Is plural-possessive needed before "organization"

Question

I'm not sure which one is correct: "The Physical Therapist Organization" or "The Physical Therapists' Organization".

I'm leaning more towards without the plural-possessive but will I be grammatically wrong? Please don't respond with saying that I can use "Therapy" instead. I need to use the word "Therapist" or "Therapists'". Any help will be well appreciated.

Seeing how it's a proper noun, neither is correct or wrong. The organization gets to decide what its name is, and that's the one you should be using. Simple as that. — RegDwigнt, Sep 27 '13 at 18:12
@FumbleFingers I think there's an earlier post that's an even closer match. Definitely a duplicate. — Kris, Sep 28 '13 at 14:47
Anne, I can see you are new. Please search through earlier posts and also look around online before posting a question. — Kris, Sep 28 '13 at 14:48
@Kris: You mean Apostrophe in “beginners guide”, as posted Nov28 2010? There are probably a dozen or more on this issue, but I don't think they're exactly easy to find. — FumbleFingers, Sep 28 '13 at 17:11

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 27 '13 at 18:49

It is not necessary in this case. Both are valid; only one can be appropriate, as RegDwight said.

I can offer you my opinion regarding what kind of message each variant might send:

The Physical Therapists' Organization could cursorily suggest ownership or investment, i.e. that its members would be stakeholders in the organization, either through investment or accreditation. Accredited or subscribing physical therapists stand to benefit from the organization, are responsible for its administration, and have access to its perks.

The Physical Therapist Organization implies affiliation and provision; the organization was formed for all physical therapists, perhaps to provide an easy means of networking, comparing notes and finding support.

So, depending on the nature of the organization, i.e. whether it is a closed or an open group, you could pick which sounds best. Of course, this is very subjective.

Is plural-possessive needed before "organization"

1 Answers1