California Physical Therapy Continuing Education

California Physical Therapy Full CE Requirement 26-Hour Package

• Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias: Medical Overview and Rehabilitation Management, 2nd ed (4 hrs)
  The purpose of this course is to provide useful, pragmatic information to rehabilitation therapists to facilitate successful rehabilitation for individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Too often, those with dementia are excluded from rehabilitation opportunities based on the assumption that they will not benefit, or they are given a brief trial of rehabilitation that does not take into consideration the special needs of this population and, as a result, they do not make gains. This course will provide an overview of Alzheimer’s disease and its medical management, practical information on optimal interactions with individuals who have Alzheimer’s disease, research findings related to motor learning in this population, existing evidence on rehabilitation with individuals with dementia, and strategies to facilitate successful outcomes. 
• Cerebral Palsy Across the Lifespan, 2nd ed (6 hrs)
  This intermediate-level course provides updated, evidence- based information for physical therapists and occupational therapists who work with individuals who have cerebral palsy. This course will be particularly helpful to clinicians who have not recently reviewed the literature related to cerebral palsy and to those who do not frequently provide physical therapy services for this population. Physical therapists who received their training before the profession’s move to doctoral-level training may also find this course helpful because of its focus on the clinical reasoning skills that are necessary when patients can directly access physical therapists without physician referral. Most physical therapists and occupational therapists in pediatric clinical settings will encounter individuals with cerebral palsy. Because pediatric and school-based clinical services typically end by the age of 21, physical therapists and occupational therapists who provide treatment in adult therapy settings also need to be competent in treating this rapidly growing segment of the adult population. Physical and occupational therapists who work with this heterogeneous population need to be aware of the many factors critical to clinical decision making. This course will address prevalence, etiology, diagnosis, classification, examination, evaluation, prognosis, interventions, and outcomes for individuals with cerebral palsy across the lifespan. Because the body of literature related to this diagnosis is extensive, this course will provide an overview of the most salient current issues that impact the clinical decisions and care provided by physical therapists and occupational therapists. Clinicians who desire a more in-depth understanding of cerebral palsy are encouraged to pursue applicable resources and references more extensively. 
• Ethical Issues and Decision Making 2nd Edition (5 hrs)
  This intermediate level course provides physical therapists and physical therapist assistants with an updated primer on the study of ethics and ethical behaviors as they apply to physical therapy practice. The course is designed to help clinicians effectively and efficiently integrate ethical decision making into their clinical practice.
• Pain Assessment and Management: Role of the PT (1 hrs)
  This basic-level course provides an overview of pain, the physiology of pain, its impact on economic and personal status, and pain assessment and treatment.
• Conservative and Surgical Management of the Osteoarthritic Hand and Wrist (5 hrs)
  This intermediate-level course provides physical therapists and physical therapist assistants with a detailed overview of the pathophysiology and mechanics of the joints of the hand of those diagnosed with OA. The course offers practitioners in-depth knowledge of several of the most common medical and evidence-based practices and provides instruction for technique application in physical therapy examination and evaluation, as well as intervention.
• Screening for Medical Conditions and Adverse Drug Reactions (5 hrs)
  The purpose of this course is to train physical and occupational therapists and physical and occupational therapy assistants (referred to collectively in this course as therapists) in how to identify clusters of clinical findings that suggest an adverse drug reaction or the presence of serious medical pathology beyond the scope of practice for a therapist, regardless of the practice setting. This course is designed for therapists with limited background or training in screening techniques who are interested in learning how to screen patients for serious medical pathology and adverse drug reactions.

California PTA Full CE Requirement 26-Hour Package

• Running Injuries (4 hrs)
  The purpose of this intermediate-level course for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants is to improve evaluation skills and intervention selection regarding running-related injuries. To achieve this, this course will (1) review the impact of running injuries and contributing factors, (2) discuss the underlying theories that have shaped current and emerging assessment methods and treatments, and (3) detail appropriate tests and protocols for evaluation and treatment of the injured runner. 
• Ethical Issues and Decision Making 2nd Edition (5 hrs)
  This intermediate level course provides physical therapists and physical therapist assistants with an updated primer on the study of ethics and ethical behaviors as they apply to physical therapy practice. The course is designed to help clinicians effectively and efficiently integrate ethical decision making into their clinical practice.
• Breast Cancer: Contemporary Rehabilitation Strategies (6 hrs)
  The purpose of this intermediate-level course is to provide a critical review of current evidence to inform physical therapy best practice for the breast cancer patient population. Upon fulfilling the course objectives, practitioners will be prepared to develop an evidence-based approach to the evaluation and treatment of individuals with breast cancer throughout the survivorship continuum.
• Heart Failure: Implications for Diagnosis, Medical Management, and Rehabilitation, 2nd Edition (6 hrs)
  This intermediate-level course provides rehabilitation therapists and therapy assistants with an opportunity to review the normal anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system, the pathophysiology of heart failure, and current medical, surgical, and therapy-based interventions. Appropriate for all therapy-based clinicians who work with persons with heart failure, this intermediate-level course reviews basic examination skills before progressing to the more advanced skills of auscultation and exercise testing interpretation. 
• Preventing Falls in Older Adults (5 hrs)
  An older adult falls every second of every day, with more than 29 million falls occurring in 2014, resulting in more than 7 million injuries. This intermediate-level course provides healthcare professionals in the areas of physical and occupational therapy with the knowledge they need to successfully identify those at risk for falls, assess individuals, and develop interventions targeted at reducing fall risk in older adults. Although therapists may be aware of the need to assess and treat older adults for risk for falls, they may not be fully abreast of approaches that are supported by evidence and are proven to truly reduce the incidence of falls.