Updating the NDPTA membership on the current best evidence and standards of practice

In This Issue Resolve to Grow: Neurologic Physical Therapy Specialist Certification

How many PTs are Clinical Specialists?
What is the Neurologic Clinical Specialty?
How can I prepare to become a Clinical Specialist?
What do I need to know to pass the examination?
How much does it cost?
Time limits for the examination/reapplication

Resolve to Grow: Neurologic Physical Therapy Specialist Certification How many Physical Therapists are Clinical Specialists? (As of July 2018). Since last year, the total number of clinical specialists in North Dakota has increased by 8, while there are 98 more clinical specialists in Minnesota. The ABPTS website (www. abpts.org) has a national database of board-certified clinical specialists in physical therapy.

What is the Neurologic Clinical Specialty?

The Neurologic Specialist Certification is the 3rd most common certification with about one in nine of all clinical specialists being certified in neurologic physical therapy. In the United States, there are 2,648 Neurologic Clinical Specialists as of July 28, 2018, with 6 in North Dakota and 63 in Minnesota.

The first step is to become a Neurologic Clinical Specialist is submitting the application. The application and application review fee are both due on July 31 for Neurologic applicants. The examination fee is due November 30. If you are interested in taking the examination in 2019, check the ABPTS website for specific deadlines.

Neurologic applicants must meet one of the following requirements for Direct Patient Care.

Option A: Submit evidence of 2,000 hours of direct patient care as a licensed U.S. physical therapist (temporary license excluded) in Neurologic in the past 10 years. At least 500 of these hours must be completed in the last 3 years. The direct patient care hours only include time practicing in Neurologic physical therapy in the United States or its possessions or territories, and must include activities involving examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis and intervention.

Option B: Submit evidence of successful completion of an APTA-accredited post professional clinical residency in Neurologic in the last 10 years. Applicants currently enrolled in an ABPTRFE-accredited clinical residency, or enrolled in a residency program that has been granted candidacy status, may apply for the specialist certification examination prior to completion of the clinical residency. These applicants will be conditionally approved to sit for the examination as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements pending submission of evidence of successful completion of the clinical residency to the APTA’a Specialist Certification Program no later than one month before the examination window opens.

How can I prepare to become a Neurologic Clinical Specialist?

The ABPTS has a candidate guide for individuals interested in the Neurologic Specialist Certification. http://www.abpts.org/uploadedFiles/ABPTSorg/Specialist_Certification/Neurology/ SpecCert_Neurologic_Application.pdf The ABPTS and the APTA sections all have information for preparing for the examination. ABPTS: http://www.abpts.org/Resources/ExamPreparationMaterials/ Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy, Inc. www.neuropt.org

What do I need to know to pass the examination?

The ABPTS provides an outline of the content of the examination. www.abpts.org/Resources/ ExamOutlines/Neurology I. Knowledge Areas (20%) II. Professional Roles, Responsibilities and Values (15%) III. Patient/Client Management Model (65%) a. Patient/Client Examination (30%) b. Intervention (30%) c. Outcomes (5%)

How much does it cost to take the examination?

There is a nonrefundable application review fee, which is submitted at the time of application. The examination fee is submitted after the applicant is approved to sit for the examination. For applicants who do not pass the examination the first time, they can retake the test the following year. The fees have increased slightly since the last newsletter. Application Review Fee Exam Fee APTA Member $525 $810 Non-APTA Member $810 $1535

Time Limits for Active Application/Reapplication Eligibility

Your file will remain active for two consecutive exam administrations. If you choose to delay sitting for the exam, if you are not approved to sit for the exam, or if you do not pass the exam, the following requirements exist. You must submit an online reapplication submission, and pay a reapplication review fee and the current examination fee. The reapplication review fee is $170 regardless of your APTA membership status. Reapplicants must meet all current requirements. After two consecutive examination administrations, you must start with a completely new application and initial application review fee.

Taking the examination

The examination is completed online. The complete examination session is seven hours long. There is an online tutorial that can be up to 10 minutes. The examination itself consists of 4 periods. Each period is 90 minutes, and there is an optional break that can be taken after any test period. After the test, there is a post-examination survey if time is available.