, DPT 2011) for the info!