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Oregon PT Aides
What is the definition of an aide?
“Physical therapist aide” or “aide” means a person who is not licensed as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, who aids a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant by performing treatment-related tasks or by performing non-treatment, patient-related tasks and who works under the direct on-site supervision of a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant.
Although they may be providing services to a patient pursuant to direction or instruction from a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, the following persons are not considered physical therapist aides:
A physical therapist aide shall:
Training Requirements
Prior to allowing a physical therapist aide to perform any treatment-related task, the supervising physical therapist shall assure that the aide has undertaken forty (40) hours of on-the-job training as follows:
Documentation
The supervising physical therapist shall be responsible for documentation of the training for each aide and shall maintain this documentation at the facility for a minimum of five (5) years after termination of employment and make it available to the Board upon request. The supervising physical therapist also shall respond to any inquiry by the Board concerning the training provided to an aide. The aide training record shall include but not be limited to:
What can an aide do?
“Non-treatment, patient-related task” means a task related to preparation of treatment areas, transport of patients, preparation of patients for treatment and other patient-related tasks.
What is an aide expressly prohibited from doing?
A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant shall not permit an aide to perform any of the following treatment-related tasks:
What are the responsibilities of the PT when delegating to an aide?
Prior to allowing an aide to perform any treatment-related task:
When a treatment-related task is performed by an aide, the supervising physical therapist or physical therapist assistant shall, at some point during each treatment, provide direct service to the patient to assess and monitor the patient's progress, and so document in the patient's record.
What type of supervision is required?
“Supervise” means to provide the amount of personal direction, assistance, advice and instruction necessary to reasonably assure that the supervisee provides the patient competent physical therapy services, given the supervisor’s actual knowledge of the supervisee’s ability, training and experiences. Additionally, supervision of:
What is the ratio between supervising PTs and aides?
A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant may supervise a maximum total of two physical therapist aides, when the aides are performing treatment-related tasks. In addition, a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant may supervise additional aides who are not performing treatment related tasks.
Citations
ORS 688.010
OAR 848-020-0000
OAR 848-020-0030
OAR 848-020-0040
OAR 848-020-0050
OAR 848-020-0060
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