Our 2022 Award Recipients
Please join us in congratulating our 2022 awardees! They will be honored at the Awards Luncheon at the Annual Education Meeting in Orange County, California.
Outstanding Service Award
- Missy Anthony, OH
- Aubrey Bailey, VA
- Paul-Neil Czujko, NY
- Erin DeTomaso, MN
- Brian Miller, MT
- Nancy Smith, NC
- Venus Vendoures Walsh, IA
- Jennifer Wissinger, OH
Academy of Advanced Item Writers
- Lisa Barnett
- Sue Bravard
- Andrea Constandis
- Kate Divine
- Kiley Gibbs
- Marcia Himes
- Navpreet Kaur
- Evan Petersen
- Amanda Storer
- May Tom
- Arvie Vitente
- Mitchell Wolden
- Elizabeth Yates Horton
Excellence in Regulation Awards
- Louisiana Physical Therapy Board
- Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
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President's Award
Mary Elizabeth Parker |
Richard McDougall Long Term Service Award
Alan Meade |
Update to Test Accommodations Processing for AAP States
FSBPT has an obligation to all stakeholders to support people with disabilities in getting
access to the examination while balancing exam security and our public protection mission. Starting with the October 2022 examinations, candidates requesting test accommodations in states that use the Alternate Approval Pathway (AAP) will have a streamlined approval process.
Candidates who have received testing accommodations in their PT/PTA program and need accommodations on the NPTE will provide information from their school indicating which accommodations were given and how those accommodations will allow access to the examination. From there, FSBPT staff will work with the candidate to ensure the appropriate accommodations are given on the NPTE. If a candidate has not received accommodations in school but has a disability and requires accommodations, they will supply documentation from an appropriate professional as to how their disability impacts test taking and what accommodations are necessary to access the NPTE. Upon request, FSBPT can also provide testing accommodations to individuals who do not have disabilities covered by the ADA but who need courtesy accommodations to address temporary issues.
The Hill Letter to the Editor
In June, Ryan Craig wrote an opinion piece for The Hill entitled, "State licensure shows America has procedure problem." FSBPT responded with a Letter to the Editor:
I offer some facts to address inaccuracies/misperceptions that underlie Mr. Craig’s conclusions.
First, the professional association for physical therapy, the American Physical Therapy Association, does not have a role in the licensure of Physical Therapists (PT) or Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA).
Relative to the notion that PTAs are experiencing double-digit increases in income, we are not aware of any evidence to support this assertion. On the contrary, Medicare has recently reduced the reimbursement for services performed by a PTA.
Another important notion to counter is that licensure restricts access to professions. Researchers Beth Redbird and Angel Alfonso Escamilla-García found that licensing makes occupations more, rather than less, accessible to under-represented groups, thereby overcoming market forces that have traditionally excluded certain groups. They point out that typical barriers that encourage discrimination can be replaced by a standardized path that leads to licensure.
The value of licensed PTAs can also be seen when looking at delegation of duties. The value of PTAs’ extensive education is better understood when you consider the variety of settings for, and complexity of, patients receiving care. While it was suggested that an athletic or personal trainer could perform the role of the PTA, those trainers do not practice in acute care, neuro-rehabilitation, or many other practice settings where PTAs do. Additionally, athletic and personal trainers are not educated in working with a growing population of complex patients that have multi-system involvement due to diabetes, cancer, obesity, etc. Physical therapist assistants provide care to elderly persons, children, persons with physical, mental, and developmental disabilities, and incarcerated persons; all of which may be more easily compromised or exploited than the general population. A physical therapist assistant may be the one health care provider that is interacting with a given individual on a given day and is trained to recognize signs or symptoms that require care beyond their training, including emergency services.
Regarding licensure hurting mobility, thirty-five member states have developed a PT Compact to ease the mobility of PTs and PTAs and to increase the public’s access to care in an era of virtual platforms and telehealth.
We firmly believe that the most compelling case for the existence of licensure is to protect the public.
We have an inventory of ventilators, but no inventory of health care practitioners trained to provide care today or into the future. Rather than considering eliminating certain critical health care practitioners from state licensing on erroneous grounds, perhaps we should focus on the potential untapped benefits of the licensure model to gather workforce data to allow for more efficient allocation of the health care workforce.
Sincerely,
Nancy R. Kirsch, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA,
President, Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
Regulatory Workshop for Board Members & Administrators
Please join us for the Regulatory Workshop for Board Members and Administrators, a virtual event held August 19-21, 2022.
Are you a new regulator? Have you been with your board for the past ten years? Either way, the Board Member & Administrator Regulatory Workshop is for you!
