Section 50. Education requirements: graduates of schools not approved by an accrediting agency approved by the board

A. An applicant for initial licensure as a physical therapist who is a graduate of a school not approved by an accrediting agency approved by the board shall submit the required application and fee and provide documentation of the physical therapist's certification by a report from the FCCPT or of the physical therapist eligibility for licensure as verified by a report from any other credentialing agency approved by the board that substantiates that the physical therapist has been evaluated in accordance with requirements of subsection B of this section.

B. The board shall only approve a credentialing agency that:

1. Utilizes the FSBPT Coursework Evaluation Tool for Foreign Educated Physical Therapists, based on the year of graduation, and utilizes original source documents to establish substantial equivalency to an approved physical therapy program;

2. Conducts a review of any license or registration held by the physical therapist in any country or jurisdiction to ensure that the license or registration is current and unrestricted or was unrestricted at the time it expired or was lapsed; and

3. Verifies English language proficiency by passage of the TOEFL and TSE examination or the TOEFL iBT, the Internet-based tests of listening, reading, speaking and writing or by review of evidence that the applicant's physical therapy program was taught in English or that the native tongue of the applicant's nationality is English.

C. An applicant for licensure as a physical therapist assistant who is a graduate of a school not approved by the board shall submit with the required application and fee the following:

1. Proof of proficiency in the English language by passing TOEFL and TSE or the TOEFL iBT, the Internet-based tests of listening, reading, speaking, and writing by a score determined by the board or an equivalent examination approved by the board. TOEFL iBT or TOEFL and TSE may be waived upon evidence that the applicant's physical therapist assistant program was taught in English or that the native tongue of the applicant's nationality is English.

2. A copy of the original certificate or diploma that has been certified as a true copy of the original by a notary public, verifying his graduation from a physical therapy curriculum. If the certificate or diploma is not in the English language, submit either:

a. An English translation of such certificate or diploma by a qualified translator other than the applicant; or

b. An official certification in English from the school attesting to the applicant's attendance and graduation date.

3. Verification of the equivalency of the applicant's education to the educational requirements of an approved program for physical therapist assistants from a scholastic credentials service approved by the board.

D. An applicant for initial licensure as a physical therapist or a physical therapist assistant who is not a graduate of an approved program shall also submit verification of having successfully completed a 1,000-hour traineeship within a two-year period under the direct supervision of a licensed physical therapist. The board may grant an extension beyond two years for circumstances beyond the control of the applicant, such as temporary disability or mandatory military service.

1. The traineeship shall be in accordance with requirements in 18VAC112-20-140.

2. The traineeship requirements of this part may be waived if the applicant for a license can verify, in writing, the successful completion of one year of clinical physical therapy practice as a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in the United States, its territories, the District of Columbia, or Canada, equivalent to the requirements of this chapter.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 16, Issue 25, eff. September 27, 2000; amended, Virginia Register Volume 20, Issue 24, eff. September 8, 2004; Volume 22, Issue 23, eff. August 23, 2006; Volume 25, Issue 26, eff. September 30, 2009; Volume 29, Issue 21, eff. July 17, 2013.

Statutory Authority

§ 54.1-2400 of the Code of Virginia.