This course examines clinical decision-making related to the selection, application, and progression of aquatic therapy equipment across rehabilitation populations and age groups. Content focuses on how commonly used tools—such as flotation devices, resistance equipment, mats, boards, and pool jets—alter support, resistance, instability, and sensory input to influence posture, balance, gait, and strength training. Participants will explore how aquatic equipment can be intentionally dosed and progressed to support therapeutic goals while maintaining patient safety and meaningful transfer to land-based interventions. This course was designed for an interprofessional audience.
Live Webinar
Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 6:00 pm EDTCEUs/Hours Offered: AOTA/0.2 Intermediate, OT Service Delivery, 16685; CE Broker/2.0 CE Broker #20-1394605; IACET/0.2; NBCOT PDUs/2.5 Intermediate, Rehabilitation
Learning Outcomes
- After this course, participants will be able to differentiate common types of aquatic therapy equipment and their purposes to support reengagement in occupation.
- After this course, participants will be able to differentiate how various pieces of equipment affect buoyancy, resistance, sensation, and balance.
- After this course, participants will be able to differentiate how interprofessional collaboration between physical and occupational therapists influences equipment selection and progression decisions compared to discipline-specific practice.
Agenda
| 0-5 Minutes | Introduction |
| 5-45 Minutes | Common types of aquatic therapy equipment and their purposes |
| 45-75 Minutes | How equipment modifies buoyancy, resistance, and balance |
| 75-105 Minutes | Comparing aquatic and land-based tools for similar clinical goals |
| 105-115 Minutes | Interprofessional Reflection & Overcoming Barriers |
| 115-120 Minutes | Summary; Q&A |
Presented By
Andrea Salzman
MS, PT
Andrea Salzman, MS, PT, is the Founder and CEO of the Aquatic Therapy Foundation, Inc. (launched in 2026) and has served as the Executive Director of Aquatic Therapy University (ATU) since 2010. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Master’s degree in physical therapy.
With over 30 years of experience as a licensed physical therapist, hands-on clinician, and educator, Salzman specializes in aquatics, geriatrics, patient motivation, and musculoskeletal and balance disorders. She has trained physical, occupational, and speech therapists worldwide in evidence-based aquatic therapy across pediatric, adult, neurologic, orthopedic, and cardiopulmonary populations. As a consultant, she has assisted hundreds of facilities during the start-up and training phases of their aquatic practices.
Salzman’s diverse background includes a decade as Vice President of the temporary staffing agency 10K Health, LLC, and eight years as adjunct faculty at St. Catherine University. A prolific contributor to her field, she has presented over 200 seminars, authored 300 articles, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) Journal of Aquatic Therapy. Her industry honors include being featured on the cover of Physical Therapy magazine and receiving the APTA's Judy Cirullo Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to aquatic therapy practice.Her life's work emphasizes translating the therapeutic properties of water into clinically defensible, functionally relevant interventions for all who find themselves standing at the water's edge.
To access ATU's global clearinghouse of information, visit www.aquatictherapyuniversity.com.
More
Continued and its subsidiaries provide professional education authored by qualified Subject Matter Experts for continuing education purposes. These materials are intended for educational purposes and do not constitute medical advice or a substitute for individual clinical judgment. Continued is not a clinical healthcare provider; the licensed professional is solely responsible for ensuring that the application of any techniques or information presented is within their legal scope of practice and jurisdictional requirements.
Financial: Andrea Salzman received an honorarium for presenting this course. Non-financial: Andrea Salzman owns ATU Aquatic Therapy Seminars, a continuing education company.
Sponsor Disclosure: This Course is presented by OccupationalTherapy.com, a Continued site.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.
Course participation information
To ensure you are ready to participate, please complete our short Test Drive to prepare your computer to view the course.
NOTE: Full attendance for all courses is mandatory. For self-study courses, this includes reading the full text, listening to the full audio recording, or watching the complete video, as appropriate for the format of the course.
Passing an online exam and completing a course evaluation will be required to earn continuing education credit.
Live Webinars allow presenter and participant interaction. The exam and course evaluation for these courses must be completed within 7 days of the event.
On-demand courses include texts, video and audio recordings of live webinars, and multimedia formats. The exam and course evaluation for on-demand courses must be completed within 30 days of course registration.
To participate in the course, complete the exam and course evaluation, and earn continuing education credit, you must be a OccupationalTherapy.com member. Participants must complete the entire course; partial credit is not allowed.
OccupationalTherapy.com is committed to ensuring accessibility to the widest possible audience. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone. If you have questions, requests, or would like to report an accessibility-related issue, please email [email protected]. We will review your request and respond in a timely manner.
Visit our Contact us page or give us a call if you have questions.
American Occupational Therapy Association
OccupationalTherapy.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #7659. Course approval ID# 16685. This distance learning - interactive course is offered at 0.20 CEUs/contact hours (Intermediate level, OT Service Delivery Area). The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
CE Broker
OccupationalTherapy.com is an approved provider for CE Broker, provider #50-14558. This course is offered for 2.00 hours. If you are an OT/OTA in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina or Tennessee, CE Broker may be of interest to you.
International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training
continued, LLC, DBA OccupationalTherapy.com, is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). continued complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, continued is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. continued, LLC, is authorized by IACET to offer 0.20 CEUs for this program.
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
AOTA approved CE can be used to meet NBCOT® continuing education requirements for certification renewal. This course is offered for 2.50 NBCOT PDUs (Intermediate level, Rehabilitation Area). NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.