Continuing education requirements for physical therapists and physical therapy assistants are governed by the state licensing agencies who issued their license. These requirements vary greatly among individual states. There are some states that don’t require any continuing education credits at all to maintain a license. Most states, however, require licensed physical therapists and assistants to earn continuing education credits annually. The website of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy offers a comprehensive directory of all licensing agencies within the United States. Contact information for these licensing agencies is included in their listing.
There is also variation among states about what qualifies as continuing education activity. It’s vital for every licensed physical therapist and physical therapy assistant to be aware of the continuing education requirements of their state. If continuing education requirements aren’t met, a therapist or assistant could actually lose their license. There are stiff penalties for a physical therapist or therapy assistant practicing without a valid license so careful attention to this detail is critical.
CEU is the acronym for continuing education unit. A CEU is typically defined as ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience with qualified instruction. There are several ways that a physical therapist or therapy assistant can obtain continuing education credits. There are home-study courses available that allow individuals to study at their own pace. This option can be very cost-effective and allows users to study in the comfort of their own home. The advent of the Internet has allowed licensed professionals from all fields to easily access continuing education materials online. This option usually allows users to print a certificate of completion as soon as the coursework is finished. This is valuable when a user needs to provide documentation of completion due to a deadline by their licensing agency. There’s always a temptation to put off the completion of continuing education requirements until the last minute for many people. Seminars are offered frequently by local hospitals, medical facilities, and professional organizations. These are valuable resources for those seeking CEU’s. Employers often make continuing education credits available to their employees on-site. This is common in the health care industry because so many licensed professionals are required to complete CEU’s.
The American Physical Therapy Association no longer endorses or offers accreditation to individual sponsors of continuing education activity. They do outline, however, essential elements of quality continuing education programs on their website. This organization also offers web-based continuing education credits that few licensing agencies, if any, will question the validity of. These can be conveniently accessed from their website.
The primary purpose of the CEU is to provide a permanent record of the educational accomplishments of an individual who has accomplished non-credit educational experiences. Continuing education credits differ from the credits that are awarded by colleges and universities. Physical therapists and assistants are involved in a field that changes rapidly due to scientific research and medical breakthroughs. It’s important as professionals to be aware of changes in best practice. Continuing education ensures that this occurs or at least makes it more likely if therapists and their assistants are aware of these changes. Professional development is an important process in providing the best care possible to the patients physical therapists and assistants treat. Learning about your field of study shouldn’t end once a degree is obtained and a licensing examination is passed. It should be a lifelong process.
The costs or a portion of the costs associated with continuing education credits will sometimes be reimbursed by the employers of physical therapists and assistants. It’s wise to find out what your facility policy is regarding the acquisition of continuing education credits. It may save you some money if you take the time to find out.