Manual Therapy Fellowship for Physical Therapists

Fellowship in Manual Therapy

The Ola Grimsby Institute has a 50-year history of success in teaching Orthopedic Residency and Fellowship programs with a basis in Manual Therapy, offered throughout the U.S., South America, Europe, and Asia.

All aspects of evaluation, soft tissue work, joint mobilization, spinal manipulation, exercise, and education are thoroughly covered in our new 2-year Fellowship. One-to-one clinical mentoring strengthens the resident’s experience beyond simple continuing education coursework or online lectures. Strengths of the Orthopedic Residency program include a foundation in basic sciences and an evidence-based background in clinical practice. With an emphasis on differential diagnosis and critical thinking, the program takes you beyond a simple classification system to determine diagnosis and intervention. Methods to improve clinical reasoning and problem-solving will assist with the development of a patient diagnosis as well as a plan of care. Stop guessing and know exactly what you are treating and how you will impact the patient. The program covers various models of pathology. Regional interdependence relationships, movement systems, medical screening, pathology, imaging, and nutrition are all incorporated into the curriculum. Complete aspects of patient care including psychosocial influences and chronic pain are explored in detail.

Manual Therapy

The Orthopedic Residency program of The Ola Grimsby Institute includes manual therapy techniques from different schools and countries. Residents learn how to select between different techniques, and how to dose these interventions, based on the need of each patient. Hands-on courses and mentoring improve not only critical thinking but the skills necessary to perform mobilization and spinal manipulation. The orthopedic manual physical therapy profession is in constant evolution. Models for explanations of our work are consistently undergoing fundamental changes; at the same time, explanations previously accepted within the discipline are now regarded as being incorrect.

Exercise

A significant strength of the program is an integrated exercise curriculum teaching specificity of exercise dosage, design, and progression. This exercise curriculum has the foundation in Norwegian MET (Medical Exercise Therapy), taught in the US under the name Scientific Therapeutic Exercise Progressions (STEP). Learn how to apply evaluation, manual work, and exercise for an optimal patient outcome.

Course Dates and Cities:

Fellowship in Manual Therapy 2024 (Bellevue, Washington) January 15, 2025 – December 15, 2025

Applications

Prerequisites: Applicants for the OGI Fellowship program must be practicing in an orthopaedic manual therapy outpatient clinic and have an active physical therapy license. Two letters of recommendation and proof of active membership at the APTA is also required.

First step: Visit our Student Registration Portal, select from the available Fellowship programs, and follow the registration process. It will require you to download an Application Form, fill it out, then upload it onto the portal.
Second step: After the Application Form has been uploaded and reviewed we will send an Enrollment Agreement to your registered e-mail address. Please fill it out and return by e-mail (all necessary instructions to be found in the form).
Third step: Upon receipt of the signed Enrollment Agreement, you will be able to make payments for the program from our Student registration portal and begin your path to clinical mastery in orthopedic manual physical therapy.

Manual Therapy Fellowship Components

This streamlined program replaces our previous first-year Residency and second-year Fellowship, and provides an intensive, hands-on training experience, immersing participants in real-world clinical scenarios. Offering our entire didactic curriculum electronically through our new educational platform now allows us 100% lab-focused sessions! The program’s flexible structure requires only three weekend campus visits per semester, ensuring convenience without compromising the depth and quality of the education.

Semester 1:

The Pre-Clinical Independent Study begins with an immersive Day 1 orientation, setting the foundation for your journey. During this intensive session, you’ll meet your mentors and peers, gain a clear understanding of the OGI concept, and receive a personalized study plan. You’ll also learn to navigate the digital learning portal and formally commit to excellence, ensuring a strong start to your academic and professional path.

Semesters 2-4:

This program offers intensive, hands-on practical training designed to immerse students in real-world clinical scenarios. With 100% lab-oriented sessions, participants will develop essential clinical skills under expert guidance. The flexible learning structure requires only three weekend campus visits per semester, providing convenience without compromising quality. The experience culminates in a comprehensive final exam, allowing students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills effectively.

Clinical Mentoring

1:1 clinical mentoring hours – 150

One-to-one clinical mentoring strengthens the Fellow in Training’s experience beyond simple continuing education coursework or online lectures. Students will perform 150 hours of 1:1 clinical supervision with OGI faculty or clinical mentors.

Supervised Clinical Hours: FITs are required to perform 440 hours of clinical supervision (inclusive of the 150 1:1 mentoring hours) that can be performed at the student’s routine work environment. For these hours FITs are in contact with an OGI faculty member via phone, e-mail, or other method of communication during that clinical time.

Required Research

FITs of the Manual Therapy Fellowship are required to complete a research project that is subject to approval by the Ola Grimsby Institute. Possible avenues of research are intensive literature review or formal case study.

Exams: Before completion of each program, students must pass written and practical/clinical exams. Upon successful completion of the written and practical exams, students are issued a certificate of completion. For further information regarding the testing mechanisms please see the Examination Policy of the Ola Grimsby Institute.

Program Tuition Costs, including all required seminars and final examinations: $12.896.
This may be divided into 4 equal payments of $3.224.
All previous OGI program participants (Residency, Certification of Orthopedic Manual Therapy, Part I and II) will be awarded a 25% rebate for a total of $9.672 or 4 installments of $2.418.

Benefits: Upon successful completion of the program, the student can apply to the AAOMPT as a Fellow. The student is responsible for acquiring the necessary paperwork from the AAOMPT and submitting it to the Ola Grimsby Institute.

Internationally recognized US membership at IFOMPT.
The Manual Therapy Fellowship program is the highest level of education credentialed by the APTA.
Prerequisite for attending our Clinical Specialization in Manual Therapy / Ph.D Program
Research: Opportunity to work on various research components for an optional Doctor of Manual Therapy (DMT), follow through with the same research proposal for a possible publication at the end of the second year. Which may accumulate in a PhD as a component of our third year Clinical Specialization.

AAOMPT Approved

As Ola Grimsby is a Founding Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy (AAOMPT), the OGI Manual Therapy Fellowship program has been continually recognized by AAOMPT as meeting the international standards of IFOMPT. Physical therapists graduating from the Manual Therapy Fellowship Program may apply for the Fellow credential with the Academy (FAAOMPT).