August 2019
Volume 21, Number 8
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
In this News Brief:
2019 Excellence in Regulation Award
Please join us in congratulating North Dakota, our 2019 Excellence in Regulation Award recipient. They will be honored at the Awards Luncheon at the Annual Meeting in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday, October 26, 2019.
Register Now for the Annual Meeting!
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
October 24-26, 2019
Thursday: sessions begin at 10:30 AM
Friday: all day sessions
Saturday: meeting concludes at 6:30 PM
Funded attendees: register by 5:00 p.m. ET Friday, August 30, 2019. (You will receive your travel authorization a few days after you register.)
Prepare for the Annual Meeting
Review the 2019 FSBPT Candidate Statements
Candidates for this year’s elected positions for the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee have prepared statements you can review with your board before elections take place on Saturday, October 26, 2019. We encourage you to take some time reviewing their submissions. Candidates will also speak about their experience and answer questions at the Candidate Forum and the Opportunity to Speak with Candidates sessions at the Annual Meeting on Friday, October 25, 2019.
2019 Candidate Statement for the Council of Board Administrators (CBA)
We are pleased to announce that Bruce Wessman will be running for this year’s 2019 CBA Chair. We encourage you to read his candidate statement.
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Serve on an FSBPT Committee!
Are you interested in serving on one of the committees below beginning January 1, 2020?
- Continuing Competence
- Education
- Ethics and Legislation
- Finance
- Resolutions
Learn more about volunteering and read the detailed committee descriptions. Then submit your name for consideration. The survey will close on October 28, 2019. The Board of Directors will make appointments in late 2019.
Digital Practice White Paper and Survey
The World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) and the International Network of Physiotherapy Regulatory Authorities (INPTRA) established a joint Digital Physical Therapy Practice Task Force to develop a white paper addressing physical therapy practice and regulation in the digital age. This white paper is an initial look at international digital practice and proposes a definition and purpose for digital physical therapy practice while exploring benefits, current limitations, regulatory concerns, guidelines, and considerations for educational programs.
A survey was created in the hopes of obtaining your feedback on the white paper. The WCPT and INPTRA boards of directors and the task force members want to ensure this report is a global representation of digital physical therapy practice. Therefore, we need your help! We encourage you to take a moment to read the white paper and respond to the survey with as much detail as possible. This is a short survey that will only take a few minutes to complete. If you have any questions please email us at info@INPTRA.org.
FSBPT Forum: NPTE Updates
FSBPT is now conducting the practice analysis annually in order to better monitor trends in the field that may affect the exam and other regulatory issues. The NPTE is also working toward including video and scenario-based items.
This article is based on a presentation by Kelly King, Rebecca E. Porter, Teresa Briedwell, Lorin Mueller, and Richard Woolf at the 2018 FSBPT Annual Meeting.
Policy Change to Military Fees
On July 16, 2019, the Department of the Air Force released guidance for their professional corps regarding state licenses and military health providers. In a recent policy change, professional licenses obtained with a fee waiver will be considered a restricted license for the military’s purposes. Additionally, the update to the Defense Health Agency-Procedures Manual 6025.13 requires providers to have one active and unrestricted license to practice at a military facility. An unrestricted license is one in which the state did not waive the standard license fee solely on the basis the member is in the military and where all continuing competence requirements have been fulfilled, even if waived by the state for military members. The Army and Navy released similar guidance previously.
While state regulatory boards consider professional licenses granted to military members—even when using special military provisions—to be fully unrestricted, the Department of Defense (DoD) is now considering them restricted licenses. So-called VALOR, PATRIOT, or military licenses—terms used by the DoD to describe licenses that have special provisions for military members such as waived fees, waived/reduced continuing education requirements, or waived or extended renewal dates—can no longer be used as the primary license for any professional corps. These types of licenses may still be held by military staff, but they cannot be the provider’s sole license.
The DoD is requiring a stringent approach to licensing to ensure that military health professionals are held to the same standards as their counterparts who do not work for the DoD. The DoD wants to ensure that military health professionals are seen to meet all applicable standards without caveat, to include continuing education and fees. To ensure there are no perceived exemptions for military members and DoD civilians, all requirements established for a licensed professional in the state need to be fulfilled.
Military members are responsible for ensuring compliance with the new policy by September 30, 2019. Therefore, jurisdiction boards may receive inquiries from service members attempting to reconcile a current license with the new military requirements, which may include requests to pay the civilian fee.
However, fee waivers and other exemptions are typically found in state statute and regulations. The nuance of the language will be very important. FSBPT recommends member boards review these carefully.
The statute and regulation may state that a fee cannot be charged, but if the military member voluntarily pays the fee to the board, it may be accepted. If a state is prohibited by law or rule from accepting fees from military members, then the board can advise the licensee to submit an application without indicating military status. However, if the board determines that they are unable to comply with the DoD guidance, please contact professionalstandards@fsbpt.org.
The updated guidance does not apply to military spouses who do not work for the DoD Healthcare Agency. Additionally, PT Compact Privilege fees should not be impacted—the military regulation requires at least one “unrestricted” license, but permits additional licenses to be obtained with military exemptions. Therefore, a fee waiver for a PT Compact privilege would not be an issue.
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Takeaways from the 2019 Regulatory Training
Jen Nash, the Secretary/Treasurer from the Nevada Physical Therapy Board, reached out to us after the recent FSBPT Regulatory Training to share some of her top takeaways. We will include information about next year's Regulatory Training in upcoming News Briefs.
I wanted to reach out and let you know that I attended the 2019 Regulatory and Board Staff Training this past weekend. I am in my first year as a board member of the Nevada PT Board and found it to be very beneficial to understanding my role and responsibilities.
I had several takeaways from the experience. Here's my top 12!
