Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification - PRPC

There is no required coursework one must complete in order to sit for the PRPC exam. Those therapists who possess the required clinical experience who apply for and successfully pass the exam will be awarded PRPC. Most therapists complete pelvic rehab coursework and then use those skills in the clinic for years prior to pursuing certification.

The List of Knowledge and Skill Statements is available upon request from the HW Admin Team.

If you want to sit for the PRPC examination and aren’t a resident of the United States, you are still encouraged to apply. International applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. There are Kryterion testing centers in most countries around the world.

In order to take the Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification exam, candidates must meet the following requirements:

1. Provide documentation of 2,000 documented hours of clinical experience with pelvic therapy patients over the past 8 years, with 500 of those hours of direct patient caretaking place in the past 2 years. For purposes of this application, pelvic patient care includes hours spent on direct patient care related to conditions of pelvic pain, pelvic girdle dysfunction, conditions of bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction that relate, in whole or in part, to the health and function of pelvic structures and the pelvic floor. Other conditions that qualify as direct pelvic patient care may include dysfunctions of the abdomen, thoracolumbar spine, or the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. These hours can include care for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and aged patients of any gender.

    

   b. Must be licensed as a Physical Therapist (PT), Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), Physician (MD), Registered Nurse (RN), Occupational Therapist (OT), Doctor of Osteopathy (DO), Doctor of Chiropractic medicine (DC), Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), or Physician’s Assistant (PA-C) with an active state-board license to practice.  If an individual wishes to sit for the exam who does not have one of these licenses, they can apply to sit for the exam and eligibility will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

In the case that a clinician wishes to sit for the exam but is not licensed in one of the above professions or lives/practices outside of the United States of America, they should submit the Request Consideration of Application Form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. HW will evaluate requests from clinicians not licensed in one of the above professions and international applications on a case-by-case basis.

In order to earn PRPC, an applicant must:

1. Meet eligibility requirements as defined in the application
2. Submit a complete application and application review fee by the required date
3. Applicants whose applications are approved must submit the examination fee by the required date
4. Applicant must sit for, and receive a passing score on, the computer-based, multiple choice exam

H&W complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and will work with its testing partners to provide reasonable accommodations for those who have disabilities and request accommodations. Requests for examination accommodations arrangements must meet all the following requirements:

To Request Special Accommodations for the PRPC Exam
· Download and complete the PRPC Special Accommodation Request Form
· Upload the completed form when submitting one's application
· Request form must contain appropriate documentation of the disability
· Request form must detail a request(s) for test accommodations.

Submit a letter of verification authored by a licensed physician/professional specializing in the disability at hand
· Letter must contain the credentials of the physician/professional authoring the letter
· Letter must contain the signature of the physician/professional authoring the letter

Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding the request and the accommodation that will be provided.

To be eligible to sit for the exam, all applicants must have completed 2000 hours of direct pelvic patient care in the past 8 years, 500 of which must have been completed in the last 2 years. Patient care hours can only be earned by a licensed clinician, and hours spent with patients prior to licensure do not satisfy this requirement.

Definition of Pelvic Patient Care

While there is no comprehensive list of activities that encompass "direct patient care," a general guideline is that direct patient care includes any time spent by a clinician that has a direct influence on the care of a specific individual patient. This time may be paid, or provided at no cost. Time spent on the examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, or intervention of an individual qualifies as direct patient care, as well as other activities.

For purposes of the PRPC application, pelvic patient care can include hours spent on direct patient care related to conditions of pelvic pain, pelvic girdle dysfunction, conditions of bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction that relate, in whole or in part, to the health and function of pelvic structures and the pelvic floor. Other conditions that qualify as direct pelvic patient care may include dysfunctions of the abdomen, thoracolumbar spine, or the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. These hours can include care for pediatric, adolescent, adult, and aged patients of any gender.

The PRPC application includes a Direct Pelvic Patient Hour Verification Worksheet.

No other documentation is required other than the completed worksheet unless the application is randomly chosen for audit.

If after submitting the PRPC Application and the PRPC Administration Fees, an applicant wishes, for any reason, not to sit for the next exam administration, the applicant may request a refund of their examination fee by both:

If the applicant has yet to schedule a testing date, the cancellation request must be received within 10 days of the final day of the testing window.

For questions about PRPC pricing, see the PRPC Pricing Chart.

