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A Women’s Health Clinical Specialist (WCS) is a licensed physical therapist who:

  • Has proven they have the knowledge, skill, and experience exceeding that of the physical therapist at entry to the profession and unique to the area of women’s health practice by successfully passing the Women’s Health Clinical Specialist Examination
  • Is certified in Women’s Health Physical Therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS)
  • Has completed a minimum of 2000 hours of women’s health clinical practice, 25% of which has been in the last 3 years OR has successfully completed an APTA-credentialed post  professional clinical residency that has a curriculum plan reflective of the Description of Specialty Practice: Women’s Health Physical Therapy (DSP).
  • While working with female clients, has demonstrated competency in:

Foundational Sciences

  1. Anatomy
  2. Physiology
  3. kinesiology

Behavioral Sciences

  1. Psychology

Clinical Sciences
Ancillary tests
Medical interventions
Critical inquiry

Professional Practice Expectations

  1. Professional Responsibilities
  2. Risk Management
  3. Professional Development
  4. Evidence Based Practice
  5. Education
  6. Consultation
  7. Participation in Professional Organizations
  8. Social Responsibility
  9. Roles in Women’s health Physical Therapy Care Settings
  10. Prevention/Wellness/Health Promotion

Patient Care

  1. History and systems review
  2. Tests and measures
  3. Re-examination
  4. Evaluation
  5. Diagnosis
  6. Intervention, Coordination, Communication
  7. Patient/Client related instruction
  8. Procedural interventions
  9. Outcomes assessment

For more information about the Women’s Health Specialist Certification click here.

To begin your application process:

  1. Request all application materials from American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) by visiting the APTA web site at www.apta.org, clicking on “Professional Resources,” and then “ABPTS.” Review requirements thoroughly.  This includes documentation of clinical hours and a case study.  The application, patient log, case study guide, and sample case study will be available in February 2008 and is due 7/31/08.
  2. Review the practice questions provided and consider how best to study for questions that are worded in multiple choice style where many of the choices will be true and you must determine the most true or the most correct response.
  3. Ensure that you have enough clinical hours in the specialty to sit for the women’s health exam which will be available for the first time 2/28 – 3/14/2009
  4. Request the Description of Specialty Practice (DSP).  The DSP represents a description of current advanced PT practice and serves as the basis for the specialist certification exam.  It comes with a self-assessment tool that helps to determine your readiness to take the exam.  The DSP and self-assessment are provided free when you apply to take the exam.  If you have not yet applied and wish to purchase them ahead of time, they can be ordered through the APTA Service Center at 800/999-2782 x3395, or by visiting the APTA on-line store.

Suggestions for Preparing for the WCS Exam

    1. Evaluate the time you will need to prepare for the certification exam. Six months is most likely the minimum one should consider though everyone learns at different paces; this is a recommendation only.
    2. Schedule a set number of hours each day or week to specifically study evidenced-based literature and recommended texts.
    3. Evaluate and treat as many female patient/clients with varying diagnoses in your setting.
    4. Visit and observe in as many treatment settings as possible to have first-hand knowledge of the types of patients/clients and diagnoses treated by physical therapists.
    5. Find a mentor. Someone who is also actively preparing for the women’s health specialist exam or who is a certified specialist in another area and is willing to share knowledge, materials, and time with you as well as to provide insight on how best to prepare for the examination.
    6. Become a member of the Section on Women’s Health to begin receiving the peer-reviewed Journal of Women’s Health Physical Therapy and other resources that are produced by the Section.
    7. Check on the website www.womenshealthapta.org to review old issues of the Journal as well as be directed to the body of evidenced-based research currently available from APTA.
    8. Investigate and enroll in current continuing education courses available at the Section’s web site.  Consider the certificate of achievement (CAPP) process offered by the SOWH.
    9. Consider enrolling in an APTA approved Women’s Health Clinical Residency Program.
    10. Purchase and study Home Study courses produced by the Section on Women’s Health. These courses give a breadth and depth of a variety of settings and diagnoses in which women’s health PTs currently work.
    11. Attend the APTA Combined Sections Meetings to become immersed in the field attending courses, studying posters, visiting the booth, talking to authors and authorities in the field, and receive first-hand experience with the many therapists who have experience in the areas of women’s health PT. 
    12. Though the certification exam is heavily weighted in clinical practice, there may be questions related to health care policy, public health knowledge, management principles, etc. It is best to keep a broad perspective in these areas as this represents national viewpoints and not individual carrier or fiscal intermediary policies. Therefore, we suggest the best resource for policy learning and understanding Medicare implications is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). There are multiple self-paced, self-learning modules available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/ Since Medicaid is different state to state, questions will not be reflective of issues related to this type of public programming.
    13. Carefully choose continuing education courses. Though many advertise as women’s health courses, one must make sure that the techniques and learning presented actually represent evidence-based care versus novel concepts and or unproven, complementary-type treatment approaches.
    14. If you are interested in a study group for Specialization, please contact your SoWH Regional Representative

