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Fellowship Resources

The ANPT is committed to advancing neurologic fellowship educational opportunities. The ANPT Board of Directors would like to see the numbers of approved fellowship specialty areas and programs expand to meet the growing demand for specialized neurologic physical therapy care.

Currently, Neurologic Movement Disorders is the only area of neurologic fellowship practice that is approved by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE). The Description of Fellowship Practice for Movement Disorders outlines the required curricular competencies for those interested in starting a neurologic movement disorders fellowship.

In January 2020, the ANPT Board of Directors created a Neurologic Fellowship Curriculum Task Force with the purpose of developing a model curriculum document and resources to facilitate the development of new neurologic physical therapy fellowship programs. Task Force members are:

The Task Force developed the following documents that can be downloaded:

Neurologic Physical Therapy Fellowship Curriculum Model: This document offers suggestions for curricular content and methods of implementation appropriate for post-professional education within a Neurologic Physical Therapy Fellowship Program. Included in the document are examples of didactic and clinical practice learning objectives, instructional methods, and methods of knowledge/competency assessment to guide neurologic fellowship programs in their curricular development. Fellowship program directors and faculty are encouraged to select and/or modify the objectives and learning experiences to meet their individual curricular needs and resources.

Petition for New Fellowship Practice Resources: This document is intended to assist individuals at any stage of the process to petition the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) to establish a new sub-specialty for physical therapy fellowship practice. It contains tips for writing specific criteria for the petition and a flowsheet of the petition process to establish a new area of fellowship practice.

Neurologic Physical Therapy Fellowship Curriculum Template: This document provides a template for creating didactic and clinical practice learning objectives, instructional methods, and methods of knowledge/competency assessment for fellowship programs.

Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs Resource: This document provides Bloom’s taxonomy action verbs to assist individuals to write measurable fellowship program goals/objectives that demonstrate different levels of learning.

Additional resources that may be helpful to individuals who are in the process of developing a new fellowship program can be found at the ANPT Residency and Fellowship Special Interest Group website. For more information or questions regarding the documents above, contact one of the Task Force members listed above.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • What is the difference between residency and fellowship education?
    • Both residencies and fellowships are structured post-professional planned learning experiences. A residency is often considered the first step in advanced specialty practice. The goal of residency education is to prepare the individual for board specialization. A fellowship is designed around a sub-specialty area of practice. For example, a fellowship exists in neurologic movement disorders, a sub-specialty of neurologic practice. A fellowship curriculum is designed for an individual who has completed a residency program or has achieved board certification in a specialty area. For more about fellowships, visit the ABPTRFE: About Fellowships website.
  • Where can I find a list of current fellowship programs?
    • There are currently no ABPTRFE Accredited neurologic fellowship programs. Visit the ABPTRFE Directory of Programs to see a list of approved fellowship programs in other practice areas. 
  • How can I establish a new area of PT neurologic fellowship practice?
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