Chapter PT 1

Register September 1995 No. 477

Chapter PT 1

LICENSE AND COMPACT PRIVILEGE TO PRACTICE PHYSICAL THERAPY

PT 1.01   Authority and purpose.

PT 1.02   Definitions.

PT 1.03   Licensure requirements.

PT 1.04   Compact privilege requirements.

PT 1.01 PT 1.01 Authority and purpose.

PT 1.01(1) (1) The rules in this chapter are adopted by the physical therapy examining board pursuant to the authority delegated by ss. 15.08 (5) (b), 448.53 (1), and 448.986 (3), Stats.

PT 1.01(2) (2) The rules in this chapter are adopted to govern the issuance of licenses to physical therapists and physical therapist assistants under ss. 448.53, 448.535, 448.54, and 448.55, Stats., and the granting of compact privileges under subch. IX of ch. 448, Stats.

PT 1.01 History History: Cr. Register, September, 1995, No. 477, eff. 10-1-95; am., Register, June, 1998, No. 510, eff. 7-1-98; CR 03-020: am. Register April 2004 No. 580, eff. 5-1-04; CR 12-002: r. and recr. Register August 2012 No. 680, eff. 9-1-12; CR 20-056: am. Register June 2021 No. 786, eff. 7-1-21.

PT 1.02 PT 1.02 Definitions. As used in chs. PT 1 to 9:

PT 1.02(1) (1) “Board” means the physical therapy examining board.

PT 1.02(3) (3) “Client” means a person who has contracted for, who receives, and or who has previously received or contracted for, the professional services of a physical therapist, a physical therapist assistant, student or temporary licensee, whether the physical therapist, student or temporary licensee is paid or unpaid for the service, and regardless of where such services occur. If a client is a person under age 18, the client’s parent or legal guardian are also clients.

PT 1.02(4) (4) “Direct, immediate, on-premises supervision” means face-to-face contact between the supervisor and the person being supervised, as necessary, with the supervisor physically present in the same building when the service is performed by the person being supervised.

PT 1.02(5) (5) “Direct, immediate, one-to-one supervision” means one-to-one supervision with face-to-face contact between the person being supervised and the supervisor. The supervisor may assist the person being supervised as necessary.

PT 1.02(6) (6) “FSBPT” means the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.

PT 1.02(7) (7) “General supervision” means direct, on-premises contact between a supervisor, and a physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, student or temporary licensee being supervised, as necessary. Between direct contacts, a supervisor is required to maintain indirect, off-premises telecommunication contact such that the person being supervised can, within 24 hours, establish direct telecommunication with a supervisor.

PT 1.02(8) (8) “Informed consent” means a client’s voluntary, knowing and understood agreement to the service to be provided by the physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, temporary licensee, candidate for reentry, or student. Informed consent requires, at a minimum, that the licensee has provided information about reasonable alternate modes of diagnosis and treatment, and the risks and benefits of each, that a reasonable person in the client’s position would need before making an informed decision concerning the mode of treatment or diagnosis.

PT 1.02(8)(a) (a) Informed consent may ordinarily be documented by the written signature of the client, the client’s guardian or the client’s power of attorney for healthcare, or in the alternative by a notation in the patient’s health care record as defined in s. 146.81 (4), Stats. If circumstances prevent signed documentation by the client, the licensee may document verbal consent within the patient’s health care record.

PT 1.02(8)(b) (b) A client may withdraw informed consent verbally or in writing at any time before a service is completed.

PT 1.02(8)(c) (c) Informed consent shall include an understanding that the client may, upon request, have a chaperone present while services are provided.

PT 1.02(8)(d) (d) No service or part of a service may be provided without the client’s informed consent or after informed consent has been withdrawn.

PT 1.02(8)(e) (e) No service or part of a service may be provided without informing the client of the general nature of the costs associated with the service provided or contact information for the entity who can address billing concerns.

PT 1.02(9) (9) “Intimate parts” has the meaning given in s. 939.22 (19), Stats.

PT 1.02(10) (10) “License” means any license, permit, certificate or registration issued by the board.

PT 1.02(11) (11) “Licensee” means any person validly possessing any license granted and issued to that person by the board.

PT 1.02(11e) (11e) “Physical therapist” has the meaning given in s. 448.50 (3), Stats.

PT 1.02(11m) (11m) “Physical therapist assistant” has the meaning given in s. 448.50 (3m), Stats.

PT 1.02(11n) (11n) “Physical therapist assistant student” means a person enrolled in a physical therapist assistant educational program approved by the board who performs physical therapy procedures and related tasks consistent with the person’s education, training, and experience under the direct, immediate, on-premises supervision of a physical therapist or under the supervision of a physical therapist assistant as authorized by s. PT 5.03 (2).

PT 1.02(11r) (11r) “Physical therapist student” means a person enrolled in a physical therapist educational program approved by the board who performs physical therapy procedures and related tasks consistent with the person’s education, training, and experience under the direct, immediate, on-premises supervision of a physical therapist.

PT 1.02(11s) (11s) “Physical therapy” has the meaning given in s. 448.50 (4), Stats.

PT 1.02(11w) (11w) “Student” means a physical therapist student or physical therapist assistant student.

