Frequently Asked Questions
Virtual Hand Therapy Fellowship
Specialization in upper limb and hand therapy. Designed for occupational and physical therapists seeking a structured pathway to specialization in the upper limb and hand. New graduates are welcomed and encouraged to enroll.
CHT Exam Prep
For clinicians preparing for the Certified Hand Therapist exam. You have already met the HTCC eligibility requirements:
A minimum of 4,000 hours of direct clinical practice in hand therapy, and
At least 3 years of experience as a licensed OT or PT.
This track is intended for clinicians who already have an advanced-level knowledge base.
Intro to Hand Therapy
For clinicians exploring or transitioning into hand therapy. Ideal for therapists who:
Are new to hand therapy and want to build a solid foundation, or
Seek to broaden their skills for managing common hand and upper limb diagnoses.
Level II fieldwork students are welcomed to enroll to support and enrich their fieldwork experience.
Individual Courses
Flexible continuing education by topic. Choose from our extensive library of individual courses to:
Earn contact hours to maintain licensure, and
Target specific areas of need or interest in your professional development.
Courses are suitable for clinicians at various stages of their hand therapy learning pathway.
If you are still unsure which option is the best fit for your background and goals, you are welcome to register for an information session or contact VHSF directly for guidance at info@virtualhandfellowship.com
Accreditation and CEUs
Virtual Hand to Shoulder Fellowship, LLC is an AOTA Approved Provider of continuing education. All curricula listed below are AOTA approved:
Virtual Hand Therapy Fellowship Awards 21.7 CEUs upon completion.
CHT Exam Prep Awards 5.2 CEUs upon completion.
Intro to Hand Therapy Awards 3.0 CEUs upon completion.
AOTA-Approved Live Weekend Intensives
Our live weekend courses are separate enrollments that are also AOTA-approved and offer additional continuing education credit hours.
Standard location: Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, USA
These live weekends are designed to complement the virtual curricula with immersive, hands-on learning.
You can expect to spend approximately three hours per week on the fellowship. This typically includes time to complete one lecture and one case-based module, and, if you choose, you may also participate in mentorship activities.
If your goal is to sit for the CHT exam at or after the end of the fellowship, you should plan on additional independent study time beyond the weekly fellowship commitment. We will meet with you individually to review exam readiness and to help you develop a study plan if this is your goal.
The fellowship is intentionally designed for busy working clinicians, and most of our participants maintain a full clinical caseload while enrolled. You can generally plan to devote about 3 hours per week to fellowship activities.
If you need extended time beyond your one-year enrollment, you may add additional access of up to 18 months through an extension enrollment. The current extension fee is $75 per month (subject to change).
You need to have access to a smart device with internet connection or a computer with video and audio capabilities.
The only other requirement is the required textbook which is also available as an ebook.
Required Text:
Skirvin, Osterman, Fedorczyk, Amadio, Feldscher, and Shin (eds). Rehabilitation of the Hand and Upper Extremity. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier, 2021.
VHSF holds no financial interests in the purchase of required text.
The purpose of the program is to provide an accessible, affordable, comprehensive education and mentorship in upper extremity and hand rehabilitation. Physical and occupational therapists are educated as generalists so our mission is to educate clinicians treating the upper limb and hand as specialists.
It's about gaining knowledge and learning how to use it to empower you to be effective and successful in supporting your patients to achieve their best possible outcome.
The added benefits are related to helping you make the transition into the specialty, if applicable, or to help you advance your career, whether you have an interest in eventual transition to leadership positions or as an educator.
If you are a business owner, or rehab director, the program is designed to give your team the needed knowledge and skills to broaden your referral base for upper extremity and hand related injuries and conditions. Hand surgeons want to know they're sending their patients to clinicians that are invested and committed to delivering effective, evidence-based, and specialized care that supports and maximizes recovery, and optimal outcomes. Find out about group rates and company specific cohorts.
In order to qualify to sit for the CHT exam, you must be a licensed physical or occupational therapists for a minimum of three years. You must also have documented evidence of 4,000 practice hours treating upper limb or hand related conditions. You can read more about this at www.htcc.org
The 4,000 practice hours do not include education related hours; they must be clinical.
The fellowship curriculum and mentorship can support your efforts to obtain a job that would allow you to accrue the needed clinical hours. Enrollment in the fellowship reassures a prospective employer that you are taking needed measures to grow your knowledge and skills in a comprehensive manner. More importantly, it reassures them that you will have mentorship that they may not have the time or resources to provide someone with little to no experience.
The curriculum does prepare you for the CHT exam and we also offer over 800 practice questions throughout your enrollment.
We also offer CHT Exam Prep for clinicians that meet the exam requirements and are already at an advanced-level of practice.
The fellowship offers a one year evidence-based curriculum in upper extremity and hand rehabilitation and address all the identified domains and topics identified on the HTCC exam blueprint.
Our comprehensive curriculum is supplemented with mentorship throughout enrollment.
Weekly quizzes and trimester CHT practice exams are designed to support exam readiness and amount to over 800 test questions.
While the fellowship has all the built in tools to help you prepare for the CHT exam, it was designed to serve bigger purpose. Namely to fill a gap in knowledge for therapists that want to specialize in upper extremity and hand rehabilitation. This is accomplished through both our curriculum and mentorship.
If you already have advanced knowledge in upper limb and hand therapy and your primary goal is exam readiness only, VHSFs CHT Exam Prep curriculum was designed for this purpose. Learn more about exam prep here:
Accessibility Accommodations This program is delivered virtually using PowerPoint presentations and audio. Live sessions are conducted via Zoom, where closed captioning is available if enabled by the participant.
If you require disability-related or other accessibility accommodations to improve access to course content or live sessions, please contact:
Mirella Deisher info@virtualhandfellowship.com
We encourage participants to contact us as early as possible so that we can make reasonable efforts to implement appropriate accommodations in a timely manner.
Cancellation & Refund Policy
· All sales are final. We do not offer refunds for digital products, online courses, subscriptions, or bundles once access has been granted.
· You may cancel a subscription at any time. Cancellation will stop future recurring billing at the end of the current billing period but will not result in a refund of fees already paid.
· In exceptional circumstances, VHSF may, at its sole discretion, approve a refund, credit, or alternative accommodation. In such cases, any non-recoverable transaction or processing fees incurred by VHSF may be deducted from the refund amount.
By enrolling in a course, purchasing a bundle, or subscribing to a program, you acknowledge and agree to this Cancellation & Refund Policy.
A subscription can be cancelled anytime, but there are no refunds for content you've had access to under any circumstances. Follow the instructions below to cancel your subscription:
To end the subscription, from My Account > Billing, click Cancel for that subscription.
If you have difficulty, this is another resource to guide you:
