Q: Is it feasible to complete the Mentorship program and maintain my present job?
A: You can work full-time while attending the Mentorship. However, reducing your present work week to 32-36 hours gives you some additional study time. During the Mentorship, you will work 16-20 hours per week at Kaiser (20 hours per week is required for benefits). You can still work two to three days at your current employment. Individuals who move to the area can find employment at local hospitals, clinics or on-call agencies. We will provide you with resources to aid in finding employment and housing.

Q: Can I attend the Mentorship if I live outside of the San Francisco Bay Area?
A: If you live within two hours of the San Francisco Bay Area, you can still commute to lab sessions on the weekends and work at one of our five training sites (San Francisco, Richmond, Oakland, Union City and Pleasanton) two days per week. Not every training site is in operation every year, so please contact us when you are applying for admission.

Q: With online coursework, could I complete the Mentorship while living out-of-state?
A: We have a new training site at the Kaiser Northwest region in Portland. You can work two days per week at a clinic in the Portland area and travel to the San Francisco Bay Area for lab sessions every five to six weeks. Additional trainings sites will be posted on the Web site as they become available.

Q: What type of interaction will I have with classmates, faculty and alumni?
A: Throughout the program, you will have the opportunity to interact with faculty and classmates via online clinical forums, Webinars and virtual office hours. Lab sessions have a high instructor-to-student ratio, providing you with immediate and comprehensive feedback for handling skills. Class members are encouraged to get together on weekends to practice whenever possible. We have excellent facilities where you can come to practice and portable treatment tables to loan to out. Several of our alumni routinely volunteer their time to practice with the classes. Having so many classmates in the area with whom you can practice and alumni who volunteer their time are features of Kaiser Hayward that few other programs are able to offer.

Q: Do I need to take the online coursework according to a defined curriculum schedule?
A: Yes, the coursework is given like typical university curriculum with assignments and readings each week. If you have unexpected commitments that prevent you from being online during a given week, you can do your assignments in advance.

Q: If I have trouble understanding the online coursework or lab sessions, will there be instructional support to help me?
A: We closely follow the progress of each participant as if you are in a private university. There is ongoing communication between you, your faculty members and the program director. Tutorials are scheduled to help you over any “bumps” in the road, as we are committed to your success.


Manual Therapy Advanced Skills I Course Series

Q: What is the difference between the Mentorship and the Manual Therapy Advanced Skills I Course Series?
A: With the Manual Therapy Advanced Skills I Course Series, you will have access to all of the excellent online coursework, weekend lab sessions, Webinars and virtual office hours minus the one-on-one mentoring, clinical practice at Kaiser and exams. Like the Mentorship students, you should anticipate committing 9 to 12 hours per week to online coursework and clinical reasoning projects. You will receive feedback on your clinical reasoning via online clinical forums and case study analyses. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of completion and informal feedback on your handling skills.

Q: What are the requirements if I decide to pursue a manual therapy certification after completing the Manual Therapy Advanced Skills I Course Series?
A: To be granted a manual therapy certification Level I, you will need to complete additional clinical reasoning projects and take technique and written exams at the end of the program. The cost of the additional testing is $400.


Advanced Manual Therapy Fellowship

Q: What is the difference in curriculum between the Mentorship and Advanced Fellowship?
A: The Mentorship focuses on detailed manual therapy examination and treatment of the upper-cervical, mid-cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine, and shoulder and knee complexes. You will also learn how to integrate exercise and self-mobilization interventions. You will leave the program with a solid clinical reasoning framework. You will be able to apply examination and treatment concepts to a broad range of musculoskeletal dysfunctions, well beyond the spine, and shoulder and knee complexes.

During the Advanced Fellowship, you will learn advanced manual therapy techniques for the spine and all peripheral joint complexes. You will learn all grades of passive movement, including Grade V mobilization. The Advanced Fellowship focuses on examination and treatment of the complex patient. You will attain greater refinement in combining exercise, self-mobilization and ergonomic concepts with your manual therapy interventions. You will also take additional coursework in research statistics and participate in additional journal clubs to discuss current literature.
The Advanced Fellowship moves at a faster pace than the Mentorship and focuses on more advanced manual therapy clinical reasoning and exam/intervention techniques. The program is designed for individuals who strive to become senior therapists, clinical specialists, consultants and/or faculty members in manual therapy.

