For Physical Therapy Consumers
In health care, a specialty allows clinicians to focus on a specific patient population or particular conditions. Physical therapists can deepen their expertise by completing residency programs to earn board certification in a specialty or by pursuing fellowship programs to gain advanced skills in a
Piloting a New Innovative Program Model in Physical Therapist Education
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency & Fellowship Education has recorded the following presentation on the background on the establishment of an ABPTRFE pilot program to explore a new proposed model of residency education. This session also includes insights and recommendations from the ABPTRFE
APTA Community for Residency & Fellowship Education
The Residency/Fellowship Education community is a collaborative space to provide valuable information and resources related to residency and fellowship education and accreditation, as well as provide a mechanism for group discussions related to residency/fellowship education and accreditation.
ABPTRFE Meetings
ABPTRFE Meets Three Times Annually January (candidacy, initial accreditation, and renewal of accreditation decisions). May (candidacy and initial accreditation decisions). September (candidacy, initial accreditation, and renewal of accreditation decisions). At the discretion of ABPTRFE, the Executive
About ABPTRFE
The American Physical Therapy Association recognizes the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education as the agency for the accreditation of physical therapist residency and fellowship education programs. The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education
ABPTRFE: For Participants
Residency and fellowship programs provide postprofessional education through one-to-one mentoring, structured curricular experiences, and guided learning designed to increase the quality of patient care and practitioner knowledge in specialty and subspecialty areas through best practices.
ABPTRFE: Board Tasks
ABPTRFE is a seven-member body appointed by APTA's Board of Directors and is the accrediting body for APTA for postprofessional residency and fellowship programs in physical therapy. Accreditation is a process used by APTA to ensure the quality of the education that participants receive in residency
Description of Fellowship Practice: Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy
Apr 11, 2024/Open Access
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency & Fellowship Education, a board-appointed group of the American Physical Therapy Association, has created the following "Description of Fellowship Practice" to reduce unwarranted curriculum variability; provide fellows-in-training minimum consistency in
Description of Fellowship Practice: Higher Education Leadership
May 31, 2024/Open Access
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency & Fellowship Education, a board-appointed group of the American Physical Therapy Association, has created the following "Description of Fellowship Practice" to reduce unwarranted curriculum variability; provide fellows-in-training minimum consistency in
Description of Specialty Practice: Primary Care
Nov 3, 2025/Open Access
The American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE), a board-appointed group of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), has created the following Description of Specialty Practice (DSP) to reduced unwarranted curriculum variability; provide residents minimum
