Pelvic Health
Pelvic Health Essentials for the PTA
Two lab-heavy days that prepare PTAs to carry out Pelvic Health treatment alongside a credentialed Pelvic Health PT.
About this course
Designed for PTAs working with already credentialed PTs in Pelvic Health. PTAs will learn how to carry out internal and external Pelvic Health treatments, identify red flags, and complete objective measurements.
PTAs often join a Pelvic Health caseload in a hurry: covering a maternity leave, or helping a PT with a six-month waitlist. Most options mean waiting months, or traveling across the country, for a course that only teaches vaginal assessment. This one is treatment-heavy instead, covering the anterior and posterior triangles (vaginal and rectal), with key assessments like the PERFECT scale and modified Oxford.
Bladder, bowel, and prolapse topics are each taught and then practiced in lab. Day two ends with a practical competency check and a post-test.
Who it’s for
Designed for physical therapist assistants working with already credentialed PTs in Pelvic Health. No prerequisites. PTs, PTAs, OTs, and OTAs can attend, each practicing within their own scope of practice.
When you leave, you’ll be able to…
- Explain the PTA’s role and scope of practice in Pelvic Health.
- Locate bony landmarks and pelvic floor muscle layers, including the levator ani and obturator internus, through external palpation.
- Perform internal vaginal and rectal pelvic floor techniques, practiced hands-on in lab.
- Interpret bladder diaries and coach urge suppression and knack retraining.
- Teach toileting posture and carry out external anal sphincter assessment and palpation.
- Carry out prolapse management: pessary insertion and removal, patient education, pressure management, and lifting mechanics.
- Progress strengthening, down-training, and neuromotor control into functional exercise.
- Recognize red flags and take objective measurements for your supervising PT.
Inside the labs
From a recent Pessary Level 1 class
The schedule
What your 2 days look like
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Day 18:00 AM–4:00 PM
Anatomy and palpation, bladder dysfunction, and pelvic floor muscle training.
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Day 28:00 AM–3:00 PM
Bowel dysfunction, prolapse management, and treatment progression, ending with a skills check and post-test.
See the hour-by-hour scheduleHide the hour-by-hour schedule
Teal blocks are hands-on labs. Point at any block to see what it is, or click it to jump to it in the list below.
Day 1: 8:00 AM–4:00 PM. Day 2: 8:00 AM–3:00 PM. Full schedule below.
- Lecture
- Hands-on lab
- Practical & post-test
- Registration, breaks & lunch
Day 1
8:00 AM–4:00 PM · 3 hrs of lab
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Introduction to Pelvic Health and PTA scope of practice
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Pelvic anatomy and physiology
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Pelvic floor muscle dysfunction
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Break
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Lab: Anatomy and palpation Lab
Bony landmarks, pelvic floor muscle layers, levator ani, obturator internus, external palpation of the pelvic floor
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Bladder dysfunction
Stress urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, bladder mechanics
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Lunch
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Lab: Bladder diaries Lab
How to interpret a sensation bladder diary, fluid spacing, output tracking
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Lab: Anterior pelvic floor muscle training Lab
Urge suppression, knack retraining
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Bowel dysfunction
Constipation, dyssynergic defecation, fecal incontinence
Day 2
8:00 AM–3:00 PM · 3 hrs of lab · Restroom breaks as needed
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Review of Day 1
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Lab: Bowel dysfunction Lab
Toileting posture, external anal sphincter assessment and palpation
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Pelvic organ prolapse
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Lab: Prolapse management Lab
Pessary insertion and removal, patient education, pressure management, lifting mechanics
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Lunch
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Pelvic floor treatment principles
Strengthening, down-training, neuromotor control
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Lab: Therapeutic exercise and functional progression Lab
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Practical competency and post-test Practical
Demonstration of selected treatment skills and knowledge assessment
Dates & registration
Upcoming dates
Registration and payment are handled securely on Eventbrite.
No dates are scheduled yet.
New dates are posted here and on Eventbrite as soon as they’re set. Follow PRISM on Eventbrite to see every date, or send a quick email and you’ll get a note when registration opens.
Your instructor
Dr. Jazma Dobbins, PT, DPT, PRPC, CAPP-Pelvic
Board Certified Pelvic and Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
Dr. Dobbins teaches every PRISM course and leads every lab herself. She owns Gadsden Pelvic Rehab and Physical Therapy, a two-clinic practice in Alabama, so every course is built on day-to-day clinical practice.
- DPTDoctor of Physical Therapy
- Board certifiedPelvic and Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
- PRPCPelvic Rehabilitation Practitioner Certification
- CAPP-PelvicCertificate of Achievement in Pelvic Physical Therapy
Questions
Before you register
How do I register and pay?
Every PRISM course date is listed on Eventbrite, under Prism Advanced Clinical Education. Each date’s Register button opens its Eventbrite page, where you register and pay, and Eventbrite emails your ticket and receipt. This website never asks for payment details.
Who can attend?
PTs, PTAs, OTs, and OTAs can attend every PRISM course. Gynecologists and midwives can also attend the pessary courses. Everyone practices within their own scope of practice, so check what your license allows before you use a new skill with patients.
Are there prerequisites?
Pessary Management: Level 1 requires a Level 1 pelvic course plus a urogynecology course (such as a Level 2B from Herman & Wallace or the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health). Pessary Management: Level 2 requires Level 1, or the Advanced POP/SUI course taught by Taryn Hallam with Women’s Health Training Associates (WHTA) in Australia. Pelvic Health Essentials for the PTA has no prerequisites. Colorectal Rehabilitation requires a Level 1 pelvic course, such as from Herman & Wallace or the APTA Academy of Pelvic Health. Vestibular Rehabilitation Intensive has no prerequisites.
Who do we practice on in labs?
Your classmates. Every lab is done with a partner from the class, and in the Pelvic Health courses that includes internal techniques. Everyone is expected to take part unless there is a medical, anatomical, or trauma-related reason to sit out.
What should I wear?
Whatever you’re comfortable moving in: shorts or sweatpants, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Some people wear a dress for the pelvic labs because there’s less to take off, but you don’t have to.
Do the courses count toward my continuing education requirements?
Each course lists its contact hours, which is the number you report when you renew your license. PRISM courses don’t currently carry approval from a specific state board. For physical therapy, several states don’t require pre-approval, as long as a course meets their standards, such as stated learning objectives and evidence-based content: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. OTs and OTAs, and anyone unsure, should check with their licensing board before registering.
Ready to register?
Every PRISM date is listed on Eventbrite. Questions first? Email about course content, who a course is right for, or CE approval for your state.
Pelvic Health Essentials for the PTA