Skip to main content

APTA Specialist Certification - Governed by ABPTS

APTA Specialist Certification - Governed by ABPTS

To satisfy the Acute Management of Injury and Illness requirement for initial certification, candidates may select one of two pathways of approved courses. Review these courses and requirements.

You may select from Pathway One, "Options That Meet Full Requirement," or from Pathway 2, "Course Combinations That Meet Full Requirement" to meet the minimum requirements for sports physical therapy specialist certification.

(Note: These lists are not exhaustive and do not indicate any preferred listing by the specialty council.)

Pathway Options for Initial Certification

Any one course listed below meet the minimum eligibility requirements as determined by the Sports Specialty Council.

Explore Other Options / Pathway Two

To satisfy the Acute Management of Injury and Illness requirement, candidates will need to select one course from the EMR Course Requirements listed below
AND
complete all six Medbridge online courses.

EMR In-Person Requirements

AND

Online Courses Offered by Medbridge That Meet the Minimum Requirements

You need to complete all six courses below, along with one of the in-person requirements above to meet the minimum requirements.

Immediate and Emergency Care online courses by Whetstone-Medbridge 

Pathway Options for Recertification and Maintenance

The below courses meet the minimum eligibility requirements
as determined by the Sports Specialty Council. You only need to complete one from the list below, except where notated. 

Emergency Medical Response Course
University of Delaware

Emergency Medical Response for Acute Athletic Injury and Illness
Upstream Rehab Institute

Emergency Medical Responder Course - Challenge
Evidence in Motion
Note: Candidates can select one among Initial Certification, Recertification, or Challenge course to satisfy the requirement from the above course listing.

Emergency Medical Response Course for the Sports Physical Therapist
Physical Therapy Services of Tennessee - Virtual Course; contact Justin Smith at 423-543-0073 or justinsmithdptrn@hotmail.com 

Emergency Medical Response for the Athlete (ERA)
Cogent Steps

Tactical Combat Casualty Care
NAEMT

Immediate and Emergency Care Online Courses
Dr. Whetstone / Medbridge
Exception Notation: Must complete all 6 of the below Medbridge courses to satisfy the requirement)

  1. Protective Sports Equipment and Proper Fitting
  2. Emergency Management of Athletes with Spine and Visceral Injuries
  3. Environmental Considerations for the Athlete
  4. Emergency Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries
  5. Emergency Management of Soft-Tissue Injuries
  6. Emergency Management of Cardiovascular Conditions

Have a Course That Isn't on the List?

Here's the process and requirements to have your course included in the pathway options.

To have the specialty council evaluate whether a training course meets the minimum eligibility requirements, submit the following information about the course to APTA for review by the Sports Specialty Council:

  • Course description.
  • Learning objectives.
  • Course schedule.
  • Content outline.
  • Assessment methods.

Send initial certification requests to spec-cert@apta.org and recertification requests to recert@apta.org.

All courses must meet the approved content outline requirements in order to be considered.

Share This