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Arizona Physical Therapy Case Study

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The statutes, rules, ethics guide, and policy statements are specific in informing physical therapist what is involved in the legal practice of physical therapy in Arizona (Arizona state board of physical therapy, n.d a.). The approval of licensure is different for a new graduate, a physical therapist with a license in another state, and a foreign educated therapist. In each of the categories, a person has to be of good moral character and complete the application process correctly. For a new graduate of an accredited institution in the United States, a passing score on the national exam in required. The minimal passing set by The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy is a scaled score of 600. When I took the boards in 1974, California …show more content…

If on the second attempt, the applicant again fails, it is necessary to start the application process over again (Arizona State Board of Physical Therapy (n.d.a). The Arizona rules do not specifically state that any remedial class work is mandatory, however the rules do state that a physical therapist shall test entry level competence related to physical therapy theory, examination and evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment intervention, prevention and consultation. Although I do not see anything in the rules stating that additional instruction may be requested for a person who has not passed the national exam after two tries, I would think that the board has the discretion of suggesting additional course work in any deficiencies if deemed necessary. It is written into the rules that the board may ask a foreign educated therapist or someone requesting a reinstatement of a license to take extra instruction, so it is logical that they would have this discretion with a person who cannot pass the board exam twice in a six-month period. A person who is passionate about being a physical therapist but cannot pass the exam should voluntarily seek out tutoring and/or an extra clinical experience, and ask for special accommodations if needed. The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy will allow you to retake the exam 3 times within one year …show more content…

It was difficult to find the regulations for physical therapy assistants because the information was interspersed in the statutes and rules and in the administrative Code. Much of the law was written more for physical therapist guidance than directed towards the PTA. To apply for an assistant license, the person must be of good moral character, a graduate of an accredited PTA school, pass a board exam, and jurisprudence exam. The license is a certificate and no continuing education is required at this time. The PTA can only practice under the direction of a physical therapist. The assistant cannot evaluate, re-evaluate, discharge, or change a program of a patient and the physical therapist responsible for the patient must be onsite during each treatment. The exception to this rule is in a general supervision capacity. The physical therapist assistant with 2000 hours of supervision in an onsite facility can see a patient independently without onsite supervision (Azsos.gov, n.d.). The physical therapist must be able to communicate with the PTA within 15 minutes, re-evaluate the patient every 4th visit or 30 days whichever comes first and visit the patient the day of communication if needed. There are specific documenting requirements for PTA’s in a general supervision capacity, including documenting the physical therapists name and number, date, intervention and if he PTA consulted with the physical therapist. The

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