Active Practice - A minimum of 320 hours of professional practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant within the 48-month period immediately preceding renewal. Active practice may include supervisory, administrative, educational, or consultative activities or responsibilities for the delivery of such services.

Approved Program - An educational program accredited by CAPTE.

Board - The Virginia Board of Physical Therapy.

CAPTE - The Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Compact - The Physical Therapy Licensure Compact (§ 54.1-3485 of the Code of Virginia).

Contact Hour - Sixty (60) minutes of time spent in continuing learning activity exclusive of breaks, meals, or vendor exhibits.

Direct Supervision - A PT or a PTA is physically present and immediately available and is fully responsible for the physical therapy tasks or activities being performed.

Discharge - The discontinuation of interventions in an episode of care that have been provided in an unbroken sequence in a single practice setting and related to the physical therapy interventions for a given condition or problem.

Encounter - An interaction between a patient and a PT or PTA for the purpose of providing health care services or assessing the health and therapeutic status of a patient.

Evaluation - A process in which the PT makes clinical judgments based on data gathered during an examination or screening in order to plan and implement a treatment intervention, provide preventive care, reduce risks of injury and impairment, or provide for consultation.

FCCPT - The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy.

FSBPT - The Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

General Supervision - A PT shall be available for consultation.

National Examination - The examinations developed and administered by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and approved by the board for licensure as a PT or PTA.

Physical Therapy Compact Commission - The national administrative body whose membership consists of all states that have enacted the compact.

Physical Therapist - Any person licensed in Virginia to engage in the practice of physical therapy.

Physical Therapy Assistant - Any person licensed in Virginia to assist a PT in the practice of physical therapy.

Practice of Physical Therapy - Branch of the healing arts that is concerned with, upon medical referral and direction, the evaluation, testing, treatment, reeducation and rehabilitation by physical, mechanical or electronic measures and procedures of individuals who, because of trauma, disease or birth defect, present physical and emotional disorders. The practice of physical therapy also includes the administration, interpretation, documentation, and evaluation of tests and measurements of bodily functions and structures within the scope of practice of the physical therapist.

Reevaluation - A process in which the PT makes clinical judgments based on data gathered during an examination or screening in order to determine a patient's response to the treatment plan and care provided.

Support Personnel - A person who is performing designated routine tasks related to physical therapy under the direction and supervision of a PT or PTA within the scope of practice.

TOEFL - The Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Trainee -A person seeking licensure as a PT or PTA who is undergoing a traineeship.

Traineeship - A period of active clinical practice during that an applicant for licensure as a PT or PTA works under the direct supervision of a PT approved by the board.

TSE -The Test of Spoken English.

Type 1 - Continuing learning activities offered by an approved organization as specified in 18VAC112-20-131.

Type 2 - Continuing learning activities which may or may not be offered by an approved organization but shall be activities considered by the learner to be beneficial to practice or to continuing learning.

Reference

Va. Code Ann. §54.1-3473

18 VAC 112-20-10