OCS Field Guide: A PT Podcast

David Smelser and Austin Kercheville
  • 5.0 (273)
  • MEDICINE
  • SERIES

Pass the OCS exam by studying smarter, not harder. This podcast is for physical therapists looking to become board-certified specialists in orthopedics. Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 off a MedBridge subscription. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Introduction and OCS Study Tips

    Meet Dr. David Smelser, PT, DPT, OCS and Dr. Austin Kercheville, PT, DPT, OCS—two very busy Board-Certified Specialists in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy. We're here to help you pass the OCS on a tight schedule like we did. In this episode, we introduce ourselves and give you a few tips to get you started with your study plan. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    7 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Research Part I: Basics and Statistics to Memorize

    A large number of exam takers who fail to pass the OCS exam report that the section on research was one of their lowest-scoring sections. Dr. David Smelser discusses research basics as well as statistics and important values you will need to memorize to ace the research portion of the exam. In this episode, David covers levels of evidence, types of variables, p-values and alpha levels, type I and type II errors, effect sizes, Cohen's kappa, and likelihood ratios. And just to keep things interesting, these values are reinforced with real data from studies that could be relevant for the exam. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    19 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Research Part II: Hawthorne, John Henry, and Pygmalion

    Dr. David Smelser discusses psychological pitfalls of human research, including the placebo, nocebo, Hawthorne, John Henry, and Pygmalion (also called "Rosenthal") effects and some ways to mitigate them. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    16 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Low Back Pain CPG (2012): Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Clinical Course

    Dr. David Smelser introduces the 2012 low back pain Clinical Practice Guideline and covers the sections on prevalence, risk factors, and clinical courses. A couple case studies reinforce how this information might be used on the OCS exam. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    20 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Low Back Pain CPG (2012): Red Flags and Outcome Measures

    How is the OCS going to approach low back pain differential diagnosis and red flags? Dr. David Smelser discusses low back pain red flags using the CPG as well as a recent JOSPT article by Finucane et al. You can bet your bottom dollar this will be on the exam. Find the Finucane article at https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2020.9971. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    25 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Low Back Pain Treatment-Based Classification

    With the lumbar spine comprising 20% of the OCS exam, knowing both Fritz's 2007 treatment-based classification system and Alrwaily's 2016 update is essential to passing the exam. Dr. David Smelser breaks down these systems and includes a case study at the end. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    25 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Low Back Pain Treatments, Stenosis, and Nerve Tension Testing

    As we wrap up the 2012 low back pain CPG by covering the treatment section, David discusses two topics the clinical practice guideline doesn't cover well: lumbar stenosis (as well as how to distinguish it from intermittent claudication) and how to bias nerve tension testing for various branches of the sciatic nerve nerves. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    25 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Low Back Pain Practice Questions

    Guest host Dr. Kim Richards, PT, DPT, OCS helps go through some practice questions on low back pain. Like the OCS, these questions are case-based with a couple surprise twists. See how well you've been learning your lumbar spine material by testing your knowledge on these questions. Support the show Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 or more off a Medbridge subscription. Support the podcast and get study guides and bonus episodes at Patreon.com/physiofieldguide. Find more resources and subscribe to practice questions at PhysioFieldGuide.com. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

    18 min
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About

Pass the OCS exam by studying smarter, not harder. This podcast is for physical therapists looking to become board-certified specialists in orthopedics. Use code FIELDGUIDE for $101 off a MedBridge subscription. DISCLAIMER: The information in this podcast is shared for educational purposes only and should not be regarded as medical advice. Always consult with an appropriate licensed provider if you have medical questions or concerns.

Information

  • Creator
    David Smelser and Austin Kercheville
  • Episodes
    39
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Physio Field Guide, LLC
  • Show Website
    OCS Field Guide: A PT Podcast

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