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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:
www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/hiv_aids/Prev_Edu/training.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:
-
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:
-
Certificates of completion
-
Course sponsors
-
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. Back to top
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