North Carolina Physical Therapy Aides

What is the definition of an aide?

"Physical therapy aide" means any non-licensed person who aids in the practice of physical therapy, and who at all times acts under the orders, direction, and on-site supervision of a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant. An aide may perform physical therapy related activities which are assigned and are commensurate with an aide's training and abilities, but an aide's work shall not include the interpretation and implementation of referrals from licensed medical doctors or dentists, the performance of evaluations, the determination and modification of treatment programs, or any independent performance of any physical therapy procedures.

What can an aide do?

A physical therapy aide may perform only those acts delegated by a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.

What is an aide expressly prohibited from doing?

A physical therapy aide must not be independently responsible for a patient caseload.

What type of supervision is required?

A physical therapy aide must work under the supervision of a licensee who is present in the facility. This may extend to an off-site setting only when the physical therapy aide is accompanying and working directly with a licensee with a specific patient.

"On-site supervision" means the supervising licensee is present in the department or facility where services are provided, is immediately available to the person being supervised and maintains continued involvement in aspects of treatment sessions in which students completing clinical requirements or physical therapy aides are involved in components of care.

What is the ratio between supervising PTs and aides?

A physical therapist shall clinically supervise only that number of assistive personnel, including physical therapist assistants, physical therapy aides, and students completing clinical requirements, as the physical therapist determines is appropriate for providing safe and effective patient interventions at all times.

Other Assistive Personnel

Health care personnel who do not function as physical therapy aides may receive direction from physical therapists with regard to patient related activities, but they must not either refer to or represent their services as physical therapy

Citation

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-270.24

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-270.34

21 NCAC 48C .0601

21 NCAC 48C .0102

21 NCAC 48A .0105

21 NCAC 48C .0402