The PRPC examination was developed by psychometrically-valid, legally-defensible processes. This includes the creation of a Job Task Analysis survey by a group of Subject Matter Experts, administering the survey to a large sample of practicing therapists in the field, psychometric analysis of the data to create a test blueprint based upon the knowledge and skills determined by the survey, item writing, beta testing of items and then administration of the exam. For this process, H&W worked with Kryterion, a psychometric certification development company, to ensure the highest standards of credentialing were being met.

It is a common misconception that board certifications created by the ABPTS (OCS, WCS, etc) are "approved" or "validated" by the American Physical Therapy Association. This is not the case. The specialization certifications developed by the ABPTS were developed by the same psychometrically-valid and legally-defensible methods for establishing the minimally-competent practitioner that Herman & Wallace used for the PRPC exam. The APTA is not a credentialing body; it does not validate, create nor approve certification exams.

There are a number of bodies which do accredit certifications, however, including The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/). PRPC, and other exams created using the steps described above, would be eligible for accreditation through this body, based on the rigorous psychometric standards applied when creating the exam, as would other certifications created via this long and detailed method.

The validity of the board certifications offered by the ABPTS derives from the psychometric process by which the exams were created, as does the validity of PRPC.

We accept PRPC applications year-round, and as those applications come in, applicants who express interest in joining a study group will be placed in a group with others who have applied around the same time in order to best coordinate study plans.

If you prefer to begin reviewing early, we encourage you to apply early in order to be placed in a group!

If after submitting the PRPC Application and the PRPC Administration Fees, an applicant wishes, for any reason, not to sit for the next exam administration, the applicant may request a refund of their examination fee by both:

If the applicant has yet to schedule a testing date, the cancellation request must be received within 10 days of the final day of the testing window.

The passing score for the certification exam will not be released to the public. Final scores will also not be sent to practitioners who complete the exam. A passing scores means that the practitioner has met the standard to be recognized as a Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner, and the total scores are not released so as to avoid any one individual being "more qualified" than others. Percentage scores will be sent out that break down how test takers perform in each "knowledge domain".

The PRPC examination will be offered at all Kryterion Testing Host locations.

You can find the nearest Kryterion testing center to you by visiting this URL: http://kryteriononline.com/host_locations/.

Test takers are able to flag questions for review and go back to them during their exam session. The proctor is supposed to give them 3 pieces of paper and 2 pencils for use during the exam (they will be collected at the end of the exam). The test takers are also allowed to bring a battery operated calculator into the exam session (but nothing else).

If an applicant sits for the exam and does not receive a passing score, the applicant must submit an application for re-examination to be eligible to sit for the next scheduled exam administration. Applications for re-examination are only eligible for the exam administration immediately following the exam administration in which the applicant did not receive a passing score. Applicants who did not receive a passing score, and did not submit an application for re-examination, may re-apply to sit for future examination administrations but they must submit a new application and application review fee, just as any normal application must.

For questions about PRPC pricing, see the PRPC Pricing Chart.

The certification exam is offered twice per year. The test will be available May 1-15 and November 1-15.

The PRPC exam will cover Knowledge and Skills related to evaluating and treating pelvic floor dysfunction in men and women throughout the life cycle. The exam is multiple-choice, and each question will have four possible answers (A,B,C, or D) with only one option being the correct answer. There is no written portion of the exam.

Click Here to download sample PRPC exam questions!

The test blue print breaks down accordingly (the % is the percentage of questions on the exam which will focus on this knowledge domain)

Anatomy - 15%

Physiology - 20%

Pathophysiology - 20%

Pharmacology - 5%

Medical Interventions and Test - 5%

Tests and Measures - 5%

Interventions - 20%

Professional and Legal Requirements - 5%

Across all topic areas listed above, 25-30% of the exam items will require the applicant to read a hypothetical patient case scenario and answer questions based on their analysis of the case scenario.

H&W does not presently offer a PRPC preparatory course. There are no continuing education courses that applicants must attend in order to apply for PRPC, such a requirement would be a violation of psychometric best practices.

Those applicants who indicate on their application that they are interested in joining a study group will be put in touch with other applicants who have expressed a similar interest so that they may form a study group.

Once an applicant is approved to sit for the exam, H&W will send them a copy of the results of the Job Task Analysis, as well as a copy of the test blueprint which contains a detailed list of knowledge and skill statements. All of the questions on the examination must measure one or more of the knowledge and skills in the test blueprint document.

