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All questions on the exam relate to the competencies outlined in "Description of Specialty Practice: Neurologic Physical Therapy."

Following is an outline summarizing the key components of the DSP for neurologic physical therapy. Examination percentages reflect the approximate weighting of specialty board examination for each content domain. Examination questions can reflect  knowledge areas or practice expectations, or both combined, to test the application of knowledge areas to clinical practice.

Outline Summary

Learning Domain

Content Weighting

Knowledge for Specialty Practice

15%

Clinical Reasoning

5%

Professionalism 

5%

Communication

5%

Education

5%

Systems-Based Practice

5%

Patient Management

60%

  • Examination
  • Evaluation
  • Diagnosis
  • Prognosis
  • Intervention
  • Outcomes

Total:

100%

Cardiovascular System

  • Stroke
  • Aneurysm
  • Arteriovenous malformation

Respiratory System

  • COVID-19

Endocrine System

  • Metabolic diseases affecting the neuromuscular system

Lymphatic System

  • N/A

Integumentary System

  • N/A

Nervous System

  • Falls and balance disorders (eg, multi-factorial fallers, unspecified fallers, multi-system failure)
  • Vestibular disorders
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Movement disorders (eg, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, dystonias)
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Non-traumatic brain injury (eg, anoxia, toxic/metabolic encephalopathies)
  • Dementia (eg, Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease, frontotemporal dementia, vascular dementia)
  • Cerebellar disorders
  • CNS neoplasms
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome and polyneuropathies
  • Motor neuron disease (eg, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, post-polio syndrome)

Skeletal System

  • N/A

Muscular System

  • Muscle disease and disorders of the neuromuscular junction

Digestive System

  • N/A

Urinary System

  • N/A

Reproductive System

  • N/A

Involvement of Multiple Systems

  • Lyme disease
  • HIV
  • Functional movement disorders
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Amputations in individuals with neurologic disorders