Foreign-education Physical Therapists wanting to license in the State of Oregon must meet the established criteria and prerequisites. Any questions regarding the procedure or the prerequisites should be directed to the Physical Therapist Licensing Board. Any questions regarding credentialing should be directed to either the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT) or, the International Education Research Foundation (IERF).
$150 initial application fee, plus the actual cost to the Board of conducting a nationwide background check, currently $40.00. Total Board application fee $190.00. $350 examination fee paid to exam administrators.(if Applicable)
Effective 03/17/06 the PT Board adopted mandatory continuing education requirement rules. The following is a summary of division 35 rules: the certification period will be a 24- month period measured from April 1 through March 31 of each even numbered calendar year; the first certification period will actually be January 1, 2006 through March 31, 2008; the subsequent certification period will be from April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2010; a PT will have to complete 24 hours of continuing education during any 24-month certification period; a PTA will have to complete 12 hours of continuing education during any 24-month certification period; the Board will randomly audit PTs and PTAs upon renewal of their practice license in even numbered years; if randomly selected for audit, a Licensee will have to provide proof, to the Board, they have met the CE requirements for the period audited; failure to meet the CE requirements will be a violation, of Board Rule, and will be subject to Board discipline.
Bonding Requirements:
None
Insurance Requirements:
None
Prerequisites:
If the institute of higher learning is on the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) list of Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), at the time of their graduation, then, the foreign-educated physical therapist may apply for licensing through examination or endorsement whichever is applicable to their case. (See: Physcial Therapist Initial License by Examination, or Physical Therapist Initial License by Endorsement.) If the institute of higher learning is NOT on the APTA list of CAPTE, at the time of their graduation, then prior to application, the foreign-educated physical therapist must contact the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT)or, the International Education Research Foundation (IERF), for credentialing.
As part of your application for an initial, renewed, or reinstated professional license issued by the Oregon Physical Therapist Licensing Board (PT Board), you are required to provide your Social Security Number to the PT Board. This is mandatory. The authority for this requirement is Oregon Laws 1997, Chapter 746, Section 117 (ORS 25.785) and 42 USC ? 666(a)(13). Failure to provide your Social Security Number will be a basis for the PT Board to refuse to issue, renew or reinstate the license. Although a number other than your Social Security Number appears on the face of the license, your Social Security Number will remain on file with the PT Board. If warranted, the record of your Social Security Number may be used for Child Support Enforcement, Federal and State Tax Administration, and the reporting of final disciplinary actions against your PT License to the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB). Any other use or disclosure of your Social Security Number will require your written authorization.
Application Form:
NOT AVAILABLE ON-LINE...Contact Board for Application Form
(a) A Credentials Evaluation Statement ("the Report") of professional education and training prepared by a Board-approved credentials evaluation agency. It is the applicant's responsibility to pay the expenses associated with the credentials evaluation. (A) The Report must provide evidence and documentation that the applicant's education outside a state or territory of the United States is substantially equivalent to the education of a physical therapist who graduated from an accredited physical therapy education program approved by the Board pursuant to ORS 688.050(2). (B) To determine substantial equivalency, the approved credentialing evaluation agency shall use the appropriate Course Work Tool ("CWT") adopted by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. The appropriate CWT means the CWT in place at the time the foreign educated physical therapist graduated from their physical therapy program. (b) English Language Proficiency (A) Verification that English is the native language of the country of origin, and the physical therapy program employs English as the language of training; or (B) Verification that the applicant has achieved a score of not less than 560 on the paper Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of not less than 220 on the computer Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a score of not less than 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and a score of not less than 4.5 on the Test of Written English (TWE); or (C) Verification that the applicant has achieved the following minimum scores for each category of the new internet based TOEFL (ibTOEFL) examination: writing, 24; speaking, 26; reading, 21; listening, 18; with an overall score of not less than 89. (c) If applicant has taken a Board-approved national licensing examination prior to application for licensure in Oregon, a report of applicant's examination scores must be submitted to the Board directly from the Board-approved examination service. (d) If applicant holds or has held a license in the country in which the applicant received their physical therapy education, the applicant must provide primary source verification of the license. (e) For purposes of section (3) of this rule, the requirements and criteria considered for credentialing will be "as of" the date the most recent credentialing report was received by the Board from the Board-approved credentialing agency.
Additional Information:
PT/PTA Licenses expire every year on March 31st, regardless of when you are licensed in the prior year. Renewal applications are sent out in the beginning of January. If you do not receive your renewal by February 1st, please contact the Board office.
Agency Information
Please refer to the Agency Website for further details and additional information.
