Aquatic Therapy Certificate Tracks

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Specialty Tracks

Aquatic Therapy University (ATU) offers therapy professionals a tiered, evidence-based progression of aquatic therapy studies.

Love the Water? Want to Get Recognized?

ATU enables physical medicine & rehab professionals to map out a continuum of post-graduate education on a 2-5 year plan. Physical therapists and other providers can specialize in any one of 7 specialty tracks, including a General Studies option.

Each class contains a minimum of 6 hours of lecture and 10 hours of pool lab (worth 1.6 CEUs or more). These credits can all be applied to a final 84-hour ATU credential in any of the Tracks listed below.

Prefix	Track	Description	Hrs	Post Nomial
GS	General Studies	primers, refreshers, surveys, multi-disciplinary, instructing	84	General Aquaticist (Aq)
MS	Musculoskeletal Studies	back, neck, hip, knee, shoulder, etc.	84	Musculoskeletal Aquaticist (MAq)
NS	Neurological Studies	CVA, TBI, SCI, MS, etc.	84	Neurologic Aquaticist (NAq)
PS	Pediatric Studies	neonatal, autism, CP, etc.	84	Pediatric Aquaticist (PAq)
GE	Geriatric Studies	balance, gait, Parkinsons, etc.	84	Geriatric Aquaticist (GAq)
SS	Sports & Military Studies	training, injury, trauma, amputee, PTSD, etc.	84	Sports Aquaticist (SAq)
BS	Business Studies	building, billing, marketing, staffing, etc.	84	Aquatic Business Manager (ABM)

Prerequisites:
ATU courses are taught with the assumption that attendees have at least an entry-level degree or its equivalent in experience. No time is spent on the underlying principles of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

Classes are open to physical therapists and PTAs, occupational therapists and OTAs, speech therapists, athletic trainers, exercise physiologists, massage therapists, therapeutic recreational specialists, and other professionals.

Sample ATU Coursework:
In order to refer to yourself as an Aquaticist, students must log a minimum of 4 classes in a single track. Here is a sample of the coursework offered between 2010-2012 in the Musculoskeletal Track at ATU. After students have satisfied the entry level coursework (MS701), any combination of classes may be used to satisfy the 84 hour minimum.

See 2011 course schedule. Download 2011 catalog (pdf).