 Section on Women’s Health WCS Resource List

The SOWH is currently developing a list of resources to assist with preparation for the Women’s Health Certified Specialist exam which will include suggestions for journal articles, textbooks and APTA publications.  This resource will be available July 1, 2008

**Neither the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, nor the Women’s Health Specialty Council has reviewed or endorsed the content of this list. In addition, reviewing these resources does not guarantee that a candidate will receive a passing score on the specialist certification examination.

 

Thank you for your interest in becoming a Women’s Health Certified Specialist.  We hope that these suggestions are helpful as you prepare to take the WCS exam.


 
 

June 20, 2006: Women’s Health Specialization in Physical Therapy Is Approved!

 The Section on Women’s Health (SoWH) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is proud to announce that within the next few years, there will be a specialist certification exam available in Women’s Health! On behalf of the Section on Women’s Health, the APTA Board of Directors brought forth RC 19-06 Women’s Health Physical Therapy: Specialization, to the 2006 House of Delegates (HOD).  The motion called for the approval of Women’s Health Physical Therapy as an area of specialization through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).  We are delighted to report that the motion was approved by the HOD unanimously!

Specialist Certification is a process, through ABPTS, in which qualified women's health PTs can sit for an exam that covers the entire breadth and depth of Women's Health Physical Therapy. All post-professional education (SOWH and non-Section courses, certifications, self-study, residency, clinical mentoring, etc) will assist the practitioner in preparing for the exam. 

Members of the SoWH are finalizing the Description of Specialty Practice (DSP) which is based on a survey of 234 physical therapists practicing in the area of women’s health.  The survey results and DSP clearly identify a unique body of knowledge and skills that define the specialty practice of a Women’s Health Clinical Specialist. The specialization exam will be based on the DSP.

The SoWH submitted a petition to the ABPTS for recognition as a specialty area for certification.  ABPTS issued a call for comment to allow physical therapists an opportunity to communicate their opinion regarding the petition.  In addition, an open hearing was held at 2006 CSM to allow oral or written testimony from the public either in support or opposition to the petition.  The testimony was universally in favor of the petition.  Following CSM, the ABPTS evaluated all the information received and voted unanimously to recommend approval of women’s health as a specialty area.

The Section on Women’s Health is now seeking item writers who are practicing in the area of Women’s Health Physical Therapy to help write test questions for the exam. Please note: we originally stated that you are eligible to take the exam even if you write questions. In fact, item writers must sit out 2 years before being eligible to take the exam. We apologize for the confusion. Please contact Karen Abraham, SoWH Specialization Task Force Chair at kabraham@su.edu for more information.

Another crucial step in the Specialization process is to identify a 3-member Specialty Council. This council, under the direction of the ABPTS, will develop the exam. The members of the Specialty Council will not be eligible to take the exam during their term or for the following 4 years. For further information, please contact Karen. You may also view the ABPTS link on the APTA Web site (www.apta.org) for additional information.

Thank you to all of the dedicated Women’s Health Physical Therapists who have helped make this vision a reality!


 
 

February 16, 2006 SOWH One Step Closer to ABPTS Specialty Certification for Women's Health

The Section on Women's Health (SOWH) is very pleased to report that we are one step closer to ABPTS Specialty Certification for Women's Health! The ABPTS held an open hearing at the CSM and we received excellent feedback on our petition and a unanimous recommendation to go forward with the petition. ABPTS will now send the recommendation to the APTA Board of Director's March meeting. Upon approval, the BOD will send an RC to the House of Delegates for a vote at the June 2006 House of Delegates. We hope all SOWH members will contact their state delegates to garner support.

To stay on track with our timeline, ABPTS has recommended that we move forward with the process. Our most desperate need at this time is to locate item writers who are practicing in the area of women's health PT. We need several good test question writers in order to build up our item bank. Please contact Karen Abraham, Specialization Task Force Chair, if you are interested or have further questions at kabraham@su.edu.

Please note: we originally stated that you are eligible to take the exam even if you write questions. In fact, item writers must sit out 2 years before being eligible to take the exam. We apologize for the confusion."