- Learn more about FSBPT's Member Services, from the Model Practice Act to the NPTE.
- Connect with fellow members via breakout discussions, our social wall, and other interactive activities.
- Discuss important topics and trends in regulation and learn how other jurisdictions are handling current challenges.
- Learn regulatory tips and lessons learned from Dale Atkinson.
- Learn about the PT Compact, credentialing of foreign-educated physical therapists, the Exam Licensure and Disciplinary Database (ELDD), and more!
- All board members and board staff (administrators, licensing specialists, and attorneys) are eligible to participate at no cost.
The Slate for the 2022 Delegate Assembly Elections
The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce the slate for this year’s elections at the FSBPT Delegate Assembly. Please learn more about each candidate by reading the Candidate Statements.
The Nominating Committee held a virtual Candidate Forum on Thursday, July 14, to introduce 2022 candidates for the Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee, in addition to a Candidate Forum in the fall. Members can watch the recording in the new FSBPT Member Portal.
Further, the Nominating Committee will be seeking candidates interested in being slated for the 2023 elections. These positions will include Director #2 and Director #3. The qualifications for these positions can be found in the Board and Committee Job Descriptions. If you are interested in being slated, please send an email to nominating@fsbpt.org.
Please join FSBPT in thanking the 2022 Nominating Committee Members, Debbie Kubota (Chair), Joseph Shanley, and Ron Barredo, for their work this year.
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Ellen Donald (FL)
President |
David Relling (ND)
President |
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Megan Certo (IN)
Vice President |
Michele Thorman (WI)
Vice President |
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Robert Friberg (GA)
Nominating Committee Member |
Flora Munoz Rivera (PR)
Nominating Committee Member |
Take FSBPT’s Money!
Alabama, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas have recently taken a big step toward both administrative efficiency and protecting the public. They will leverage FSBPT funds to update their electronic systems, use the FSBPT ID, and send data to the Examination, Licensure, and Disciplinary Database (ELDD).
Your state should be next!
Thanks in part to savings experienced by holding virtual meetings and the recent overall investment performance, FSBPT’s board was able to set aside a $2.2 million grant for FSBPT member jurisdictions. Jurisdictions can apply for grants to fund consulting, programming, data entry, technological upgrades, and other activities that enhance updates to the ELDD.
We encourage you to reach out to Alabama, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas to learn more about how they are using this great resource. Please also let us know how we can help!
FSBPT Forum: Physiotherapy Otherwise? What are the Challenges Facing the Profession and What Will This Mean for its Consumers, Regulators, and Practitioners?
There are many changes taking place in global health care that directly impact physical therapy. This article is based on a 2020 Annual Meeting Webinar by David Nicholls.
Spotlight on Member Resources: The New FSBPT Member Portal!
As we shared before, we launched the new FSBPT Member Portal! This replaces the "FSBPT Member's Area." This portal will make it easier for you to update your information and find the resources you need to help you and your board. This portal also helps FSBPT better communicate with you. All FSBPT members should have received a notice with their username and a link to the portal. The subject line is “Welcome to the FSBPT Portal." Please contact us if you are having trouble logging in.
Webinar Clip: What is the Purpose of Physical Therapy Boards?
In the clip below, Dale Atkinson discusses the purpose of physical therapy boards during the Regulatory Hour held in February. You can also watch full webinar recordings and register for upcoming webinars.
Our Gratitude for Volunteers
This month, we thank our generous volunteer members for their support of our mission:
- Exam Development Committees
- Ethics and Legislation Committee
In The News
"Blood pressure e-tattoo promises continuous, unobtrusive monitoring," Texas A&M Engineering, Nat Levy, June 21, 2022
"Blood pressure is one of the most important indicators of heart health, but it's tough to measure outside of a clinical setting frequently and reliably. For decades, cuff-based devices that constrict around the arm to give a reading have been the gold standard.
Researchers at Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin are working to change that, enabling continuous monitoring that can provide a more comprehensive look at blood pressure than the single snapshot that comes with the cuffs."
