Accreditation offers a clinical pathway for physical therapists to become certified clinical specialists — improving patient outcomes, advancing their own careers, and strengthening the reputation of their company
During the four years, I’ve been with FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers, there’s been a constant focus on continuing education to improve the skill sets of our staff and ultimately to improve our patient outcomes. I believe this commitment to excellence is the reason why FYZICAL is currently one of the fastest-growing physical therapy brands in the U.S.
But implementing ongoing education programs across more than 400 locations in 45 states doesn’t happen overnight, and the results aren’t always immediate. It takes time and patience, especially when it comes to healthcare accreditation programs.
Our Bonita Springs, Florida location was recently accredited by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE). The accreditation means we can offer a clinical pathway for our physical therapists to undergo advanced training and become certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialists. It’s an important first step that’s been years in the making since 2016.
Five years ago, Rick Douglass, FYZICAL’s President of Franchise Operations, proposed his initial vision for the residency program and submitted an application to the ABPTRFE. It was two years before the application for candidacy was accepted and another two years — plus lots of education, programming, and paperwork — before the board conducted a site visit at FYZICAL’s Bonita Springs, Florida location and approved the program, making FYZICAL the 117th physical therapy orthopedic residency in the United States.
Furthering Our Mission
While the accreditation was a serious undertaking and financial commitment, it supports our mission to provide the highest level of care for our patients.
An accredited residency program also helps healthcare organizations like ours maintain compliance with changing healthcare laws and regulations and keep up-to-date with industry standards.
Importantly, the program gives us a new resource to attract high-quality physical therapists who are committed to lifelong learning and evidence-based practice. In turn, those highly trained therapists will provide the best possible care for our patients, improving their outcomes and fulfilling our mission.
Providing Consistent Treatment
We are currently in the throes of getting another four locations approved, but we’re committed to expanding that approval across many more locations in order to increase continuity and consistency of treatment.
The process can be daunting — 150 hours of mentorship training, 300 hours of didactic training, and at least 1,500 hours of clinical training with an exam at the end.
Our goal is to not only increase the skill set of our staff but also to reduce practice variability across locations so physical therapists in all of our facilities have the most up-to-date material and information to treat their clients.
Advancing Our Mutual Reputations
While we’ve built our reputation on balance treatments, which treat patients who have balance and inner ear disturbances like vertigo, we are also becoming known for our orthopedic care.
Since 1996, only 322 residency programs have earned accreditation from ABPTRFE, putting us in an elite category that is even smaller when only accounting for orthopedic residency programs.
For physical therapists, becoming a certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist is a pathway to building their own reputations, becoming more recognized within the profession, and getting the opportunity to teach and mentor peers. It is truly a win/win for both healthcare organizations and providers.
Addressing Patient Needs, Improving Outcomes
Along with a growing awareness of the pitfalls of managing pain with opioid medication after orthopedic surgery comes a growing need for physical therapy as an essential component of healthy post-surgery rehabilitation. Patients recovering from orthopedic surgeries can use physical therapy to not only improve strength and mobility but also manage pain without medication.
While physical therapy after total hip or total knee replacement surgery is standard care, a 2014 study in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery found that physical therapy before joint replacement surgery — “prehabilitation” — can reduce the need for postoperative care by nearly 30 percent.
Physical therapists who are also Orthopedic Clinical Specialists with advanced training in joint treatment can not only improve patient outcomes but are also better skilled at diagnosing problems in the first place and implementing effective programs to treat them.
In keeping with our mission to improve patient outcomes, our vision is to become the best orthopedic residency program in the country.
