Physical Therapy Assistants

PTA Newsletter, June 2009

Licensure Review:

The time is here!!! Everyone needs to log onto the DOPL web site and review the information for licensure. As we all have different circumstances I felt it would be best to just give everyone the link to the PTA Licensure Application and let you review for yourselves.

Please go to www.dopl.utah.gov, on the left side of the home page you will see "Apply for License" click on that, then go to Physical Therapy, then click on PTA/Temporary PTA and you can download the application.

Please be aware that there are different steps for PTAs who have taken the exam and are licensed in another state and PTAs who have not taken the exam yet. Make sure you follow the steps for your specific circumstance.

If you have any questions contact Rich Oborn, his contact information is listed on the DOPL home page.

There is another review course coming up this summer on June 26th and 27th. Contact Diana Ploeger at 801-957-4054 for more information.

House of Delegates:

I will be going to Baltimore, MD on June 5th for the yearly APTA House of Delegates Meeting.

The House of Delegates is an elected body of representatives from each state, that are responsible for debating regulatory issues related to our professional organization, such as Ethical Practice and APTA Bylaws.

As APTA members you can access the current information for this years HOD on line at apta.org. In the top right corner you can log in, then go to the left hand side and look for Membership and Leadership, click there. Then click on House of Delegates, then click on Motions/Reports from there you can review the 2009 Mega Issue report and Packet 1 with all the RCs to be presented this year.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns. As APTA members I am your representative, and would like to know of your opinions and concerns.

PTA Viewpoint:

There are many changes occurring in the APTA and it is exciting for us all. I wanted to make you all aware of some current changes that affect PTAs specifically. In this months PT Magazine, the President of the APTA, Scott Ward, has written an article about the future role of the PTA. It is titled “A Valuable Resource, Recent actions confirm the important role of the PTA in the practice of physical therapy and in APTA.”

I suggest that all of you read the article if you can. I will give you a very brief summary.

In 1999, the House of Delegates approved Vision 2020, a statement of direction designed to guide decision making for the profession. (You can access Vision 2020 from the APTA web site). Because Vision 2020 did not specifically address expected outcomes for the PTA, the Advisory Panel for PTAs initiated an exploration of the future of the PTA and brought its findings to the APTA Board of Directors for review and discussion.

The objectives were to define the role of the PTA in Vision 2020, in education, practice and within the APTA.

The following is what the board determined from the mega issue discussion.

PTAs in Education:

1. The associate degree is the appropriate entry-level degree for the PTA.
2. APTA supports measures to promote continuing competence of the PTA.
3. There are further knowledge areas and skills within the realm of interventions that the PTA may obtain after initial licensure and in the context of ongoing regulation.

PTAs in Practice:

1. The PTA is the sole extender of the PT.
2. The PTA is directed and supervised by the PT.
3. The element/role of the PTA is exclusively within the intervention component of the patient/client management model.
4. Existing APTA policies and positions that specifically describe the role of the PTA in PT practice apply.

PTAs in the Association:

1. PTA members are a valuable resource in the association, and their current role allows for further leadership development.
2. Maintaining consistency of the PTAs role in the association will facilitate clarification and communication of that role.
3. The current PTA governance structure is relatively new and needs time to mature before its effectiveness can be properly assessed.
4. Maintaining PTAs’ current role in the association ensures them continued opportunities to influence their role in PT practice.
5. Maintaining PTAs’ role in the association is consistent with external stakeholders’ belief that PT members should make decisions concerning the profession.

The board made the following commitments related to the future of PTAs:

1. APTA will develop and communicate best-practice service-delivery models for a variety of practice settings that promote safe, effective, and efficient utilization of the PTA. Those models also should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the PT and PTA in ensuring effective communication, professional relationships, competent service delivery, assessment of ongoing clinical competence, and skill development.
2. The board will establish a task force, which will include PTAs, to determine appropriate post-entry-level educational pathways for PTAs in light of APTA positions, standards, guidelines, policies, and procedures, as well as other appropriate APTA documents.
3. APTA will identify opportunities that may exist to more effectively meet the needs of PTA members within the current defined role.

