Universal Academy

The Performing Arts Special Interest Group of the American Physical Therapy Association performed a study to describe the unique knowledge and responsibilities of physical therapists’ management of performing artists. This was a survey study using a non-experimental descriptive research design and a sample of convenience. A national advisory group (NAG) of subject matter experts created a list of 144 knowledge (foundational content) and responsibility (skills and abilities) items for inclusion in the survey. The final survey items were rated on frequency, critical-ity, and level of judgment. The survey was sent to 650 subjects who belonged to one of three major organizations with missions to advance health outcomes in performers. The response rate was 13%. The majority of respondents had between four and ten years of experience treating performing artists. In terms of frequency, almost all responsibility items within the survey occurred at least monthly. In terms of criticality, no item was ranked as low or minimally critical. Based on the generally high scores of all items, the NAG consensus was to include all items in the final description of specialized practice. The results of this survey study describe the core competencies for the specialized practice of physical therapy for performing artists. These competencies can be used to guide the development of continuing education opportunities, post-professional educational curricula (e.g., residencies or fellowships), future research endeavors, and credentialing efforts in the subspecialty of physical therapy for performing artists.