The alphabet soup we’re talking about today is probably the longest you’ll ever see after a physical therapists name FAAOMPT. 

What do the letters stand for?

Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.

Overview:

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapist is an organization with quite a history in manual therapy. They have been advocating for, teaching and improving the practice of manual therapy since the early 1990’s and continue to be the leader in orthopedic manual therapy today. They are the group that manages the educational standards and requirements for orthopedic manual fellowship programs.

How did they get the letters?

To become a fellow you must first complete a residency or be board certified in Orthopedics by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (http://www.abpts.org/home.aspx), resulting in an OSC. Then fellows must apply for, be accepted and complete an intense 12-36 month curriculum of advance manual skills, clinical reasoning, collaboration, research and demonstrate the highest level of clinical excellence in manual therapy.

There are two ways to become board certified in Orthopedics, you can either treat 2000 hours worth of orthopedic patients, which can take upwards of 8-10 years or you can complete an 12-18 month residency at one of the many available locations.

There are many different fellowship locations that you can complete your fellowship training. Here is the current list http://www.abptrfe.org/FellowshipPrograms/ProgramsDirectory/

What does this mean for me as a patient?

As a patient, this means that if you are experiencing pain in your muscles, joints, bones, anything that would fall under the classification of a musculoskeletal  disfunction and you want the highest level of hands on clinical care then you can find a fellow nearby! Fellows have spent an immense amount of time developing their clinical skills and are highly specialized to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Does this mean that your non-fellowship trained physical therapist can’t get you better? Absolutely not! All physical therapists are highly trained to deliver high quality, patient centered care.

What does this mean for me as a student?

As a student, this means that if you know you want to be working hands on with a orthopedic patient population and you want to have the highest level of training in manual therapy then you can pursue Fellowship training! The benefits as a therapist are multifaceted, most simply you will be the expert in your field. With expertise comes opportunity.

Hope these letters make sense now!

//picture courtesy of http://www.therapeuticassociates.com//