For the complete article please go to the APTA web site or the June issue of PT Magazine.

I would like to encourage all of you who are interested in any leadership development to look into the opportunities through APTA. You can make yourself more familiar with those opportunities from the APTA web site, or contact Janet Crosier at apta.org.

PTA National Exam Review Course

There will be a PTA National Exam Review Course on June 26th and 27th at the SLCC Jordan Campus. Please contact Diana Ploeger for more information and registration. If you did not receive an e-mail from me and need a registrations form please e-mail me and I will get it to you. I took this course last fall and thought it was very helpful, this is not an academic review but rather a course to teach you how to take the exam and how to organize your study.

My e-mail address is:

• Amy.black@hsc.utah.edu
• Work phone (801) 585-7341

Review of Licensure Requirements

As of July 1, 2009 all PTAs in Utah must be licensed.

Utah will provide a temporary license for PTAs currently practicing in Utah. This temporary license will be effective for 3 years until July 1, 2012. You must take the exam and pass by July 1, 2012 or you will no longer be licensed in Utah.

If you have taken the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) and are licensed in another state you must do the following

By July 1, 2009

1. Contact FSBPT (The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy) and request they send your score to DOPL ($80.00 fee)
2. Apply for PTA licensure at DOPL ($60.00 fee)
3. Submit an original copy of your transcript from a CAPTE accredited PTA program showing the awarding of the degree (certificate of completion) with a list of required classes and grades.
4. Pass the “take home” exam on the new Utah Physical Therapy Practice Act and Rules

If you have not taken the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) and graduated prior to July 1, 2009 you must do the following:

By July 1, 2009

1. Apply to DOPL for a temporary license ($50.00 fee)
2. Submit an original copy of your transcript from a CAPTE accredited PTA program showing the awarding of the degree (certificate of completion) with a list of required classes and grades.
3. Pass the “take home” exam on the new Utah Physical Therapy Practice Act and Rules

You must pass the NPTE and submit your score to DOPL by July 1, 2012 to get your PTA license. It would be a good idea to coordinate taking the test with the renewal date of two years to avoid paying a $45.00 renewal fee.

Taking the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam)

• Obtain registration materials from FSBPT on line (be sure to register for Utah licensure)
• Return complete registration and payment ($350.00 fee to FSBPT)
• Schedule an appointment to test with a local Prometric testing center ($50.00 feet to Prometric) when you have received your “Authorization to Test” letter from FSBPT
• Sit for the exam with in 60 days of receiving your “Authorization to Test” letter

Admission to Testing Center

• Arrive 30 minutes early
• Bring two forms of identification (one government issued picture ID), i.e. drivers license or passport and a credit card with your name and signature (the name and signature on both forms of ID must match exactly the name and signature on your application to test)
• Four hours is allowed to complete the PTA exam
• Your score will be sent to Utah, contact DOPL for your score (you can pay a $50.00 fee to FSBPT to get your score the next day)

The NPTE is based on a scale score, there are several different tests, and some are harder than others so they have a lower score to pass. You must have a score of 600 or higher to pass.

You are allowed to take the exam three times in a twelve month period with one month between exams.

The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy

http://www.fsbpt.org/
124 South West Street, 3rd floor
Alexandria, VA 22314

Utah Division of Occupation and Professional Licensure

www.dopl.utah.gov
160 East 300 South
Box 146741
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
(801)530-6767
Contact person:
Rich Oborn
roborn@utah.gov

Prometric Testing Centers

350 South 400 West Suite 250
Lindon, UT 84042

5486 South 1900 West
Taylorsville, UT 84118

201 South 1460 East
490 Student Services Building
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-9059

If you have taken the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) and are licensed in another state you must do the following:

By July 1, 2009

1. Contact FSBPT (The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy) and request they send your score to DOPL ($80.00 fee)
2. Apply for PTA licensure at DOPL ($60.00 fee)
3. Submit an original copy of your transcript from a CAPTE accredited PTA program showing the awarding of the degree (certificate of completion) with a list of required classes and grades.
4. Pass the “take home” exam on the new Utah Physical Therapy Practice Act and Rules

