Program Overview

Certificate in Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy

The 12-credit certificate for licensed, practicing therapists provides clinicians with an advanced, clinically relevant orthopedic curriculum emphasizing PT diagnostic skills, manual therapy, exercise, and clinical reasoning.

At a Glance

• The program is designed for clinicians who want to improve their clinical practice but may not be able to commit to a full-time residency program.
• It can be completed in as little as 12 months or at the student's own pace (up to 36 months).
• The program provides an advanced, clinically relevant orthopedic curriculum emphasizing PT diagnostic skills, manual therapy, exercise, and clinical reasoning.
• The weekend in-person course format, combined with hybrid online education, allows clinicians to continue their regular employment while enrolled in the certificate program.

Certificate Program Philosophy

Expert Instructors

• All content within the program is taught by true experts in the field, who are not just academics and researchers but also clinicians with extensive real-world clinical experience.
• The program offers more than just new techniques or tools; it teaches effective, biomechanically and physiologically sound techniques and the clinical reasoning skills to use them successfully.

Evidence-Enhanced Practice

• Content and concepts are based on the principles of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), considering the limitations of practice based on randomized clinical trials or systematic reviews.
• The program recognizes the importance of clinical prediction rules, mechanism-based approaches, and individually modifiable factors in real-world skills application.

Flexible Options

• Option 1: Certificate in Advanced Orthopaedic Physical Therapy - Complete all 12 courses within 3 years with grades of 80% or better to earn the certificate.
• Option 2: Individual CEU Courses - Enroll in any of the certificate courses as a CEU offering at a reduced rate, without participating in the enhanced online content or earning university credit.
• Option 3: Certified Orthopaedic Manual Therapist (COMT) - The certificate program provides graduates with a significant manual therapy skill set, making them eligible to test for the COMT credential.

Certificate Requirements

The full Certificate in Advanced Orthopedic Physical Therapy consists of 12 one-credit courses.

Course Descriptions

• PT 900: Foundations of Exam/Mechanisms of Manual Therapy, Exercise, and Pain Neuroscience
• PT 901: Medical Screening for Orthopedic Therapists
• PT 902: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Lumbopelvic Spine
• PT 903: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Thoracic Spine
• PT 904: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Cervical Spine
• PT 905: Advanced Clinical Practice for the TMJ
• PT 906: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Hip
• PT 907: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Knee
• PT 908: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Foot/Ankle
• PT 909: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Shoulder
• PT 910: Advanced Clinical Practice for the Elbow/Wrist/Hand
• PT 911: Advanced Clinical Practice: Vestibular rehabilitation for the Orthopedic Therapist

Admission

Applications for the certificate program should be submitted through the Graduate Admission office. Applicants must be a licensed physical therapist (in any US state) or have the approval of the program director. Admissions are rolling until the program is filled.

Tuition

Tuition for the Certificate program is billed at the current university rate of $654 per credit for the academic year. Tuition for the CEU option is $500 per course for all courses with two-day labs.

Program Contacts

• Brian Swanson, PT, DSc, OCS, FAAOMPT, Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy, University of Hartford
• Graduate Admission Office

Similar Programs

• Physical Therapy - DPT
• Physical Therapy - Combined BS/DPT
• Prosthetics and Orthotics - MS