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Massachusetts Physical Therapy Supervision Definitions

Clinical Instructor - A licensed PT or PTA who is directly responsible for a PT or PTA student.

Direct Supervision - A process by which a supervisor is on the premises and available to provide supervision in the form of aid, direction, and instruction when procedures or activities are performed.

Physical Therapist of Record - The primary PT who is responsible for providing and/or supervising of all care rendered to the patient/client. The PT of Record will be considered the physical therapist who initially evaluated the patient and developed the patient's Plan of Care, unless otherwise designated in the record.

Physical Therapy Aide - A person not licensed in physical therapy who works under the direct supervision of a PT or PTA. This individual may also be known as a rehabilitation aide or some other similar title.

Physical Therapy Cooperative Education (PT Co-op) Student - A student who is actively enrolled and matriculating in an accredited educational program that utilizes the cooperative experience as part of its curriculum. PT Co-op Students may perform those duties of a Physical Therapy Aide and those competencies approved by their academic program, as agreed-upon by the Co-op site, and commensurate with their level of education within that program at the time of the coop experience. PT Co-op Students may only perform these functions when they are on a defined and time-based cooperative experience that is part of the CAPTE approved curricula. PT Co-op Students are not licensed to practice physical therapy and must work under the direct supervision of a physical therapist. Any Co-op Student not actively enrolled and matriculating in an accredited educational program, or not participating in a co-op experience that is part of the CAPTE approved PT curricula, including continuing to work following completion of the co-op experience, can only function as a Physical Therapy Aide.

Physical Therapy Student - A person who is registered in an accredited educational program and performs clinical duties, up to and including assessments under the direct supervision of a physical therapist. The supervising PT may be one of the clinical site's Clinical Instructors (CI) or the Center Clinical Coordinator of Education (CCCE) in coordination with the academic program's Director of Clinical Education (DCE). Any PT Student who is not supervised by the clinical site's CI or CCCE in coordination with the academic program's DCE, including continuing to work following completion of the academic program's supervised practice requirements, can only function as a Physical Therapy Aide. A PT Student may be called an intern. A PT Student does not possess a license to practice.

Physical Therapist Assistant Student - A person who is registered in an accredited educational program and performs clinical duties under the direct supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who is one of the clinical site's Clinical Instructor (CI) or the Center Clinical Coordinator of Educator (CCCE) in coordination with the academic program's Director of Clinical Education (DCE)

Physical Therapist - A person who is duly licensed to practice physical therapy in Massachusetts.

Physical Therapist Assistant - A person duly licensed in Massachusetts and who assists in the practice of physical therapy under the direction of a duly licensed PT.

Student - Any person pursuing a supervised course of study leading to a degree in athletic training, occupational therapy or physical therapy in an accredited or approved program, including co-operative education programs and post-doctoral clinical education programs. Students involved in clinical affiliations which are part of their educational program may perform duties commensurate with their level of education, in addition to those duties which may be performed by aides.

Supervisor - A person who holds a current unrestricted license issued by the Board authorizing such person to practice the same discipline as the supervisee(s). A supervisor possesses skill, experience or education in excess of that possessed by the supervisee(s). The supervisor is responsible for the standard of services performed by the supervisee(s) and shall have knowledge of the patients/clients receiving treatment from the supervisee(s) and the issues/problems involving such treatment. A supervisor must co-sign all treatment documentation of a temporary license holder.

Supervision - A process by which two or more people participate in joint effort to establish, maintain and elevate a level of performance. Supervision requires the physical presence of all parties at regularly scheduled supervision sessions. Supervision is structured according to the supervisee's qualifications, position, level of preparation, depth of experience and the environment within which the supervisee functions.

Reference

M.G.L. 112 Section 23A

259 CMR 2.01

259 CMR 5.01

About Us

Zachary Edgar JD, LLM is the managing partner for Therapy Comply.  Zachary is a healthcare attorney that specializes in federal and state healthcare regulatory issues particularly for physical, occupational, and speech therapy practices.  

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