§ 40.63. Continuing education.

 (a)  Definitions. The following words and terms, when used in this section, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

   Certificateholder—A licensed physical therapist who holds a certificate of authorization to practice physical therapy without a referral.

   Contact hour—A unit of measure equaling 60 minutes of participation in an approved continuing education course or program.

 (b)  Continuing education requirement for renewal of certificate of authorization. Beginning after the first renewal of the certificate of authorization, as a condition of certificate renewal, a physical therapist shall have completed during the preceding biennium a minimum of 20 contact hours of physical therapy continuing education related to keeping the certificateholder apprised of advancements and new developments in the practice of the physical therapy profession. At least 10 of the 20 contact hours shall be in evaluative procedures to treat a person without a referral.

 (c)  Reports to the Board. A certificateholder shall certify compliance with the continuing education hours requirement at the time of biennial renewal of the certificate. A certificateholder shall retain for at least 4 years, certificates, transcripts or other documentation showing completion of the prescribed number of hours. These records are subject to audit by the Board.

 (d)  Approved sponsors; acceptable courses and programs.

   (1)  Courses and programs provided by Board-approved sponsors will be accepted as satisfying the continuing education requirement. It is the responsibility of the certificateholder to ascertain the approval status of the sponsor before undertaking a continuing education activity.

   (2)  Irrespective of the sponsor, the Board reserves the right to reject a continuing education course or program submitted by a certificateholder if it is outside the scope of practice of physical therapy. The Board will not accept courses or programs which are unrelated to the actual practice of physical therapy—for example, instruction in office management or practice building. A certificate holder will be notified of a rejected course or program in writing, along with the reason for the rejection.

   (3)  Sponsors of physical therapy continuing education seeking Board approval shall submit an application on forms provided by the Board and pay the required fee. The applicant will be notified of approval or disapproval in writing. Notifications of disapproval will set forth reasons. The Board will not approve a sponsor unless it:

     (i)   Offers courses or programs, or both, with specific learning objectives geared to improve the professional competence of the participant.

     (ii)   Verifies attendance of the course.

     (iii)   Provides each attendee with a certificate which includes participant’s name, date, place, course title, presenter and number of contact hours.

   (4)  The Board may withdraw approval of a sponsor for cause. The sponsor will be notified in writing of the reasons for withdrawal of approval.

 (e)  Distance education. A certificateholder may accrue all required hours in distance education courses offered by approved sponsors of continuing education as long as the course sponsor evaluates and assesses the extent of learning that has taken place.

 (f)  Reinstatement of certificate. Reinstatement of certificate shall be subject to the following conditions:

   (1)  A person whose certificate has lapsed or been inactive shall show compliance with the continuing education requirement during the biennium immediately preceding the request for reinstatement.

   (2)  A person whose certificate has been suspended or restricted shall show compliance with the continuing education requirement during the entire period of suspension or restriction.

 (g)  Waivers; exemptions for continuing education. The Board may, in individual cases involving physical disability or illness, or undue hardship, grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements or grant an extension of time to complete the requirements. No waiver or extension of time will be granted unless a written request is submitted by the licensee; or in cases of physical disability or illness, by a physician licensed in this state or another state or territory of the United States or the District of Columbia and whose license is in good standing, or both. All necessary documentation must be received by the Board no later than 90 days preceding the biennial renewal. If the physical disability or illness or undue hardship for which the waiver has been granted continues beyond the period of the waiver, the licensee shall reapply for an extension of the waiver. The Board may, as a condition of any waiver granted, require the applicant to make up all or part of the continuing education waived.

   The provisions of this §  40.63 issued under section 3 of the Physical Therapy Practice Act (63 P. S. §  1303); and section 812.1 of The Administrative Code of 1929 (71 P. S. 279.3a).

   The provisions of this §  40.63 adopted July 16, 2004, effective July 17, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 3700.