Another very crucial step in the Specialization process is to identify a 3-member Specialty Council. This council, under the direction of the ABPTS, will put the exam together and will not be eligible to take the exam during their term and for 4 years following, Our specialization task force hopes to have the council in place by the end of May. For further information, please contact Karen. You may also view the ABPTS link on the APTA website for additional information.

The SOWH would also like to clarify differences between the Certificate of Achievement in Pelvic Floor PT (CAPP) and ABPTS Specialty Certification. CAPP is a process through which PTs can take approved SOWH courses (Level I-III) along with written and practical exams which will lead to a certificate of achievement. Specialist Certification is a process, through ABPTS, in which qualified women's health PTs can sit for an exam which covers the entire breadth and depth of women's health PT. The exam is based on the Description of Specialty Practice. All post-professional education (SOWH and non-section courses, CAPP, certifications, self-study, residency, clinical mentoring) will assist the practitioner in preparing for the exam.

IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SIGNED THE PETITION AT CSM INDICATING INTEREST IN PURSUING SPECIALIZATION, PLEASE CONTACT US NOW!

The SOWH is currently collecting names of individuals interested in taking the exam within the next 5 years, to provide evidence to APTA's BoD of sufficient interest in WH specialization. A petition was circulated at CSM 2006 in San Diego. If you already signed the petition there, please do not respond to this request. If you have any future interest in taking the specialization exam, please send an e-mail to sowh@apta.org stating your interest in doing so, along with your name,
e-mail address, mailing address, and if you are a member of the SOWH. Your reply does not bind you to pursue specialization. Please help spread the word to your friends and colleagues and encourage their involvement.

The SOWH Board looks forward to the day, in the near future, when our first ABPTS Women's Health Specialists walk across the stage.

 
  January 15, 2006 ABPTS Announces Preliminary Approval To Petition

In December 2005, the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) announced that it had granted preliminary approval to a petition submitted by the Section on Women’s Health for recognition as a specialty area for certification

The Specialization Task Force recently submitted a required addendum to our original petition to the ABPTS. A petition will be circulated at CSM. We need 300 signatures on the petition for APTA's purposes.

ABPTS will hold an open hearing from 8am-11am on Friday, February 3rd in the Marriott Hotel—Columbia 1 Room during the 2006 Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego, CA. The open hearing provides an opportunity for the physical therapy profession, other health professions, and the public to provide oral or written testimony about the petition. The ABPTS will evaluate information gathered in response to the call for comment and the public hearing to make a final decision about whether to forward the petition to the APTA’s 2006 House of Delegates, with a recommendation for approval of women’s health as a specialty area for certification


 
     
 

November 17, 2005 ABPTS Grants Preliminary Approval to SOWH Petition for Recognition as a Specialty Area for Certification and Seeks Comments in Support or Opposition to the Petition

The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) has granted preliminary approval to a petition submitted by the Section on Women’s Health for recognition as a specialty area for certification. The ABPTS determined that the petitioner adequately addressed the required criteria and that women’s health represents an identifiable and distinct field of practice that requires special knowledge and skills acquired by education, training, and experience that are at the advanced level.

Following preliminary approval by the ABPTS of a petition for recognition as a specialty area, the next step in the process is for the ABPTS to publicly announce the status of the petition and request comments in support or opposition to the petition. This provides physical therapists, whose practice may be directly affected by the recognition of the specialty, an opportunity to communicate their opinion about the petition to the ABPTS. Additionally, an open hearing, which will allow the physical therapy profession, other health professions, and the public to provide oral or written testimony about the petition, will be held in conjunction with the 2006 Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego, CA. Following the open hearing, the ABPTS will evaluate information gathered in response to this announcement and the public hearing to make a final decision about whether to forward the petition to the APTA’s 2006 House of Delegates, with a recommendation for approval of the petition to recognize women’s health as a specialty area for certification.

An electronic copy of the basic petition (62 pages) can be downloaded here. Please be aware that this electronic copy does include the supporting documents that were submitted with the petition. These documents, which are listed on page 3 of the petition and available as Appendices 1-13, include copies of the survey instruments used for the practice analysis to develop the Description of Specialty Practice for Women’s Health Physical Therapy, survey results, the Technical Report on the 2005 Practice Analysis, the Description of Specialty Practice for Women’s Health Physical Therapy, articles related to Women’s Health Physical Therapy, a listing of regional courses offered by the Section in 2005, and the letters of support.

If you wish to receive a print copy of the petition, which include Appendices 1-13, please e-mail your request to andreablake@apta.org or call 800/999-2782, ext. 3150.

The deadline for submitting comment is January 6, 2006.

 
     
     

 

 

 

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