The primary purpose of the APTA Clinical Site Information Form (CSIF) is for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs to collect information from clinical education sites to facilitate clinical site selection and student placements, assess the learning experiences and practice opportunities available to students, and aid with documentation relevant for accreditation. The CSIF is accessed exclusively through the Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) 3.0 online platform which launched on May 15, 2023.
Access CSIF (Required training course list)
APTA staff worked with CAPTE administrators throughout the construction of the CSIF to ensure all necessary information about a site needed for a review would be captured in the form. These can be downloaded and provided as evidence of the varied content and learning experiences your students have access to while performing their clinical rotations.
In addition to these accreditation compliance benefits, CSIF can also be used by your students during their education. For instance, students seeking experience with specific populations can review the CSIF for information on patient lifespans, continuum of care, and a rough breakdown of diagnosis categories. The forms even include orientation information to inform the student of the facility’s dress code, hours, and required documents for acceptance.
The Site Profiles includes the following information:
- Site Information
- Number of Clinical Faculty/Clinical Instructors
- Physical Therapy Services
- Clinical Education Experiences
- Information for Students
Instructions on completing accessing and completing the CSIF
Once you have successfully completed the required APTA CPI online training outlined in the getting started guides below, you will then be required to login to CPI 3.0 (with your APTA login credentials) to complete the CSIF. The DCE associated with an affiliated program will also need to assign an individual as the SCCE of a clinical site prior to being granted access to the CPI 3.0 system.
CSIF Getting Started Guides
- CI/SCCE Getting Started Guide
- PT DCE, ADCE and Admin Staff Getting Started Guide
- PTA DCE, ADCE, and Admin Staff Getting Started Guide
CPI 3.0 User Guides are available in the CPI 3.0 portal which include instructions on completing CSIF profiles. Look for the blue question mark in a white circle at the top right of your screen after signing in.
Best Practices
- While educational program staff (DCEs, ADCEs, and Administrative Staff) can edit a clinical site profile, this should be the reserved for the site’s SCCE.
- SCCEs should review the information in their CSIF on an annual basis, since any program utilizing CPI or CSIF can download the form at any time.
- For changes to a clinical site’s address, or name, SCCEs or educational program staff should reach out to the APTA’s CPI support team at cpi@apta.org.
Fees
Academic Institutions, not clinical sites, pay for the annual subscription to access the CSIF. Programs who are utilizing the CPI 3.0 to assess student performance when completing clinical rotations also have access to the CSIF included with their existing subscription for no extra charge. Subscription cycles are July 1 through June 30.
Annual Subscription Fees:
- PT CPI (CSIF Included) - $1,100
- PTA CPI (CSIF Included) - $800
- PT CSIF only - $850
- PTA CSIF only - $450
To subscribe to either CPI 3.0 or just the CSIF, please email the CPI 3.0 team using the link below to begin the process:
Contact/Customer Support Information
- CPI 3.0
- Email: cpi@apta.org
- Phone: 1-800-999-2782, select menu option 4
- CPI 3.0 payment questions
- Email: cpi@apta.org
- Phone: 1-800-999-2782, select menu option 4
- Learning Center platform and APTA login issues
- Email: membersuccess@apta.org
- Phone: 1-800-999-2782
All CPI 3.0 portal updates and information are posted to APTA's PT and PTA CPI 3.0 Users Community. This community is exclusively for educational program DCEs, ADCEs, and administrative staff who are currently utilizing CPI 3.0 or CSIF only. To request access, email cpi@apta.org and include CPI 3.0 Community Access in email subject line.
