Title 12 . Professional and Vocational Regulations

Chapter 54 . Big Game Guides and Transporters

Section 40. Foreign-trained physical therapy applicants

12 AAC 54.040. Foreign-trained physical therapy applicants

(a) An applicant for a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant license by examination who received an education and degree outside the United States shall meet all requirements for licensure under AS 08.84, 12 AAC 54.030(a) (1) and (3), 12 AAC 54.030(b) , and this section.

(b) A foreign-trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant applicant who has graduated from a school of physical therapy approved by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association, or the American Physical Therapy Association, shall submit the applicant's certified transcript from that school. A foreign-trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant applicant who has not graduated from a school of physical therapy approved by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association, or the American Physical Therapy Association, shall have the applicant's course of study and professional instruction evaluated by a credentials evaluation service approved by the board. If an applicant cannot submit a transcript for evaluation as required by this subsection, the board will accept as evidence of education verification, to the board's satisfaction, from

(1) the licensing authority in another state that has evaluated the applicant's education; or

(2) a United States educational institution or professional association that

(A) previously required documentary evidence of the applicant's education; or

(B) directly verified the applicant's education that has been evaluated.

(c) A foreign-trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant applicant shall serve an internship under the on-site supervision of a currently licensed physical therapist in an institution meeting the requirements of (d) of this section and AS 08.84.032 (a)(2). The board will not consider internship hours claimed before the date that the internship was preapproved by the board. A foreign-trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant applicant shall serve an internship based on

(1) a minimum of six months' full-time work, averaging not less than 35 hours per week; or

(2) part-time work averaging less than 35 hours per week, but equivalent to the total minimum number of hours required under (1) of this subsection.

(d) To be approved by the board, an institution used for internship must have at least two full-time physical therapists on the staff licensed under this chapter and be in a clinic setting providing a varied case load. Government service hospitals can be used if they meet the requirements of this subsection.

(e) A licensed physical therapist serving as a preceptor to a foreign-trained intern applicant shall attest to be working full-time and assumes responsibility for the intern's experience and the safety and welfare of the patient.

(f) Upon completion of the internship, the preceptor shall submit a letter to the board attesting to the applicant's

(1) satisfactory or unsatisfactory completion of the internship;

(2) proficiency in English, if English is the applicant's second language; and

(3) level of skill in completion of evaluation, program planning, therapeutic practice, potential ability to practice safely while unsupervised with sound professional judgment, and ethics related to the practice of physical therapy.

(g) If at the end of an internship under (c) of this section, the preceptor will not recommend to the board that the applicant is qualified to work unsupervised, the board will, in its discretion, require the applicant to arrange for another internship equivalent to six months or less. Any change in a preceptor must be approved by the board before the change. If at the end of a second internship the applicant is not recommended by a preceptor as qualified to work independently, the board will, in its discretion, deny licensure.

(h) Nothing in this section obligates a preceptor, or a preceptor's facility, to complete a six-month internship, or provide a second internship, for an applicant who is considered unqualified by the preceptor to continue the internship. A preceptor terminating the internship of an applicant, before the scheduled completion date, must notify the board in writing, stating the reasons for the termination. Either an intern or a preceptor may request an advisory review of the internship by the board.

( i ) After an intern has satisfactorily completed an internship and has been scheduled for the national physical therapy examination, the applicant may apply for a temporary permit under AS 08.84.065 and 12 AAC 54.050.

(j) To meet the requirements of AS 08.84.032 (a)(3), a foreign-trained physical therapist or physical therapy assistant applicant must pass the examinations listed in this subsection. An applicant must obtain at least the following minimum scores:

(1) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - 560 points written examination or 220 points computerized examination;

(2) Test of Written English (TWE) - 4.50 points; and

(3) one of the following examinations:

(A) Test of Spoken English (TSE) - 50 points; or

(B) Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) examination - 50 points.

(k) In this section, "preceptor" means a currently licensed physical therapist under this chapter who provides on-site supervision for an individual who is serving an internship under this section.

( l ) If an applicant has not taken and passed the national physical therapy examination before the completion of the internship, the applicant must take and pass the national physical therapy examination within one year after completion of the internship to receive credit for the internship.

History: Eff. 10/30/82, Register 84; am 7/4/84, Register 90; am 9/26/91, Register 119; am 5/21/97, Register 142; am 10/20/99, Register 152; am 2/17/2002, Register 161; am 8/23/2003, Register 167; am 8/19/2004, Register 171

Authority: AS 08.84.010

AS 08.84.032

AS 08.84.065

Editor's note: The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), Test of Written English (TWE), Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK), and Test of Spoken English (TSE) examinations described in 12 AAC 54.040(j) are administered by the Educational Testing Services, P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, New Jersey 08541; Telephone: (609) 771-7100.