Acute hospital: Acute care hospitals treat patients who have developed an acute medical issue that may be life- or limb-threatening. These hospitals have access to the most advanced lifesaving equipment. Admission to acute care often occurs via the emergency department, but patients can also be directly admitted from the community if a physician deems their medical needs to be appropriate.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF): This hospital-based rehabilitation setting provides at least 15 hours of therapy per week, 24-hour rehabilitation nursing care, and 24-hour access to a physician. This level of care is often referred to as acute inpatient rehabilitation. Specific criteria are required for admission to this level of care:

Long-term care hospital (LTCH): LTCH is an acute care hospital for patients who require complicated recovery plan and prolonged hospitalization of 25 days or more. Patients are required to participate in therapies 5 days per week. Patients admitted to this level of care typically have two or more active medical issues that require three or more medical interventions, which can include:

Skilled nursing facility (SNF): SNF provides postacute care to patients who are deemed appropriate for daily skilled nursing care or therapy. Care at this level is deemed appropriate by a physician and the care needs are related to a hospital-related medical condition or a condition that started while in this setting.

Day rehabilitation: Day rehabilitation is an outpatient multidisciplinary therapy program for patients who require two or more therapy disciplines but do not require hospital admission.

Outpatient rehabilitation: Outpatient rehabilitation is an individual therapy discipline focused on dysfunction of a focal anatomic region or a specific goal. Treatment is often in a series of visits.

Home health: Home health is for patients deemed homebound by the medical provider, meaning it is extremely difficult for the patient to leave their home and/or needs help doing so. The patient needs skilled nursing services and skilled therapy care on an intermittent basis.

Physiatrist: A physiatrist is a physician who has completed residency in the field of PM&R. The physiatrist serves as the team leader responsible for coordinating patient services, setting realistic expectations for both the patients and their families, and developing a treatment plan to improve the functional status of individuals with acute or chronic impairments.

Neuropsychologist/rehabilitation psychologist: This is a doctoral-level licensed provider who assesses how the brain and nervous system influence cognition and behavior. The provider can help provide guidance for optimal treatment of patients with acquired or congenital brain impairments.

Case manager: Case managers coordinate referrals, discharge planning, and social or community services.

Rehabilitation nurse (RN): An RN is a nursing professional who specializes in rehabilitation, with training on managing unique medical needs of patients with physical impairments or disabilities. Care can include medication management, wound management, bowel and bladder management, and education of patients and caregivers.

Occupational therapist (OT): An OT helps develop, recover, improve, or restore function of patients experiencing impairments related to work or activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs are activities needed for daily living and include feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming and hygiene, and toileting. An OT can help improve fine motor skills, handeye coordination, emotional control, and sequencing of complex tasks, as well as identify modifications to the task or the environment. Other roles include enhancing or improving patients’ psychosocial, behavioral, cognitive, or sensory skills.

Physical therapist (PT): A PT helps restore function in patients with mobility impairments, weakness, restricted range of motion, or pain. The role of the PT is to help develop gross motor skills, identify and provide training for mobility device needs, improve endurance, and increase joint range of motion or stability.

Speech-language pathologist (SLP): An SLP works to assess and treat patients with cognitive, communication, speech, or swallowing deficits. An SLP performs instrumented studies to evaluate dysphagia, which can include videofluoroscopic swallow studies (VFSS) or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) studies.

Respiratory therapist (RT): An RT assists patients with impaired respiration and those who require devices to help with proper respiration. Devices can include tracheostomy, mechanical ventilator, or phrenic nerve stimulator. An RT has expertise in managing these tools as well as in administering medications or other treatments via the airways. The role of an RT includes education of patients and their families related to home care of their devices.

Vocational rehabilitation specialist (VR): A VR is a counselor or therapist who works with patients to develop work and educational plans, facilitates community reintegration, and provides guidance or strategies to achieve realistic work or educational goals.

Orthotist: An orthotist is a professional who assists people with disabilities by customizing braces and splints used to stabilize joints or support impaired or injured body parts. They are trained to assess the unique needs of the individual, determine the technical specifications of prescribed devices, fabricate the devices, and evaluate device fit and outcome.

Prosthetist: A prosthetist is a professional who fabricates and fits artificial limbs to improve the quality of life of individuals with amputations.

Patient care technician (PCT): Under the supervision of healthcare professionals, a PCT can provide basic medical care, including measuring vital signs and recording other important data. In a rehabilitation setting, a PCT may assist with ADLs.

Graduate medical training: Training includes prerequisite completion of U.S. or Canadian medical school (MD or DO) or foreign medical school that meets certain requirements. A total of 48 months of clinical graduate training is required. Trainees must complete an initial 12 months of fundamental clinical skills residency program, followed by 36 months of PM&R medical training.¹

Board certification: The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR) oversees diplomate training and certification. Board certification requires successful completion of a two-part examination.

Subspecialty training: The ABPMR subspecialty training offers fellowship training on the following:

Additional fellowships without ABPMR certification include, but no limited to: