Working in the US

[pulke]

Hi,

I'm finishing my BPT studies in the netherlands (european school of physiotherapy) and would like to work later in the US.

I'm an american citizen!!

can abyone ple tell me what is the procedure for taking the tests necessary to get a license overthere?

thanks

[IceMan]

Being a US Citizen will certainly help you for obvious reasons.

You will still, however, have to go through the process of being licensed in whichever state you choose to work in. Part of this process involves your degree being credentialed by an independent company (each state has their own preferences so check with the state board). The credentialing process includes your university documents being forwarded directly from your educational instution to the credentialing company who will relay their recommendations to the state. You will also have to take and pass (of course) the board exam for the state that you're applying to. I would think that you would have to take the board exam in the state that you're applying to but in this day and age maybe you could take the exam in the Netherlands...

Medicare is now requiring that all foreign trained therapists have their degree credentialed by 2010. The credentialing process above should take care of that.

There may be other processes involved which I've missed but I believe this should be sufficient for your particular situation.

I would think that the APTA would be a great resource for you as well.

Good Luck!

[updragon]

Iceman,
Just an update on a few of your comments.
Being a US citizen does not neccesarily help in the process. it is the foreign TRAINING and qualifications that is the problem.
The initial US Board exam MUST be taken in the US, not in the Netherlands, no matter how well qualified a PT is.It is a very complex process, but once the initial Board exam is taken, the scores can then be transferred to any other states to which a PT wishes to apply for Licensure. The actual Licensure process is the difficult and lengthy process which is also costly.
Each State has differing Licensure requirements involving US Board scores and transfers. The FCCPT is not the only agency accepted, by the way, it is the PREFFERED agency for some States, not necessarily the ONLY one accepted. Check each State Board for requirements. New York is different and I am not sure what their requirements actually are.
Keep in mind also that some of the State Licensing Agencies have the right to accept an applying PT DESPITE a FCCPT Evaluation which shows deficiencies in some areas.That is the State perogative in some cases, for example a deficit in integumentary is not always a reason for License denial.
As to your statement that "Medicare will require foreign trained PTs to be Evaluated by 2010", could you please let me know where you have found this info? This is the first I have heard of this, and would be very interested to look into this more.I am a British trained physio,still a UK citizen, living and working in USA for the last 19 years, so have seen many changes in the laws for foreign trained PTs and it is getting much tougher, not easier.I am licensed in Florida, Colorado and now North Carolina, as well as UK. I work with Medicare closely, and have not had any notification of this 2010 evaluation requirement.
Thanks in advance, and to all u PTs out there applying for US Licenses, it IS possible, expensive, lengthy and frustrating, but possible

[IceMan]

Thanks for the comments updragon. I didn't mean to imply that being a US citizen would negate the need to go through the steps required to qualify for a PT position in the States just that he wouldn't have to apply for a work permit in the US. Sorry if I caused any confusion in that regard.

I did not state that "Medicare will require foreign trained PTs to be Evaluated by 2010" but that foreign trained therapists would need their degrees be credentialed by 2010. Probably splitting hairs there I know....

You are correct in stating that the FCCPT is NOT the only organization that can be utilized to get your degree credentialed. In fact when I started the process of credentialing my degree a couple of years ago (the state of Michigan did not require a credentialed degree when I first arrived 15 years ago) the FCCPT was quite expensive so I went through a company named ICD which is approved by the APTA and therefore meets the criteria to be a credentialing company that can provide this service as outlined by CMS.

Just because Medicare have not notified you does not mean that the requirement is not there.

Here's the link to a document outlining the new regulation and I'll also paste below and highlight the relevant passages:

The new personnel qualifications for physical therapists were discussed in the 2008
Physician Fee Schedule. See the Federal Register of November 27, 2007, for the full text.
See also the correction notice for this rule, published in the Federal Register on January
15, 2008.
The regulation provides that a qualified physical therapist (PT) is a person who is
licensed, if applicable, as a PT by the state in which he or she is practicing unless
licensure does not apply, has graduated from an accredited PT education program and
passed a national examination approved by the state in which PT services are provided.
The phrase, “by the state in which practicing” includes any authorization to practice
provided by the same state in which the service is provided, including temporary
licensure, regardless of the location of the entity billing the services. The curriculum
accreditation is provided by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy
Education (CAPTE) or, for those who graduated before CAPTE, curriculum approval
was provided by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). For internationally
educated PTs, curricula are approved by a credentials evaluation organization either
approved by the APTA or identified in 8 CFR 212.15(e) as it relates to PTs. For example,
in 2007, 8 CFR 212.15(e) approved the credentials evaluation provided by the Federation
of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) and the Foreign Credentialing Commission
on Physical Therapy (FCCPT). The requirements above apply to all PTs effective
January 1, 2010, if they have not met any of the following requirements prior to January
1, 2010.
Physical therapists whose current license was obtained on or prior to December 31, 2009,
qualify to provide PT services to Medicare beneficiaries if they:
1. graduated from a CAPTE approved program in PT on or before December 31,
2009 (examination is not required); or, graduated on or before December 31,
2009, from a PT program outside the U.S. that is determined to be substantially
equivalent to a U.S. program by a credentials evaluating organization approved by
either the APTA or identified in 8 CFR 212.15(e) and also passed an examination
for PTs approved by the state in which practicing.
2. Or, PTs whose current license was obtained before January 1, 2008, may meet the
requirements in place on that date (i.e., graduation from a curriculum approved by
either the APTA, the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation of
the American Medical Association, or both).
3. Or, PTs meet the requirements who are currently licensed and were licensed or
qualified as a PT on or before December 31, 1977, and had 2 years appropriate
experience as a PT, and passed a proficiency examination conducted, approved, or
sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service.
4. Or, PTs meet the requirements if they are currently licensed and before January 1,
1966, they were: admitted to membership by the APTA;
a. or admitted to registration by the American Registry of Physical
Therapists;
b. or graduated from a 4-year PT curriculum approved by a State Department
of Education;
c. or licensed or registered and prior to January 1, 1970, they had 15 years of
full-time experience in PT under the order and direction of attending and
referring doctors of medicine or osteopathy.
5. Or, PTs meet requirements if they are currently licensed and they were trained
outside the U.S. before January 1, 2008, and after 1928 graduated from a PT
curriculum approved in the country in which the curriculum was located, if that
country had an organization that was a member of the World Confederation for
Physical Therapy, and that PT qualified as a member of the organization.
For outpatient PT services that are provided incident to the services of physicians/NPPs,
the requirement for PT licensure does not apply; all other personnel qualifications do
apply. The qualified personnel providing PT services incident to the services of a
physician/NPP must be trained in an accredited PT curriculum. For example, a person
who, on or before December 31, 2009, graduated from a PT curriculum accredited by
CAPTE, but who has not passed the national examination or obtained a license, could
provide Medicare outpatient PT therapy services incident to the services of a
physician/NPP if the physician assumes responsibility for the services according to the
incident to policies. On or after January 1, 2010, although licensure does not apply, both
education and examination requirements that are effective January 1, 2010, apply to
qualified personnel who provide PT services incident to the services of a physician/NPP.


Hope that clears things up.
Additional Comment I forgot:
.....and here is the link to the list of APTA approved credentialing companies:

https://www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm...ONTENTID=44995

[updragon]

Many thanks for the clarification, Iceman. I think I may have initially misread your statement about Medicare and their 2010 requirements.
However, as ALL foreign trained PTS must have a Credential evaluation BEFORE being allowed a license in ANY state, seems the Medicare statements are simply reiterating the State requirements.I guess I read into it that something else was being required by Medicare.
Thanks so much for the web site info.It really is becoming so difficult for foreign trained PTS to understand the complex and frustrating process of trying to get USA licensed.It becomes even more complex when one realizes that some states can have the FCCPT report and, if there are other extenuating circumstances, can indeed make their own decisions to grant licenses DESPITE an unfavorable FCCPT report which may state a candidate has an apparent deficiency in General Education or Professional qualifications.
I totally understand the need for ensuring the standards of PT care be consistent and that there be a standard of acceptable care in the US, but the red tape and confusion ought to be simplified and be made more cohesive and comprehensive for foreign trained PTS.I myself have just had an extremely frustrating time with the FCCPT process over the past 6 months, despite being licensed in 2 other states, and having passed my Florida Board exams in the early 90's. Very few states have a grandfather clause now. I was denied a license in one particular Southern State as I was said to be deficient in some minor subjects, but the neighboring state was much more amenable, looked at my qualifications and history of work( I am NDT trained etc), my other State licenses, my Board scores and allowed me a license, despite the FCCPT report.
It is tough for those PTS not in the US to realize the complexities before they begin, so I do thank you for clarifying the process.

[IceMan]

You're welcome updragon. For PT's recently new to the USA the Medicare requirements for credentialing is not a problem because like you said it is now a requirement by all the states from what I've read/heard. There are therapists (myself as an example) that gained licensure in certain States at a time when there was no credentialing requirement. That's why when I found out about this new requirement I immediately set out to get my degree credentialed (and I'm happy to say after some frustrating periods conversing with my University its been successful!).

I agree with you about all the red tape and lack of standards across the board. It can potentially be a pain in the butt there's no doubt. Like you said though its possible to get it done just don't necessarily expect a quick resolution.