- Gained ability to articulate the role of the PT board succinctly ~ We carry out the intent of the enabling legislation using tools provided.
- Appreciated the guidance on how to navigate my transition from recent past president of the Association to board member best
- Discussed benefits of a bifurcated license application which is timely as staff is updating it currently
- Gained insight regarding the consideration of suspension in times where you may think revocation is the best course of action
- Learned that best practice is to have 2 lawyers to keep support of the board separate from prosecution
- Collected suggestions on ways to educate our Governor and legislators on the work of our board which could be helpful after our recent legislative session.
- Solidified my desire to join INPTRA as well as share their survey with my colleagues
- Had great pride that Nevada is a 5-star state and continue to learn why that participation is critical to public protection.
- Discovered HRRI, FCCPT, and the Coursework tool for the first time and their role in public protection.
- Learned best practice to include "Report outs" at beginning of each board meeting of statistics that describe board staff work. This ensures information is in minutes, informs board members and protects us during sunset reviews
- Appreciated the importance of sending thank you notes to Nevada PTs and PTAs that participate in item-writing or acknowledging them in newsletter.
- Need to understand more about my board's regulatory authority regarding continuing competence and stay current with the pivot shift that is occurring with the guidelines of Healthy Practice.
The weekend was not only informative but fun as well. I really enjoyed the bike tour and the great networking with several public members, board member colleague and staff administrators from all over the country. I was also able to spend quality time with the administrative assistant from our Board office who attended as well.
I filled out the FSBPT survey but please be sure to let the entire staff know how much I appreciated the opportunity. I look forward to seeing you in Oklahoma City in October.
Have a great week!
Best,
Jen
Spotlight on Member Resources: 2019 Leadership Issues Forum Report
The Leadership Issues Forum took place in Alexandria, Virginia, in July. As previously noted,
the 2019 agenda, speaker bios, and presentations are all available in the Member's Area of the FSBPT website. Now,
the official report is available too!
Our Gratitude for Volunteers
This month, we thank the generous volunteer members of these groups for their support of our mission:
Ethics and Legislation Committee
- Tina Baum
- Deborah McDonald
- Kirk Peck
- Jerry Smith
- Judd Warren
- John Young
Exam Development Committee - PT
Exam Development Committee - PTA
Item Writer Coordinators
Item Writers
In the News
"A new mindset for public sector leadership," Deloitte Insights, June 28, 2019
"Government and public services have changed substantially in the past decade and so have the demands on public sector leaders. This article sets out the new capabilities that the sector’s leaders need today – and the new mindset they will need to thrive in the future."
"The Boomers Ruined Everything," The Atlantic, June 24, 2019
"Laws and rules requiring workers to have special licenses, degrees, or certificates to work have proliferated over the past few decades. And while much of this rise came before Boomers were politically active, instead of reversing the trend, they extended it.
"Just as tight land-use rules make existing homeowners richer by reducing how many new houses are listed on the market, strict licensing rules make existing workers richer by reducing competition in their fields. And while some industries clearly need licensing rules for health and safety reasons, most of the growth in licensure has been in fields where health and safety justifications are less salient: Do you really need hours of course work and special exams to be a florist, an interior designer, or an auctioneer?"
"Doctor of Physical Therapy Initial Job Characteristics and the Impact of Student Debt," Physical Therapy Journal of Policy, Administration and Leadership, August 2019
"Participants with student debt in this study are faced with similar long-term financial challenges noted in previous research at other institutions. However, direct financial benefits that could improve this situation do not seem to be a priority to these particular DPT graduates. Financial literacy education in professional DPT curricula may be an important strategy to address this situation and positively influence professional development opportunities for graduates."
"Associations Launch Coalition to Support Professional Licensing," Associations Now, August 20, 2019
"With a variety of fields represented, the new Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing aims to speak up in state legislative battles over credentialing, which have picked up in recent years."
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Board Liaisons to Jurisdictions
Members of the Board of Directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions. Current liaison relationships are listed here for your reference.
 Tom Caldwell
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas |  Ruggie Canizares
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah |  Ellen Donald
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina |  Joni Kalis
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming |
 Nancy Kirsch
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont |  Adrienne Price
Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia |  David Relling
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands |  John Young
The public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions. |
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Staff Contact Information
Staff Contact Information
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you!
(703) 299-3100
| Subject | Point of Contact/Email Address |
| ADA accommodations | Christine Sousa |
| aPTitude® | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Assessment or examination development questions | Lorin Mueller, PhD
Susan Layton
npte@fsbpt.org |
| Continuing competence | Jeffrey M. Rosa
Heidi Herbst Paakkonen
competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Credentials review | Jaime Nolan, FCCPT |
| ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation | eldd@fsbpt.org |
| Exam registration processing | Christine Sousa |
| Foreign educated issues | Leslie Adrian |
| Immigration | Jamie Nolan |
| JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Legislation or Model Practice Act | Leslie Adrian |
| Meeting arrangements | Paul Delaney |
| NPDB reports/questions | Angela Burnham |
| oPTion® | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| PTC- Physical Therapy Compact | compact@fsbpt.org |
| PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool | peat@fsbpt.org |
| ProCert® | competencestaff@fsbpt.org |
| Reimbursement of expenses
Other financial matters | Bill Aronson
Linda Michelsen |
| School reports | schoolreports@fsbpt.org |
| Score transfer & reporting | Christine Sousa |
| SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool | scppet@fsbpt.org |
| Security issues | Susan Layton
security@fsbpt.org |
| Anything else, including news to share with members | William A. Hatherill
Francois Marjorie
Caitlin Jennings |
| 
| | Sign off:
That’s all the news today from the Black-eyed Susans covered banks of the Potomac, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories. - William A. Hatherill, CEO |