Q: What are the other assignments for the Advanced Fellowship beyond the clinical training at Kaiser?
A: You will be required to design and implement a culminating teaching project in your own community, develop a poster presentation for a conference or submit a case study for publication. Individuals who seek recognition as a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) must complete the Mentorship, Advanced Fellowship, culminating teaching project and selected coursework in the basic and applied sciences (e.g. anatomy) within a three-year period to meet American Physical Therapists Association (APTA) and AAOMPT requirements. Most therapists complete all requirements within 19 - 22 months. Living or working in California while finishing your Fellowship projects is not required.

Q: Can I go directly into the Advanced Fellowship if I already have experience in manual therapy?
A: Completion of the Mentorship is a prerequisite for the Advanced Fellowship because the content of the programs is interlinked. The Mentorship is tailored to meet the individual needs and skill level of each participant. We have years of experience mentoring clinicians with varying backgrounds and experience.

Q. When do I have to make a decision about applying for the Advanced Fellowship?
A: Some applicants know up front that they want to attend the entire program while others do not decide until after they have finished the Mentorship. Please feel free to contact the program director to discuss your career plans and which program best fits your goals.

Q: Is it realistic to work during the Advanced Fellowship?
A: The Advanced Fellowship has been redesigned to enable you to work two to three days per week while attending the program. You will work two days at Kaiser (16 - 20 hours per week) and can continue employment at a local hospital, clinic or on-call agency two to three days per week. We recommend that your total employment not exceed 32 - 36 hours to allow adequate time for studying and practicing with classmates.


General Questions

Q: Why seek Manual Therapy Certification?
A: Upon completion of the Manual Therapy Advanced Skills Series I, Mentorship and the Advanced Fellowship, you will receive a Manual Therapy Certification Level I, III and IV respectively. Manual Therapy Certification Level II is temporarily on hold. The certification process tells your colleagues and employer that you have achieved an established clinical and academic standard through clinical projects and formalized exams. Many therapists across the country take continuing education courses, but certification sets you apart as an individual who is committed to excellence.

Q: How does the Kaiser Hayward certification compare with other manual therapy certifications in the U.S.?
A: Currently there are no national standards for manual therapy certifications. Each is very different in expectations and standards. Completing a certification demonstrates that you have been evaluated or tested according to a standard of performance established by the program. It definitely bears more weight than a certificate of completion. You will need to evaluate the advantages of a certification based on the part of the country where you are employed. In most areas, the APTA clinical specialist certification would be more important to achieve. We ask that you not add any ‘initials’ after your name when you achieve the manual therapy certifications since there is no national standard. If you achieve Fellowship status in the AAOMPT, you will use FAAOMPT after your name.

Q: What benefits will I continue to receive after graduating from the Kaiser Hayward program?
A: Within our program, you will have access to a wealth of educational materials (e.g., videos, extensive curriculum materials and library resources) to support your individual learning needs. Graduates of the program become a part of the alumni association, which offers ongoing advanced coursework.

Q: What is the difference between the “Advanced Fellowship” and the overall program name, PT Fellowship in Advanced Orthopedic Manual Therapy?
A: Many years ago, we were called the Kaiser Hayward PT Residency and we had two program components. The first program component was called the “Clinical Mentorship” and the second component was called the “Advanced Fellowship in Manual Therapy.” When the APTA set up the residency and fellowship credentialing process, a new designation, “Fellowship in Manual Therapy,” was established for subspecialty areas. We then changed our former residency program name to coincide with the APTA terminology. We are officially the Physical Therapy Fellowship in Advanced Orthopedic Manual Therapy. To become a graduate of an APTA Credentialed Fellowship and achieve Fellow status in the AAOMPT, you must complete all program components (the Mentorship, the Advanced Fellowship and all independent study). The curriculum hours are added together to meet APTA and AAOMPT requirements.

Q: What are the physical demands of the Mentorship and Fellowship?
A: Our program requires that you perform normal outpatient therapist activities. There may also be extended periods of sitting for classroom activities and some driving to training sites (although carpooling is an option). In addition, you will be practicing a variety of manual therapy techniques on classmates. You are asked to assess your own physical capabilities for participating in the program.

Q: What kind of housing options are available in the Bay Area?
A: Most participants rent a room in a home because renting studios and apartments for the time period that you are at Kaiser can be quite expensive, unless you are coming with a spouse or significant other. We can assist you with finding housing and also recommend www.craigslist.com.

Q: I’d like to speak with a graduate or faculty member about the program. Can you direct me to someone?
A: Please contact the Kaiser Hayward Fellowship Director Carol Jo Tichenor at Caroljo.Tichenor@kp.org. She’ll be happy to help answer your questions or put you in touch with faculty or alumni. We also invite you to come to observe lab sessions and meet current participants.