You may be surprised to hear that imaging order privileges have been part of the physical therapy profession for nearly 50 years. Specifically, physical therapists in the U.S. Military have been practicing as direct assess providers with imaging privileges since 1972.  Over the past decade, there have been many more instances where imaging privileges have been granted and state practice acts have been changed to include imaging.

To reflect this trend, the OCS exam has begun to test candidates on their decision making around the use and selection of evidence-based diagnostic imaging.  Integrating imaging information into the clinical decision making process is critical to optimal outcomes and thus should be a competency of an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist.

There will only be a handful of imaging questions on the examination, so you don’t need to go overboard with this, but it would be wise to review the American College of Radiology (ACR) Appropriateness Criteria for imaging cases common to orthopedic physical therapy, as these are the foundation for decision making for the use and selection of diagnostic imaging.

To assist in these efforts, we just dropped a BONUS Imaging Pop Quiz in the OCS Advantage. Dedicating a few hours of study time to better understand imaging best practices will be well worth your time.

We want to see you be successful in passing the OCS exam.  We can honestly say that’s our number one priority. Our entire business is to ensure you pass the OCS exam. Study smarter – not harder. If you discipline yourself to prepare like a test taker, then we are very confident you’ll be able to maximize your studying efforts, most efficiently use your time, and most importantly pass the OCS exam.

Published by Chrissy Durrough Lugge

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