UNE Online offers course to prepare orthopedic clinical specialists

Courtesy / University of New England The University of New England has campuses in Portland, shown here, and Biddeford, as well as overseas in Tangier, Morocco.

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By Alexis Wells

The University of New England is expanding its offerings to include a new continuing education course designed to help working physical therapists prepare for certification as orthopedic clinical specialists.

The non-credit course is designed to equip candidates with the tools and resources needed to prepare for the orthopedic clinical specialist exam and expand their existing professional skill sets.

The OCS credential, a board certification sponsored by the American Physical Therapy Association.

The course offers pre-recorded lectures, online learning activities, case studies, practice exam questions, live advising and mentoring, as well as links and reviews of clinical practice guidelines.

“Our objective in offering the OCS prep course is to provide a cost-effective way of preparing physical therapists with a passion for orthopedics for success with the certification exam,” said Beth Taylor-Nolan, dean of UNE Online. “Our course differs from the commonly used study resources currently available by offering guided learning activities and mentoring in addition to written study materials.”

Candidates for the certification must complete 2,000 clinical hours or an orthopedic residency and then sit for the OCS exam.

The OCS preparation course costs $750.

The University of New England, led by President James Herbert since 2017, has campuses in Biddeford and Portland, where it recently opened a new $93 million home for Maine’s only medical school. Herbert was honored as a Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year in 2025.

With 2,114 undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2024, UNE was ranked No. 7 among Maine's largest colleges and universities in the 2025 Mainebiz Book of Lists.