Several steps need to be taken to aid in choosing the best physical therapist continuing education courses. The first step is to analyze where you are now — what you know, what you don’t yet know, what your physical therapy (PT) skills are, what PT skills you lack, what your professional goals are for one year down the line, five years, and 10 years. Be sure to write these all down. Perhaps the most important issue to consider is what it would take to revolutionize your practice.
You need to look at still other areas as you do this self-analysis. Some of the areas you examine will help in analyzing the topics already mentioned; others are more “stand alone.” Consider what kinds of patients you treat and what kinds of patients you would like to treat. Find out what credentials would help you meet your goals, and what physical therapist continuing education courses those credentials require.
If you have a patient whose treatment has challenges that do not seem to be getting met, look for physical therapist continuing education courses that might offer solutions. In fact, if you have any sort of specific treatment questions, you will want to search for continuing education classes that could answer those questions. You could look at the kinds of courses you took during your initial training and see if there are similar continuing education courses that might include more up-to-date information or techniques. Finding a mentor who can help you with both your self-analysis and your search for suitable courses can be a boon.
As much as possible, you want to plan your physical therapist continuing education program to be logically sequenced so you consistently build your knowledge and skills in the direction you want your career to go. In addition, you want to choose courses that are approved by your state licensing board. Most states have a list of approved courses. These will usually include those given by an accredited school that offers an approved PT educational program, as well as those from a recognized state or national PT association or society. Many states allow you to request permission to take an unlisted course; permission will be given if the state deems it an acceptable course.
There are two primary national associations, either or both of which may be approved by your state. The first is the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT). This federation gives the licensing exams that many states use. The second is the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA); it offers a number of specialist certifications, as well as continuing education courses.
