The Act - The statute governing the practice of occupational and physical therapy in Tennessee as codified at Title 63, Chapter 13 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.

Advertising - Includes, but is not limited to, business solicitations, with or without limiting qualifications, in a card, sign, or device issued to a person; in a sign or marking in or on any building; or in any newspaper, magazine, directory, or other printed matter. Advertising also includes business solicitations communicated by individual, radio, video, Internet, or television broadcasting or any other means designed to secure public attention.

American Physical Therapy Association - The American Physical Therapy Association.

Applicant - Any individual seeking licensure by the board and who has submitted an official application and paid the application fee.

Board - The Tennessee Board of Physical Therapy.

Board Administrative Office - The office of the Unit Director assigned to the board located at 665 Mainstream Drive, Nashville, TN 37243.

Board Designee - Any person who has received a written delegation of authority from the board to perform board functions subject to review and ratification by the full board where provided by these rules.

Clinical Student - A student enrolled in a CAPTE approved developing program or a CAPTE accredited physical therapy program or regionally accredited post professional physical therapist program.

Closed File - An administrative action which renders an incomplete or denied file inactive.

Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) - An agency approved by the Board of Physical Therapy to accredit schools of physical therapy.

Competence - The application of knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to function effectively, safely, ethically, and legally within the context of the patient's role and environment.

Consultation - A meeting that is conducted either face-to-face or by some other medium such as, but not limited to, telephone, facsimile, mail, or electronic means, wherein two or more health professionals discuss the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of a particular case.

Continuing Competence - The ongoing application of professional knowledge, skills and abilities which relate to occupational performance objectives in the range of possible encounters that is defined by that individual’s scope of practice and practice setting.

Department - Tennessee Department of Health.

Division - The division of health related boards of the department of health.

Dry Needling - A skilled intervention that uses a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying neural, muscular, and connective tissues for the management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, pain, and movement impairments.

Examination Service - The testing service whose examination has been adopted by the board.

Fee - Money, gifts, services, or anything of value offered or received as compensation in return for rendering services; also, the required fee(s) pursuant to these rules.

Good Moral Character - The quality of being well regarded in personal behavior and professional ethics.

Guide to Physical Therapist Practice - The APTA document, adopted by the Board, that explains physical therapy scope of practice, preferred practice patterns, and appropriate utilization of services.

He/she Him/her - When “he” appears in the text of these rules, the word represents both the feminine and masculine genders.

HRB - When the acronym “HRB” appears in the text of these rules, it represents Health Related Boards.

Internationally Educated - An individual who has graduated from a PT or PTA program outside the United States and its jurisdictions.

License - Document issued to an applicant who has successfully completed the licensure process. The license takes the form of an “artistically designed” license as well as other versions bearing an expiration date.

Licensee - Any person duly licensed by the board to engage in the practice of physical therapy.

Licensed Physical Therapist (PT) - Any person who has met the qualifications for licensed PT and holds a current, unsuspended and unrevoked license which has been lawfully issued by the board.

Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) - Any person who has met the qualifications for licensed PTA and holds a current, unsuspended and unrevoked license that has been lawfully issued by the board. PTAs perform physical therapy procedures and related tasks that have been selected and delegated only by the supervising physical therapist.

Manual Therapy Techniques - Consist of a broad group of passive interventions in which physical therapists use their hands to administer skilled movements designed to modulate pain; increase joint range of motion; reduce or eliminate soft tissue swelling, inflammation, or restriction; induce relaxation; improve contractile and noncontractile tissue extensibility; and improve pulmonary functions. These interventions involve a variety of techniques, such as the application of graded forces, which are not performed beyond the joint’s normal range of motion. These interventions may be applied to all joints of the body as deemed appropriate.

Onsite Supervision - The supervising PT or PTA must:

• Be continuously onsite and present in the department or facility where assistive personnel are performing services;
• Be immediately available to assist the person being supervised in the services being performed; and
• Maintain continued involvement in appropriate aspects of each treatment session in which a component of treatment is delegated to assistive personnel.