Once an applicant is approved to sit for the exam and H&W has received the applicant's examination fee, H&W will send the applicant a voucher number via email. Applicants must have this voucher number before contacting a Kryterion Host Locations to schedule a testing appointment. Appointments are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, applicants should schedule an appointment as soon as possible after receiving a voucher number. Delays in scheduling may result in an applicant not being able to make an appointment at a preferred test site or preferred test date. Applicants should report any problems in scheduling a testing appointment to Kryterion as soon as possible.

Kryterion Host Locations can be located by checking this link: http://www.kryteriononline.com/Locate-Test-Center

PRPC examinations are administered by computerized testing. The examination questions are presented on computers and applicants provide their responses using a mouse or keyboard. Approved applicants should contact Kryterion as soon as possible once they have their voucher code to schedule a testing appointment. Applicants may take the test on any day that it is offered during the testing window, provided that there is space at the Kryterion test center of choice.

Applicants will have 240 minutes to complete the certification exam. Applicants may take short restroom breaks while sitting for the exam, however the 240 minute time limit will not stop during such breaks. Applicants will not be allowed to access any cell phones, computers, tablets, books, or any personal items during such restroom breaks.

Test Center Administrators are required to report any irregular behavior by an applicant during the examination. Evidence of unethical behavior, cheating or subversion of the exam will result in the applicant being deemed ineligible for certification and his/her fees will not be refunded.

Passing applicants may begin using the credential designation after their name on business cards, email signatures, and professional correspondence. Passing applicants will also receive an official certificate identifying them as a Certified Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner.

Applicants raw exam scores are not reported on the score reports to prevent misuse of the scores.

There is no alternative to re-taking the examination to renew the PRPC certification. All licensed therapists who wish to renew their certification will need to re-take the examination ten years after they are first certified.

Those who apply to sit for the exam and whose applications are accepted will be sent the following study materials:

1. A copy of the official Test Blueprint, which contains all Knowledge and Skill Statements covered on the exam
2. A summary of the results of the Job Task Anaylsis Survey, which includes a breakdown of percentage of questions covering each topic area

Both the PRPC and the specialization exam are forms of professional certifications. The Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification (PRPC) specifically identifies the bearer as a specialist in the pelvic health field, and it covers both women’s and men’s pelvic health throughout the life cycle. The WCS (Women’s Health Clinical Specialist) certification indicates a specialty in treatment only for women, and it covers women’s health more generally.

You do not have to choose one over the other as they are two different distinctions (PRPC was developed and offered by H&W, the WCS was developed by the ABPTS). You can be both PRPC and specialized in women’s health just like you can be a Certified Manual Therapist (MTC) and an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS).

The PRPC Certification is valid for 10 years, and all licensed therapists who wish to renew their certification will need to re-take the examination ten years after they are first certified.

Both the PRPC and the specialization exam are forms of professional certifications. You do not have to choose one over the other as they are two different distinctions (PRPC is developed and offered by H&W, the WCS was developed by the ABPTS). The PRPC is a certification of practical and didactic expertise pertaining to pelvic floor dysfunction. The specialization exam is a didactic exam that encompasses all aspects of women’s health physical therapy. You can be both PRPC and specialized in women’s health just like you can be a Certified Manual Therapist (MTC) and an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS).

Certifications offered by the APTA are only available to Physical Therapists, whereas Heramn & Wallace's PRPC certification will be available to the professionals qualified to take courses through the Institute.

For a full breakdown on the differences between PRPC and Specializations available from ABPTS, please see this comparison chart.

There is an important difference between a certificate and a certification or credential. Certificates are not held to the objective standards required of other types of credentialing. Credentialing is the umbrella term that includes the concepts of accreditation, licensure, registration and professional certification.

A Certificate of Attendance is issued after an individual attends or participates in a particular continuing education course. No knowledge is assessed and the recipient is not required to demonstrate competence according to professional standards.

A Knowledge-Based Certificate recognizes a relatively narrow scope of specialized knowledge used in performing tasks required by the profession. It is issued after the individual passes an assessment instrument.

Professional Certification is the voluntary process by which a non-governmental entity grants a time-limited recognition to an individual after verifying that he or she has met predetermined and standardized criteria. It is the vehicle a profession uses to differentiate among its members. The holder is called a certificant. Herman & Wallace's Pelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification falls into this category of credential.

Specialization is a term related to the professional certifications offered by the ABPTS.

*Adapted from the "NOCA Guide to Understanding Credentialing Concepts"