If you have not taken the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam) and graduated prior to July 1, 2009 you must do the following:

By July 1, 2009

1. Apply to DOPL for a temporary license ($50.00 fee)
2. Submit an original copy of your transcript from a CAPTE accredited PTA program showing the awarding of the degree (certificate of completion) with a list of required classes and grades.
3. Pass the “take home” exam on the new Utah Physical Therapy Practice Act and Rules

You must pass the NPTE and submit your score to DOPL by July 1, 2012 to get your PTA license. It would be a good idea to coordinate taking the test with the renewal date of two years to avoid paying a $45.00 renewal fee

Taking the NPTE (National Physical Therapy Exam)

• Obtain registration materials from FSBPT on line (be sure to register for Utah licensure)
• Return complete registration and payment ($350.00 fee to FSBPT)
• Schedule an appointment to test with a local Prometric testing center ($50.00 feet to Prometric) when you have received your “Authorization to Test” letter from FSBPT
• Sit for the exam with in 60 days of receiving your “Authorization to Test” letter

Admission to Testing Center

• Arrive 30 minutes early
• Bring two forms of identification (one government issued picture ID), i.e. drivers license or passport and a credit card with your name and signature (the name and signature on both forms of ID must match exactly the name and signature on your application to test)
• Four hours is allowed to complete the PTA exam
• Your score will be sent to Utah, contact DOPL for your score (you can pay a $50.00 fee to FSBPT to get your score the next day)

The NPTE is based on a scale score, there are several different tests, and some are harder than others so they have a lower score to pass. You must have a score of 600 or higher to pass.

You are allowed to take the exam three times in a twelve month period with one month between exams.

What we do:

Physical therapist assistants (PTAs) provide physical therapy services under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist. PTAs help people of all ages who have medical problems, or other health-related conditions that limit their ability to move and perform functional activities in their daily lives. PTAs work in a variety of settings including hospitals, private practices, outpatient clinics, home health, nursing homes, schools, sports facilities, and more.

PTAs must complete a 2-year associate's degree and are licensed, certified, or registered in most states. Care provided by a PTA may include teaching patients/clients exercise for mobility, strength and coordination, training for activities such as walking with crutches, canes, or walkers, massage, and the use of physical agents and electrotherapy such as ultrasound and electrical stimulation.

Regulation

PTA’s are encouraged to be licensed from another jurisdiction even though PTA’s are not licensed in Utah at this time.

From Physical Therapist Practice Act:

"Physical therapist assistant" means an individual who has successfully completed an accredited physical therapy assistant program and who performs activities related to physical therapy under the general supervision of a physical therapist.

From practice act rules

(2) Supervision by a physical therapist of a physical therapist assistant shall include the following conditions: (a) an initial visit shall be made by the physical therapist for evaluation of the patient and establishment of a plan of care; and (b) supervision shall be on site by the physical therapist every sixth treatment but no longer than every 30 days from the time of the physical therapist's last evaluation or treatment.

(3) Duties delegated by a physical therapist to a physical therapist assistant may include: (a) providing physical therapy services according to a plan of care established by the licensed physical therapist; (b) adjusting a specific treatment procedure in accordance with changes in patient status only with prior evaluation and approval by the supervising physical therapist; (c) responding to inquiries regarding patient status to appropriate parties within the plan of care established by a supervising physical therapist, but not interpreting data beyond the scope of his physical therapist assistant education; and (d) referring inquires regarding patient prognosis to the supervising physical therapist.

It is your responsibility to be familiar with the complete practice act and rules.

http://www.dopl.utah.gov/licensing/physical_therapy.html

2008 House of Delegates PTA Caucus Press Release

PT Assistant Programs

Salt Lake Community College
http://www.slcc.edu/ptassistant/index.asp

Provo College
http://www.provocollege.edu/physical-therapist.php

Resources

http://www.apta.org: Communities area, message boards

http://www.wannatowel.com: SLCC PT Assistant class of 2005 website