Who is Eligible to take the Pelvic Therapy Practitioner Certification (PTPC) Exam?

The new PTPC exam, the first certification that recognizes specialized skills for

providers of pelvic rehabilitation, is available to the following activelylicensed practitioners:

• Physical Therapists (PT)
• Occupational Therapists (OT)
• Physician (MD, DO, ND)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP)
• Physician's Assistant (PA-C)

Applications from other providers will be reviewed for approval on a case by case basis to determine eligibility. The basic premise is that a provider must have a license that allows a provider to complete the appropriate examination and intervention techniques in order to sit for the PTPC exam. In addition to being a licensed provider, documentation of clinic hours must be included on the application. A minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical experience with pelvic therapy patients must have occurred over the last 8 years, with 500 of those hours occurring within the last 2 years. This patient care experience must be "direct" meaning that the provider is involved in processes that will have a direct influence on the patient such as examination, evaluation, designing or modifying plans of care, and interventions for pelvic conditions.

Conditions that relate to pelvic dysfunction may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following conditions:

• Pelvic pain (dysfunctions of ligaments, bones, joints, connective tissues, organs)
• Pelvic girdle dysfunction
• Bowel dysfunction
• Bladder dysfunction
• Sexual dysfunction
• Abdominal dysfunction
• Thoracolumbar dysfunction
• Lumbo-pelvic-hip dysfunctions

The hours of direct patient care may include time spent with patients of various ages (elderly, adult, pediatric) or with patients of any gender. Please check out our page on the website that lists other frequently asked questions, and contact the Institute with additional questions. You can download the PTPC application here. The first exam will be given at the start of 2014!