Application Procedure

Application for Fellowship

1 Registered Physiotherapist in Hong Kong

2 Specialty Areas appropriate for Application

Three specialty areas have been identified by the HKCOP as being open to application for specialist status – musculoskeletal, cardiopulmonary and neurological physiotherapy. Other specialty areas shall be developed as deemed necessary and appropriate in the future.

3 Application Process

An applicant for Fellowship will be admitted to the HKCOP as an “Associate Member” on submission of their Application Form (Appendix 2), evidence of qualifications, experience and achievements, and the application fee.
The Board of Censors will review the applicant’s clinical experience and academic qualifications. If these criteria are satisfied, then, the clinical teaching, and publication/writing criteria will be assessed to determine whether the applicant is suitable for examination.
If the clinical experience and academic criteria are satisfied but the teaching, publication and communication criteria are not, the Board of Censors shall recommend a Development Programme to the applicant to be completed in two years of the Assessment. Upon successful completion of the Development Programme, the applicant may attend the examination. An applicant wishing to appeal any recommendation by their Board of Censors may do so in writing to the Council of the HKCOP within 28 days of notification of the recommendation, setting out the grounds for their appeal together with an administration fee of HK$2,000. The decision of the Council will be final.

4 Development Programme

The Development Programme may include manuscript writing, clinical teaching and/or conference presentation, under the guidance of a facilitator assigned by the Council of the HKCOP

5 Examination

A panel of two examiners who are specialists in the applicant’s specialty area will conduct the Examination. Preferably one of the examination panel members will be a specialist physiotherapist from outside the Hong Kong jurisdiction. The applicant will be required to view a video of clinical cases and answer questions raised by the panel or conduct a practical examination in an simulated environment. The viva voce examination may, if necessary and appropriate, be conducted using teleconferencing facilities. The duration of the Examination will be approximately TWO hours.

6 Fees

The application fee for the Fellowship Programme is HK$500. The annual supscription fee for Associate Members undertaking the specialization process is HK$800. The examination fee is HK$5,500. A maximum of two attempts at examination within 2 years will be permitted. A re-examination fee of HK$2,500 for the re-sit examination will be levied. These fees are subjected to change by order of the Council of HKCOP at any time. All fees paid to the HKCOP are non-refundable.