SUNY Orange

Graduates

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PTA Certification Process in New York State

  • Read all pertinent information on NYS Education Dept. website -www.op.nysed.gov
  • Submit Form 2 to Mrs. Collins which will be processed through Registrar's Office upon completion of all academic/clinical coursework
  • Mail Form 1 (which must be notarized) with attached photo and $95 fee to:

    NYS Education Department
    Office of the Professions
    PO Box 22063
    Albany, NY 12201

    *If you have a documented disability, you may request special accommodations to take the National Physical Therapy Examination. You would need to contact Albany for details. Be aware that you must request special accommodations at the time you submit your initial application (Form 1) to Albany.
  • Mail Form 5 with $50 fee only if you wish to work under a limited permit before taking the National Physical Therapy Examination for PTAs and receiving your certification. Refer to Limited Permit rules below in next section.

Typically the State Licensing Agency (only after it has received both Form 1 and Form 2) takes approximately 2-3 weeks to inform the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) that you are cleared to apply to FSBPT to take the required National Physical Therapy Exam for Physical Therapist Assistants.

The state does not officially notify you that you have been cleared to be able to take the exam, so you will need to call 518/474-3817 Ext. 270 in mid July to inquire if paperwork has been fully processed so that the next step of your registering with FSBPT can now take place.

AUTHORIZATION TO TAKE NPTE ISSUED BY FSBPT: 800/881-1430

If documentation requires it, Orange County Community College School Code is 0117

  • Read pertinent information about NPTE on FSBPT website http://www.fsbpt.org including Candidate's Handbook
  • Complete registration on-line https://pt.fsbpt.net and include $350 payment by credit card or indicate that you will send a money order
  • It is critical that your first and last name on your registration and ATT letter (see last bullet in this section) exactly match your two forms of ID, such as driver's license or a passport and second ID - which is preprinted with your name and includes your signature (such as a credit card). On both forms of ID, your signature must match your preprinted name. A social security card is NOT an acceptable form of identification
  • Receive "Authorization to Test" letter (ATT) which now allows you to contact Prometric Exam Site to schedule your exam within 60 days of the date on your ATT letter

PROMETRIC EXAM SCHEDULING:

  • Read all pertinent information on Prometric website - http://www.prometric.com and Candidate's Handbook on FSBPT website as described above
  • View listing of Prometric Testing sites and select one that is the most convenient for you
  • Contact Prometric to schedule exam for your chosen site. It is suggested that you schedule early in the allowable 60 days. Read details about rescheduling with required advance notice, if applicable
  • $50 prepayment to Prometric
  • It is suggested that you reconfirm appointment date, time and location before test date 800/796-9857

PROMETRIC TEST PROCEDURE:

  • Read details on Prometric website and Candidate's Handbook (see above)
  • Arrive at least 30 minutes early for being processed prior to exam appointment (officials need to check your two forms of ID, fingerprint, take photo, have you sign Security Agreement, etc. (If your two forms of ID do not match your first name and last name on you registration form, you will NOT be allowed to sit for the exam and will have to reapply for the exam and forfeit any fees already paid.
  • Be aware that NPTE questions are "owned" by the FSBPT and are protected by Federal Copyright Law. It is illegal and unethical to recall (memorize) and share questions that are on the NPTE or to solicit questions that are on the NPTE from candidates who have taken the exam.

Please note that the information listed above is meant to assist you but is not all-inclusive. You are ultimately responsible for obtaining information directly from new york state education department, federation of state boards of physical therapy as well as prometric.

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Limited Permit Rules Regarding Graduating PTAs

Effective February 9, 2003, limited permits may be issued to physical therapist assistants; the fee is $50. Limited permits for physical therapist assistants are valid for 6 months. An application for a limited permit (Form 5) must be filed with or after submitting an Application for Licensure (Form 1 and $95 fee). A limited permit cannot be issued until all required documents are received, including Form 2 from the college acknowledging that the student has completed all academic and clinical components of the program and is a student in good standing. Only upon documented approval of the limited permit (issuance of limited permit number by New York State), is the graduating PTA able to begin employment as a PTA. You may view your limited permit number when your number has been issued by going to the New York State Education Department website at http://www.op.nysed.gov/pt.htm and click on On-line License Verifications; be sure to enter your name in the permit section, not the license section.

The limited permit issued is good for 6 months only. A PTA graduate may apply for and receive confirmation of a second limited permit which is also for 6 months only, but this second limited permit is only approved if the graduate has already taken and failed the National Physical Therapy Examination or has already applied to take the NPTE. Therefore a graduating PTA student may only work for up to a total of one year on limited permits.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Only Physical Therapist graduates have a 90 day exemption immediately following graduation, assuming they have abided by several rules. This exemption does NOT apply to physical therapist assistant graduates.

The Department may issue limited permits to an applicant for licensure which authorize the practice of physical therapy under the on-site supervision of a New York State licensed and currently registered physical therapist. On-site supervision means that the supervising physical therapist is in the same facility and readily available to the permittee.

An applicant receiving a limited permit is restricted to employment in a public hospital, an incorporated hospital or clinic, a licensed proprietary hospital, a licensed nursing home, a public health agency, a recognized public or non-public school setting, the office of a licensed physical therapist, or in the civil service of New York State or a political subdivision in New York State.

PTA graduates must obtain a new permit if they change employment after a limited permit is issued. In other words, with each prospective employer, a new Form 5 needs to be submitted to the Office of the Professions. A new Form 5 would also need to be submitted if you continue to work in the same facility but have a different supervisor. A new fee is not required for a permit issued as a result of a change in employment or change of supervisor in the same facility.

It is important for all PTA graduates working under a limited permit to remember that until they obtain their official certification, they must sign documents/charts with their signature followed by ", PTA-limited permittee".

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Information from Office of the Professions

Identification Badges

Currently, Regents Rules define as unprofessional conduct the failure to wear a badge when a licensee is “an employee or operator of a hospital, clinic, group practice or multi-professional facility, registered pharmacy or at a commercial establishment offering health care services to the public.”

National Physical Therapy Licensing Exam Violations/Punishment

Board of Regents annul four physical therapists’ registrations The Board of Regents annulled the registrations of four physical therapists licensed in New York when the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) invalidated the individuals’ test scores on the licensing examination. These individuals may not practice as licensed physical therapists until they meet all requirements for licensure. The FSBPT invalidated the candidates’ examination scores after a lengthy investigation into the apparent trafficking of recalled examination questions by Philippine exam preparation centers late last year. FSBPT received copies of test preparation materials provided to student customers of the centers, which confirmed the use of live test questions from past National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE). Possession of examination questions could be a violation of federal copyright laws and provide an unfair advantage to certain individuals attempting the examination.

In an effort to assess the potential effects of using recalled test items, FSBPT retained Caveon to conduct a comprehensive forensic analysis of all NPTE test results occurring from March 1, 2005 through June 5, 2007. This analysis examined the performances of all candidates on 23,512 test administrations to determine whether or not candidates with prior access to recalled test items received an undue advantage on the licensing examination. Caveon’s forensic analysis established that at least 20 individuals did, in fact, benefit unfairly from advance access to recalled test items so that the FSBPT Board of Directors invalidated these candidates test scores. Affected candidates will be afforded the opportunity to re-take the NPTE, at no cost to them, one time over the course of the next 12 months. These candidates are able at any time during or after the expiration of this 12-month period to re-take the NPTE at their own expense, subject to FSBPT’s existing exam policies and procedures.

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PTA Legislative Issues

On July 8, 2008, Governor Patterson signed into law a bill that will require mandatory education for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants licensed/certified in New York State.

The key elements of the law as described by Jim Dunleavy, President of the New York Physical Therapy Association are the following:

  • 36 hours of continuing education over each registration period (3years)
  • The law will become effective on September 1, 2009
    UPDATE: For those that have renewal dates soon after September 1, 2009, there will be a proration schedule equal to either 1/2 or 1 credit hour per month. CEUs taken before September 1, 2009 cannot be used to meet the requirement. At the time of license renewal, on-line completion of a question and answer review of PT practice regulations will be required.
  • Individuals who are not engaged in practice but are licensed/certified may file with the state to be exempt from the requirement until such time as their status changes. When a person returns to practice they must notify the State Board and the continuing education requirement will commence
  • The State Education Department may give conditional licenses to those who do not meet the requirement at their renewal date and may also give exemptions for health or other personal reasons determined appropriate by the state
  • New graduate physical therapists and physical therapist assistants will not have to meet this requirement during their first 3 year license/certification timeframe
  • Providers of Continuing Education that meet State Board for PT requirements will have to be registered and approved by the State Education Department. The State Board has not decided if it would allow other organizations (e.g. NYPTA) to approve continuing education providers in addition to the State Board.
  • Each PT/PTA is expected to maintain their continuing education record which may be required by the State Education upon license/certification renewal
  • A fee of $45 will be charged by the State Education Department

The State Board will be involved with the writing of regulations that will further define the law.

On July 7, 2006, Governor Pataki signed extender legislation that allows physical therapist assistants (with certain stipulations) to continue to provide home care without the continuous on-site supervision of a PT. This law is valid through June 30, 2010, when once again it will terminate unless officially extended through the State Legislature.

It is interesting to note that the law affecting PTAs working in a school setting will "sunset" or terminate on June 30, 2010 as well. In the past, the termination dates happened to fall on different years.

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