Become a Pediatric Certified Specialist!

In 1981 the APTA House of Delegates approved board certification in the area of pediatrics. The first pediatrics specialist certification examination was administered in 1986. Since then, more than 2200 Pediatric Specialists have been certified by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS).

• The APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy's PCS Study Guide can be found under "Other Pediatric Physical Therapy Resources" on the APTA Pediatrics Fact Sheet page
• To find out more about the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) or to apply to take the Pediatric Certified Specialist (PCS) exam, click here
• The Description of Specialty Practice (DSP) is provided to PCS applicants by ABPTS; the DSP is the blueprint for the exam.
• To search the Directory of Certified Specialists, click here
• You can join the APTA Pediatrics PCS Study Discussion by logging in to pediatricapta.org, clicking on Forums, and then selecting 'PCS Study Discussion.' (You can set up notifications for the Forums by clicking the circle for your profile in the upper right corner, then on your name, then on Preferences, then Notifications.)
• If you'd like to take a course to get more exposure to advanced practice in pediatrics, consider attending the Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) in Pediatrics Course or the APTA Pediatrics Annual Conference (a PCS-Prep Track is identified). Although these are not specifically PCS-prep courses, they can be a useful part of your review. Other PCS prep support activities also may be offered and will be posted with other courses on the Upcoming Continuing Education page.
• The Carole Gildenberg Dichter Memorial PCS Scholarship pays for registration fees for an APTA Pediatrics course to help prepare for the exam; to find out more about the scholarship, click here
• To find out more about Pediatric Residencies and Fellowships, click here
• To find out more about the APTA Pediatrics Mentoring program, click here