I have noticed a growing interest from PTs, PTAs and SPTs on social media and Internet forum discussions on the field of canine PT, but despite this interest there is a lack of information available online on this topic. With that in mind, I have decided to create Thek9PT to hopefully bridge that gap. A lot of those interested on this field wanted to know how to become certified in canine rehabilitation, which is what I intend to cover with my first post. In the United States there are currently 2 different ways to become certified in canine rehabilitation, through the Canine Rehabilitation Institute or the University of Tennessee. Both institutions also offer CE courses for those in the field and UofT also offers some additional certifications including equine rehabilitation, but I will focus today on the process to become a CCRT/CCRP. Also, keep in mind that PT practice acts vary from state to state, so please check the practice act for your individual state. To become certified in canine rehabilitation you need to be a PT, a DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine), a vet tech, or a PTA; however, PTAs would need to have a DVM certified in canine rehab to “sponsor” them throughout the process to get certified with CRI, but I could not find if the same applies to UofT. The certification program through UofT also accepts OTs and OTAs according to their website. Personally, I can speak better about the process through CRI since that was the one I completed; however, I have met very good professionals from both programs. One of the main differences between them is the fact that UofT offers most of it program online and meet onsite for 2 or 3 of their 7 modules program, plus a final exam. CRI on the other hand has 16 hours of online coursework to be completed prior to the first module but all 3 modules are done onsite (either in Florida or Colorado) for a total of 14 days. Both programs have a 40-hours externship and a final exam to be completed after all modules are done. I believe that on average it takes 6-12 months to complete the whole program, but I’ve seen some complete in less than 6 months and some in more than 12 months, based often on financial issues and availability to attend the courses. Availability if often a bigger issue for PT/PTAs as we usually need to use our own PTOs to attend these courses, whereas DVMs often use the course as continuing education time off work. Lastly, the 1 million dollar question: how much will it cost? That is always a concern for those interested, especially since we all graduate with a good amount of student loan debt after PT school. That information can be easily accessed on their websites, but as of today for the course fees alone UofT costs $5,006 and CRI $7,000. You would also have to keep in mind the cost of traveling and lodging for the courses and the cost for the externship as well. Hopefully this post answers a lot of the basic questions about how to become certified in canine rehabilitation. If you have further questions please feel free to contact me at thek9pt@gmail.com or through any of my social media pages. Also, this blog/website is a work in progress and any comments, suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. In future posts I intend on going over specific canine rehab techniques, modalities, case studies, outcome measurements, etc. Please let me know if there is any specific topic that you would be interested. ~theK9PT
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Great article, thank you for writing this. I know it depends on what state you choose to practice in but, in general, do those who complete the program typically only work in a setting where treat animals or is this another ‘tool’ in the tool box that you can utilize maybe once a week or on the weekends, helping out at a local animal hospital. Maybe a better question would simply be, have you seen a high enough demand where you could work only doing animal PT? Thanks again!
You are welcome. I have come across one PT that owns her clinic and would see human patients s few days and canine patients for the other days of the week, but that is not normal. Depending where you live there could be demand for someone full time, if not there are a lot of PTs that do this part time while working another job. Areas like Chicago, Colorado, California, Florida and the east Coast, particularly along major cities, would be more common to find positions. If you are not on one of these areas that you can certainly do this 2-3 days a week at a clinic and then do human PT another 2-3 days. Personally, I have chosen to do this full time and do some home health PRN on the side.
Did you work full time while pursuing your certification? If so, how did you handle balancing online courses and traveling for courses with work? Last question, did you have to travel for your externship and if so, how did you manage this with a work schedule? Thanks for your information on this topic!
Yes I did but at that time I was working as a contractor at an outpatient Sports medicine clinic, which allowed me the flexibility to be gone for the courses and internship; however the downside was that I wasn’t getting any income while I was gone for the courses as a contractor. You might not have to travel for it depending where you live, but there are not that many approved sites to do it.