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Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Certificate

Upper Extremity exercise with occupational therapist

Specialize in upper extremity in 3 hybrid courses

Complete your upper extremity coursework online and build your skill and competency with onsite, skills lab instruction.

Add leadership and value to your role as an occupational therapist with a post-master’s Certificate in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation from Spalding University. Whether you have a master’s in occupational therapy or related field, you can earn an upper extremity certificate in 15 credit hours. You can advance your practice while you continue to work. With this certificate, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of hand and upper limb therapies, making you even more prepared to evaluate and treat the work-related and complex injuries of your clients. If you are a licensed occupational therapist looking for an advanced degree, the Upper Extremity Rehabilitation track of our online post-professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy is a way to specialize in hand and upper extremity therapy while earning your doctorate.

Quality & Value

The hybrid format combines the convenience and affordability (see our tuition rates) of online learning with the personalized attention of face-to-face skill development.

You can expect the same level of support as any student in the Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy. You will have access to university services and program resources, like our on-site training labs and Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF). 

Doctorate faculty teach our certificate courses. They are certified hand therapists (CHTs) who have owned and managed their own hand therapy clinics, worked on transplant teams, conducted research in upper extremity rehabilitation and are creating evidence-informed orthotics. 

Course of Study

Earn your certificate in three five-credit-hour hybrid courses:

  • Introduction to Upper Extremity 
  • Occupations and Work-Related Injuries of Upper Extremity 
  • Occupations and Complex Injuries of the Upper Extremity

In these courses, you will practice treating and healing the muscles, joints and bones of the hand, wrist and upper limb. This experiential learning will inform your research as you develop an evidence-based project for current treatment concepts. 

You will also develop the basic management skills you need to code, bill and file worker’s compensation for client services as well as manage a team in an upper extremity rehabilitation clinic.

Career Pathways

The advanced knowledge that you gain will benefit you in any setting you choose to practice upper extremity rehabilitation:

  • Hand therapy clinics
  • Long term care or skilled nursing facilities
  • Acute care               
  • Home health 
  • Rehabilitation           
  • Schools 
  • Academia

 

How to Apply

Applicants to the Certificate In Upper Extremity Rehabilitation track must have at least a bachelor’s degree and meet Spalding University Graduate admissions requirements, as well as a demonstrated record of intellectual ability, and elevated level of motivation and a commitment to the rigorous study necessary for advanced education. Applicants must submit to following:

  • Spalding University Graduate School application
  • Your official transcripts from all previously attended universities
  • Evidence of a professional degree along with certification/licensing PT, OT, PA, NP, or AT.

Applicants must have a minimum overall 3.0 GPA in previous graduate coursework.

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Contact Us

Auerbach School of OT
[email protected]
(502) 588-7196
901 S. Third Street, Louisville, KY 40203

Contact Us
Auerbach School of Occupational Therapy
(502) 588-7196
[email protected]

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