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AIDS Education and
Training
How
do I get AIDS/HIV training?
A minimum of seven hours of AIDS education
and training is required for physical therapy
licensure in Washington State.
Information on the availability of HIV/AIDS
courses or the AIDS curriculum can be obtained
though the following:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/HIV/Prevention/training/default.htm
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Application Process
How much
is the application fee?
The application fee can be found on the
Physical Therapy fee page
located at:
How long does the
application process take?
You can get the most current application
processing times on our
Web page.
Applications requiring board review may not
be considered until the next regularly scheduled
board meeting. The board meets approximately
every six weeks. You can view the board meeting
schedule on our Web page.
If I
have a student-issued transcript, can I send
that with my application?
No. All required documentation must be sent
directly from the issuing institution to the
Department of Health, Board of Physical Therapy,
P.O. Box 47877, Olympia, WA 98504-7877.
If I'm licensed in another state, can I begin
practicing once you have my application?
No. You must have a valid Washington
physical therapy license before practicing as a
physical therapist or physical therapist
assistant.
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Continuing
Competency/Continuing Education
How many hours am I required to report and when?
To renew a physical therapist or physical
therapist assistant license, you must have 40
hours of continuing education and 200 hours of
physical therapy employment every two
years. Physical therapists and physical
therapist assistants must have completed this
requirement by their birthdate every two years.
The continuing education and employment hours
must have been obtained during the preceding two
years, from birthdate to birthdate. If you are
reporting this year, any CE that was obtained
before your birthdate two years ago or after
your current birthdate, cannot be used to
satisfy the continuing education or employment
requirement. The expiration date for all
credentials is the practitioner's birthday.
Does
the Board pre-approve continuing education
courses?
The Board does not pre-approve continuing
education courses for presenters or licensees.
Licensed physical therapists and physical
therapist assistants may only report continuing
education courses that are specifically relating
to the practice of physical therapy.
Continuing education courses must also have
specified goals and objectives.
Can I get
an extension of time to complete my continuing
education?
Extensions may be granted for emergency
situations only. It is not advisable to
wait until the CE is due to request the
extension. If you have exhausted all
possibilities for fulfilling your continuing
competency requirements and are contemplating
requesting an extension, keep in mind that:
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Requests could take six weeks or longer.
If your license is set to expire before your
request can be considered, you can't
practice without an active license.
-
If your request is denied, you will still
have to complete the 40 hours CE/200 hours
employment prior to your expiration date.
-
If an extension is granted, you must
complete all past due requirements in
addition to the 40 hours CE/200 hours
employment required for the next renewal
cycle.
-
The Board grants extensions of time to
complete continuing competency requirements
only for extenuating circumstances.
Examples of circumstances the Board does not
consider to be extenuating are:
- Employer no longer pays for
CE/limited personal funds.
- Childcare/pregnancy.
- Living outside the U.S.
- Course was cancelled - not enough
time to find another.
- Working in a state that doesn't
require CE.
- Recently divorced.
What happens if I am audited?
The Board audits a percentage of all
currently licensed physical therapists and
licensed physical therapist assistants to ensure
compliance with the continuing competency
requirements.
If audited, you will be required to provide:
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Certificates of completion
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Course sponsors
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Goals and Objectives for the course
-
Dates of attendance
-
Contact hours earned
-
Two-page synopsis for all cassette tape,
video tape and book reviews.
-
Course description/syllabus and exam scores
for correspondence courses
-
Proof of 200 hours of physical therapy
employment.
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Foreign Trained
Physical Therapists
How long
does the application process take?
You
can find application processing times on our
application status
Web page.
What credentials evaluation agencies does
Washington accept?
The Board of Physical Therapy recognizes only
the following credential evaluation services.
These companies provide reports directly to the
Board. The Board requires each credential
evaluation service to complete the FCCPT
Coursework Evaluation Tool.
International Credentialing Associates, Inc.
(ICA)
10801 Starkey Rd, Suite 104
Seminole, FL 33777
1-727-549-8555 FAX 1-727-549-8554
http://www.icaworld.com/
Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical
Therapy, Inc. (FCCPT)
124 West Street South, 3rd Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314-1917
1-703-684-8406
http:/www.fccpt.org
International Consultants of Delaware, Inc.
(ICD)
3600 Market Street, Suite 450
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2651
1-215-222-8454, ext. 510 FAX 1-215-349-0026
http://icdeval.com/
International Education Research Foundation
(IERF)
PO Box 3665
Culver City, CA 90231-3665
1-310-258-9451
http://www.ierf.org/
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Interim Permits
Under
my graduate interim permit, can I have more than
one sponsoring physical therapist?
Yes. The law requires you to be
directly supervised, including co-signature of
notes, by a licensed physical therapist.
Some interim permit holders work at more than
one facility. You may be sponsored by as
many supervising physical therapists as you
need.
License Verification
What is the process for having a verification of
my Washington physical therapist or physical
therapy assistant license sent to another
jurisdiction?
Submit a written request and the
verification fee with a
check or money order made payable to:
Department of Health
Board of Physical Therapy
P. O. Box 1099
Olympia, WA 98507-1099
Renewal Process
How much
is my renewal fee?
If you renew on or before your birthdate, pay
the annual fee.
If you renew after your birthdate, pay the
renewal and late penalty fees.
Late penalty fees are not waived.
How
long does the renewal process take?
Renewal notices are mailed 6-8 weeks before
your expiration date to allow enough time to
process. It is important to remit payment
immediately to ensure that your license will be
delivered on or before your expiration date.
It is against the law to work without a current
license and you are required to post a copy of
the license in a conspicuous location at your
work site.
It is important to plan ahead. With
more than 4,300 licensed physical therapists in
Washington, the Board is not able to fax copies
of licenses or provide written verification for
those who renew late.
You can go to our application status
Web page
for further information.
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