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

Physical Therapist Assistant - A person who meets the requirements of this chapter for licensure as a PTA and who performs physical therapy procedures and related tasks that have been selected and delegated only by the supervising PT.

Physical Therapy - The care and services provided by or under the direction and supervision of a PT who is licensed.

Other Assistive Personnel - Other trained or educated health care personnel, who perform specific designated tasks related to physical therapy under the supervision of a PT. At the discretion of the supervising PT, and if properly credentialed and not prohibited by any other law, “other assistive personnel” or “other support personnel” may be identified by the title specific to their training or education.

Physical Therapy Aide - A person trained by and under the direction of a physical therapist who performs designated and supervised routine physical therapy tasks.

Practice of Physical Therapy - Whether by in-person encounter or via telehealth, telemedicine, or provider-based telemedicine the following:

• Examining, evaluating and testing individuals with mechanical, physiological and developmental impairments, functional limitations and disability or other health and movement-related conditions in order to determine a physical therapy treatment diagnosis, prognosis, a plan of therapeutic intervention and to assess the ongoing effect of intervention;
• Alleviating impairments and functional limitations by designing, implementing, and modifying therapeutic interventions that include, but are not limited to, therapeutic exercise, functional training, manual therapy, therapeutic massage, assistive and adaptive orthotic, prosthetic, protective and supportive equipment, airway clearance techniques, debridement and wound care, physical agents or modalities, dry needling, mechanical and electrotherapeutic modalities and patient-related instruction;
• Reducing the risk of injury, impairments, functional limitation and disability, including the promotion and maintenance of fitness, health and quality of life in all age populations; and
• Engaging in administration, consultation, education and research.

Physical Therapy Treatment Diagnosis - Both the process and the end result of evaluating information obtained from the examination, which the physical therapist then organizes into defined clusters, syndromes, or categories to help determine the most appropriate intervention strategies.

Recognized Credentialing Agency - An agency approved by the board which evaluates the educational credentials of international graduates who have not attended CAPTE - accredited or board approved schools of physical therapy.

Recognized Educational Institution - Any educational institution that is accredited by CAPTE and which is approved by the board.

Relative - A parent, foster parent, parent-in-law, child, spouse, brother, foster brother, sister, foster sister, grandparent, grandchild, son-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, or other family member who resides in the same household.

Restriction - Any action deemed appropriate by the board to be required of a disciplined licensee during any period of probation, suspension, or revocation with leave to apply or as a prerequisite to the lifting of probation or suspension, or any action deemed appropriate by the board to be required of an applicant for licensure.

Restricted Physical Therapist Assistant License - A license on which the committee has placed any restrictions due to action imposed by the committee.

Restricted Physical Therapy License - A license on which the committee places restrictions or conditions, or both, as to scope of practice, place of practice, supervision of practice, duration of licensed status or type of condition of patient to whom the licensee may provide services.

Supervision - Of the PTA means the supervising PT will be readily available to the PTA being supervised. When the PTA is practicing in an offsite setting, the supervising PT will be immediately accessible by telecommunications. Patient conferences will be regularly scheduled and documented and supervisory visits will be made as further outlined in the rules and regulations.

Upper Limb - The hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder girdle.

Use of a Title or Description- To hold oneself out to the public as having a particular status, including but not limited to, by the use of signs, mailboxes, address plates, stationery, announcements, advertising, the Internet, business cards, or other means of professional identification.

Volunteer Personnel - Uncompensated individuals contemplating a career in physical therapy and are limited to observation of physical therapy functions and are prohibited from the delivery of physical therapy services.

Written Evidence - Includes, but is not limited to, written verification from supervisors or other professional colleagues familiar with the applicant’s work.

Reference

Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-13-103

Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1150-01-.01