"Red Blood Cell DHA Is Inversely Associated with Risk of Incident Alzheimer’s Disease and All-Cause Dementia: Framingham Offspring Study," Nutrients, Aleix Sala-Vila et al., June 7, 2022
"Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) might help prevent Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Red blood cell (RBC) status of DHA is an objective measure of long-term dietary DHA intake. In this prospective observational study conducted within the Framingham Offspring Cohort (1490 dementia-free participants aged ≥65 years old), we examined the association of RBC DHA with incident AD, testing for an interaction with APOE-ε4 carriership. During the follow-up (median, 7.2 years), 131 cases of AD were documented. In fully adjusted models, risk for incident AD in the highest RBC DHA quintile (Q5) was 49% lower compared with the lowest quintile (Q1) (Hazard ratio [HR]: 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27, 0.96). An increase in RBC DHA from Q1 to Q5 was predicted to provide an estimated 4.7 additional years of life free of AD. We observed an interaction DHA × APOE-ε4 carriership for AD. Borderline statistical significance for a lower risk of AD was observed per standard deviation increase in RBC DHA (HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.51, 1.00, p = 0.053) in APOE-ε4 carriers, but not in non-carriers (HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.65, 1.11, p = 0.240). These findings add to the increasing body of literature suggesting a robust association worth exploring dietary DHA as one strategy to prevent or delay AD."
"Finra Bars Two Reps For Life For Cheating On Online Qualification Exams," Financial Advisor, Tracey Longo, July 13, 2022
"The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has permanently barred two representatives, Brandon Autiero of New Jersey and Harris Kausar of New York, from the securities industry for cheating during qualification examinations administered online."
"A federal appeals courts has been asked to revisit a Florida law on dietitian licensing," Health News Florida, Jim Saunders, March 16, 2022
"Represented by attorneys from the Institute for Justice, a national legal group, Del Castillo contends that a state law known as the Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Act violated her speech rights....But a federal district judge and a three-judge panel of the appeals court sided with the Department of Health. In a 26-page ruling Feb. 18, the panel said the law’s 'licensing scheme for dieticians and nutritionists regulated professional conduct and only incidentally burdened Del Castillo’s speech. Because the burden on her speech rights was only incidental, the act’s licensing scheme did not violate her First Amendment free speech rights.'"
Board Report
Recently, to advance the business of FSBPT, the board approved the motions listed.
Motion - Approved
Approve Alan Meade as the Richard McDougall Long Term Service Awardee
Motion - Approved
Approve the following as the Outstanding Service Awardees
Missy Anthony (OH)
Aubrey Bailey (VA)
Paul-Neil Czjuko (NY)
Erin DeTomaso (MN)
Brian Miller (MT)
Nancy Smith (NC)
Venus Vendoures Walsh (IA)
Jennifer Wissinger (OH)
Motion - Approved
Approve the following for the Academy of Advanced Item Writers
Lisa Barnett (CA)
Sue Bravard (IA)
Andrea Constandis (FL)
Kate Divine (VA)
Kiley Gibbs (VA)
Marcia Himes (MO)
Navpreet Kaur (TX)
Evan Petersen (TX)
Amanda Storer (TX)
May Tom (NY)
Arvie Vitente (FL)
Mitchell Wolden (ND)
Elizabeth Yates Horton (NY)
Motion - Approved
Approve selection of SB&Co as the new Audit firm for FSBPT
Board of Directors
Members of the Board of Directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions. Current liaison relationships are listed here for your reference.
Ruggie Canizares
Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah
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Ellen Donald
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina
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Joni Kalis
Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
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Nancy Kirsch
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
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Cynthia Potter
Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
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Adrienne Price
Arkansas, District of Columbia, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia
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David Relling
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
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Charles E. Reiter
The public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions
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Back to Top
Staff Contact Information
Staff Contact Information
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you!
(703) 299-3100
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Subject
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Point of Contact/Email Address
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ADA accommodations
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Christine Sousa
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Assessment or examination development questions
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Lorin Muelle Susan Newman npte@fsbpt.org
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Continuing competence
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Jeffrey M. Rosa competencestaff@fsbpt.org
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Credentials review
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Jaime Nolan, FCCPT
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ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation
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eldd@fsbpt.org
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Exam registration processing
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Christine Sousa
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Foreign educated issues
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Leslie Adrian
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Immigration
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Jamie Nolan
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JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module
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competencestaff@fsbpt.org
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Legislation or Model Practice Act
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Leslie Adrian
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Meeting arrangements
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Paul Delaney
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NPDB reports/questions
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Angela Burnham
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PTC- Physical Therapy Compact
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compact@fsbpt.org
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PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool
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peat@fsbpt.org
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Reimbursement of expenses Other financial matters
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Linda Michelsen
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School reports
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schoolreports@fsbpt.org
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Score transfer & reporting
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Christine Sousa
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SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool
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scppet@fsbpt.org
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Security issues
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Susan Newman security@fsbpt.org
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Anything else, including news to share with members
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William A. Hatherill Caitlin Jennings Communications@fsbpt.org
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From the hot sweltering summer banks of the Potomac River, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories.
- William A. Hatherill, CEO
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