FSBPT standards for continuing competence activities

Click on any of the links below to jump to the standards and criteria for that topic:

• Administration

• Appropriate language

• Non-Discriminatory

• Copyright and disclosure

• Content

• Content analysis

• Instructor/developer/staff/qualifications

• Information and materials

• Engagement

• Evidence-based practice

• Behavioral objectives

• Activity design

• Assessment

• Review and evaluation

Standard: Administration

The continuing competence provider has established processes for developing, administering and documenting the activity.

• The provider identifies and provides a supportive learning environment, the physical, material, and technological resources necessary to support the activity.
• The provider documents the processes used to develop, administer, deliver, conduct, and assess the activity and participants.
• The provider maintains cumulative records with appropriate security for a period of five years.

Criteria - Required

• The provider maintains information on the development, administration and documentation of the activity.
• The provider identifies and provides a supportive learning environment, the physical, material, and technological resources necessary to support the activity.
• Documentation is maintained of the processes used to develop, administer, deliver, conduct, and assess the activity and participants.
• The provider maintains cumulative records with appropriate security for a period of five years.

Standard: Appropriate Language

The provider uses language that does not show bias or cultural insensitivity.

Criteria - Required

• The provider certifies the use of current terminology within the activity that does not show bias or cultural insensitivity.

Standard: Non-discriminatory

The continuing competence activity is available to all appropriate participants without unlawful discrimination.

Criteria- Required

• The provider certifies that the activity is available to all appropriate participants without unlawful discrimination.

Standard: Copyright and Disclosure

Each continuing competence activity provides copyright and disclosure information.

• Copyright permissions of materials developed by others are identified on all audio-visual and activity materials.
• Copyrights of materials that are authored by the developers or instructors are identified on all audio-visual and course materials.
• Disclosure information regarding potential conflicts of interest and financial gain is identified and supplied to potential participants.

Criteria - Required

• The provider must certify that appropriate permissions of copyright materials have been obtained, all copyright materials have been identified, and disclosures have been made.

Standard: Content

Content within the continuing competence activity is relevant to the physical therapy profession and the designated audience(s).

Criteria - Required

• Content of the activity must relate to the scope of practice of physical therapy as defined by the FSBPT Standards of Competence, NPTE Content Outline, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, PT and PTA Normative Models for Education, APTA Ethics Core Documents, descriptions of specialty practice, state practice acts and regulations, The Model Practice Act and/or other relevant regulatory documents or other generally accepted professional standards.
• Content within the continuing competence activity is relevant to the targeted audience(s).

Standard: Content Analysis

One goal of the certification program is to create a reproducible, objective system of evaluating content that is comparable for all activity types. Content is scored based on the topics covered by the activity, the level of coverage, the emphasis given to each of the categories of learning demand (reflective of the depth of the material), and the total time involved in the activity.

Standard: Instructor/Developer/Staff/Qualifications

The developers and deliverers of the activity have documented experience, education, and training to allow attendees to meet the activity objectives.

Criteria - Required

• The developers and deliverers of the activity have documented experience, education, and training to allow attendees to meet the activity objectives.

Standard: Information and Materials

The Continuing Competence Provider furnishes clear, complete information to potential learners about the activity format and content, biography of the activity deliverer/presenter, and participant requirements.

Criteria - Required

• The provider supplies sufficient information to allow prospective participants to judge the value and appropriateness of the activity.

Standard: Engagement

The continuing competence activity fosters the participant’s learning and professional engagement through reflection, interaction, participation, and/or contribution to the profession and its body of knowledge.

Criteria - Required

Required to have one of the criteria below; any others will be value added to the continuing competence unit score:

• Activity includes structured opportunities for self-reflection and identification of growth opportunities.
• Activity offers informal opportunities for interaction and/or feedback from other professionals.
• Activity includes opportunities for participation through structured interactive opportunities.
• Activity provides opportunities to contribute to the profession and its body of knowledge.

Criteria - Value added

Any additional criteria met beyond the required element above:

• Activity includes structured opportunities for self-reflection and identification of growth opportunities.
• Activity offers informal opportunities for interaction and/or feedback from other professionals.
• Activity includes opportunities for participation through structured interactive opportunities.
• Activity provides opportunities to contribute to the profession and its body of knowledge.

Standard: Evidence-Based Practice

The continuing competence activity incorporates, reflects, and promotes the use of evidence-based practice or incorporates current or proposed regulation of practice.

Criteria - Required

• The activity is developed from the base of available evidence or current regulations; participants are provided references when appropriate.

Criteria - Value added

• Participants are presented with case studies and the provider includes a discussion of this type of evidence and its applicability.
• Participants present a case study relevant to the content of the activity and include a critical evaluation of whether the case study demonstrates a defensible approach, has broader applicability or would benefit from additional research.
• Activity requires participants to review current scientific evidence published in peer-reviewed resources (applicable to the activity) or to review current regulatory documents.
• Activity requires participants to critically analyze different types of evidence, questioning the accuracy and relevance of each type, and the completeness of the body of evidence.
• The provider has documentation to support that there is a linkage between participation in the activity and the increased use of evidence-based practice by participants.

Standard: Behavioral Objectives

The continuing competence activity includes behavioral objectives which reflect the full extent of the activity content.

Criteria - Required

• Objectives sufficiently reflect the focus of the activity and the critical elements of the content.
• Objectives are behavioral and at an appropriate level for the target participant.

Criteria - Value added

• Greater than 50 percent of the total number of objectives meet both required criteria above.
• All required criteria from above are met and at least one objective focuses on higher levels of learning.

Standard: Activity Design

The activity is designed to support the achievement of the objectives.

• The provider is responsible for documenting how the activity enables the participant to achieve the stated objectives.

Criteria - Value added

• The documentation clearly describes how the activity is designed to support the achievement of the objectives.

Standard: Assessment

Each continuing competence activity includes methods to assess the participant’s attainment of the specified activity outcomes.

• The assessment methodology is appropriate for the stated objectives.
• An achievement standard has been developed for the assessment to determine which participants have successfully attained the activity outcomes.

Criteria - Value added

• For subjectively scored assessments, reliability evidence is provided, and/or procedures are documented for resolving discrepancies between raters, if applicable.
• For objectively scored assessments, reliability evidence is provided.
• Procedures are identified to ensure the security and integrity of the assessment.
• The activity objectives are mapped to the assessment.
• Administration of the assessment is standardized.
• Scoring is standardized.
• A proficiency standard has been established, and participants who meet or exceed that standard are awarded credit.
• The assessment results are compared to other sources of evidence to evaluate how well the activity meets its objectives.

Standard: Review and Evaluation

Mechanisms exist for review and evaluation of the quality and the effectiveness of the continuing competence activity. Subsequent offerings incorporate modifications based on information gained from the review and evaluation.

Criteria - Value added

• Recommendations for improvements are solicited from participants.
• The developer/deliverer collects data regarding the quality and effectiveness of the activity outside of collecting participant feedback.
• The developer/provider has documented methods for analyzing data and incorporating results into future versions of the activity.