PT 1.02(12) (12) “Supervisor” means a person holding a regular license as a physical therapist issued under s. 448.53 (1), Stats., or a physical therapist compact privilege granted by the board who is competent to coordinate, direct, and inspect the accomplishments of another physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, student, or temporary licensee. “Supervisor” does not include a person holding a license issued under ch. PT 3 or 4.

PT 1.02(13) (13) “Temporary licensee” means a graduate of a physical therapy school or program who has met the requirements for and who has been granted a temporary license to practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant as provided in ch. PT 3.

PT 1.02(14) (14) “Unlicensed personnel” means a person other than a physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, or student who performs patient related tasks consistent with the person’s education, training and experience under the direct, immediate, on-premises supervision of a physical therapist.

PT 1.02 History History: Cr. Register, September, 1995, No. 477, eff. 10-1-95; r. (5), cr. (6), Register, April, 2000, No. 532, eff. 5-1-00; CR 03-020: am. (intro.), (2) and (6) Register April 2004 No. 580, eff. 5-1-04; CR 12-002: am. (1), renum. (2), (3), (4) to be (6), (10), (11), cr. (2) to (5), renum. (6) to be (14), cr. (7) to (9), (12), (13) Register August 2012 No. 680, eff. 9-1-12; CR 15-027: r. (2) Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16; CR 20-055 cr. (11c), (11g), (11n), (11r) (11w), am. (12), (14) Register June 2021 No. 786, eff. 7-1-21; CR 20-056: cr. (11e), (11m), (11s), am. (12) Register June 2021 No. 786, eff. 7-1-21; merger of (11c), (11g), (12) treatments by CR 20-055 and (11e), (11m), (12) treatments by CR 20-056 made under s. 13.92 (4) (bm), Stats., and correction in numbering of (11c), (11g) made under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 1., Stats., Register June 2021 No. 786.

PT 1.03 PT 1.03 Licensure requirements.

PT 1.03(1) (1) Except as provided under subs. (3) and (4), every person applying for any class of license to provide physical therapy services shall submit to the board all of the following:

PT 1.03(1)(a) (a) A completed and verified application form provided by the board and the fees specified in s. 440.05 (1), Stats.

PT 1.03 Note Note: Application forms are available from the department of safety and professional services’ website at www.dsps.wi.gov.

PT 1.03(1)(c) (c) For a physical therapist, verified documentary evidence of graduation from a school of physical therapy; for a physical therapist assistant, verified documentary evidence of satisfactory completion of a physical therapist assistant educational program approved by the board.

PT 1.03(1)(d) (d) In the case of a graduate of a foreign school of physical therapy or physical therapist assistant educational program, verification of educational equivalency to a board-approved school of physical therapy or physical therapist assistant educational program. The verification required under this paragraph shall be obtained from a board-approved foreign graduate evaluation service, based upon submission to the evaluation service of all of the following material:

PT 1.03(1)(d)1. 1. A verified copy of transcripts from the schools from which secondary education was obtained.

PT 1.03(1)(d)2. 2. A verified copy of the diploma from the school or educational program at which professional physical therapy or physical therapist assistant training was completed.

PT 1.03(1)(d)3. 3. A record of the number of class hours spent in each subject, for both preprofessional and professional courses. For subjects which include laboratory and discussion sections, the hours must be described in hours per lecture, hours per laboratory, and hours per discussion per week. Information must include whether subjects have been taken at basic entry or advanced levels.

PT 1.03(1)(d)4. 4. A syllabus that describes the material covered in each subject completed.

PT 1.03(1)(e) (e) Evidence of successful completion of the examinations specified in ch. PT 2.

PT 1.03(2) (2) If an applicant is a graduate of a school of physical therapy or a physical therapist assistant educational program not approved by the board, the board shall determine whether the applicant’s educational training is equivalent to that specified in sub. (1) (c). In lieu of its own evaluations, the board may use evaluations prepared by a board-approved evaluation service. The cost of an evaluation shall be paid by the applicant.

PT 1.03 Note Note: The board periodically reviews and approves foreign graduate evaluation services. A list of board-approved evaluation services is available upon request by calling [phone].

PT 1.03(3) (3) The board may waive the requirement under sub. (1) (c) for an applicant who establishes, to the satisfaction of the board, all of the following:

PT 1.03(3)(a) (a) The applicant is a graduate of a physical therapy school or a physical therapist assistant educational program.

PT 1.03(3)(b) (b) The applicant is licensed as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant by another licensing jurisdiction in the United States.

PT 1.03(3)(c) (c) The jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed required the applicant to be a graduate of a school or educational program approved by the licensing jurisdiction or of a school or educational program that the licensing jurisdiction evaluated for educational equivalency.

PT 1.03(3)(d) (d) The applicant has actively practiced as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, under the license issued by the other licensing jurisdiction in the United States, for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of application.

PT 1.03 Note Note: The board approves those schools of physical therapy and physical therapist assistant educational programs that are at the time of the applicant’s graduation recognized and approved by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

PT 1.03(4) (4) A reciprocal license to provide physical therapy services shall be granted to a service member, a former service member, or the spouse of a service member or former service member who the board determines meets all of the requirements under s. 440.09 (2), Stats. Subject to s. 440.09 (2m), Stats., the board may request verification necessary to make a determination under this subsection.