How many continuing education hours are required during a reporting period?

Physical Therapists: PTs licensed in Iowa must complete a minimum of forty (40) hours of continuing education; a minimum of thirty (30) hours shall be directly and primarily related to the clinical application of physical therapy every two (2) years.

New Licensees: An individual who was issued a license within six months of the license renewal date will not be required to renew the license until the subsequent renewal two years later.

Physical Therapy Assistants: PTAs licensed in Iowa must complete a minimum of twenty (20) hours of continuing education; a minimum of fifteen (15) hours shall be directly and primarily related to the clinical application of physical therapy every two (2) years.

Due Date

The biennial license renewal period for a license to practice as a PT or PTA shall begin on the sixteenth day of the birth month and end on the fifteenth day of the birth month two (2) years later.

How is contact hour defined?

“Hour of continuing education” means at least 50 minutes spent by a licensee in actual attendance at and completion of an approved continuing education activity.

Can CE credits be carried over into the next reporting period?

No hours of continuing education shall be carried over into the next biennium except for a new licensee.

Are there any specific courses that must be taken?

Mandatory training in child and dependent adult abuse identification and reporting.

The licensee shall maintain written documentation for three years after mandatory training including program date(s), content, duration, and proof of participation.

What types of activities can be used for the continuing education requirements?

Attending workshops, conferences, or symposiums.

Accessing online training, such as viewing interactive conferences, attending webinars, or completing online training courses.

Completing an American Physical Therapy Association-approved post-professional clinical residency or fellowship. A licensee will receive one (1) hour of credit for every two (2) hours spent in clinical residency, up to a maximum of twenty (20) hours. Clinical residency hours may not be used for credit if the licensee is also seeking credit hours earned for post-professional academic coursework in the same renewal period.

Directly supervising students for clinical education if the students being supervised are from an accredited PT or PTA program and are participating in a full-time clinical experience (defined as approximately forty (40) hours per week, ranging from one (1) to eighteen (18) weeks). One (1) hour will be awarded for every 160 contact hours of supervision. A maximum of eight (8) hours for a physical therapist and four (4) hours for a PTA may be awarded per biennium. The PT or PTA must have documentation from the accredited educational program indicating the number of hours spent supervising a student.

Presenting professional programs that meet the criteria. Two (2) hours of credit will be awarded for each hour of presentation for the first offering of the course. A course schedule or brochure must be maintained for audit.

Completing academic courses that directly relate to the professional competency of the licensee. Official transcripts indicating successful completion of academic courses that apply to the field of physical therapy will be necessary in order for the licensee to receive the following continuing education credits:

• 1 academic semester hour = 15 continuing education hours of credit
• 1 academic trimester hour = 12 continuing education hours of credit
• 1 academic quarter hour = 10 continuing education hours of credit

Teaching in an approved college, university, or graduate school. The licensee may receive the following continuing education credits on a one-time basis for the first offering of a course:

• 1 academic semester hour = 15 continuing education hours of credit
• 1 academic trimester hour = 12 continuing education hours of credit
• 1 academic quarter hour = 10 continuing education hours of credit

Authoring research or other activities, the results of which are published in a recognized professional publication. The licensee shall receive five (5) hours of credit per page.

Participating in professional organizations related to the practice of physical therapy, with one (1) credit hour received for each six (6) months of active service as an officer, delegate, or committee member, for a maximum of four (4) hours of credit per biennium. Verification of participation must be provided by the professional organization to document the continuing education credit.

Are there limitations on the types of courses that can be taken?

Continuing education hours of credit in the following topics are not considered to be directly and primarily related to the clinical application of physical therapy and therefore must not exceed a maximum combined total of ten (10) hours of credit for a physical therapist licensee and five (5) hours of credit for a physical therapist assistant licensee:

• Business-related topics, such as marketing, time management, government regulations, and other like topics.
• Personal skills topics, such as career burnout, communication skills, human relations, and other like topics.
• General health topics, such as clinical research, CPR, mandatory reporter training, and other like topics.

What type of courses or activities are not allowed?

N/A

What type of approval is needed for the courses?

N/A

What are the reporting requirements?

N/A

How long must continuing education records be retained?

N/A

Waiver

N/A

Audit

N/A

References

IAC 645—203