Reciprocity for Foreign Educated PTs and PTAs
Foreign Educated PTs and PTAs
List of Approved Credentialing Entities
*Louisiana does not accept IERF Report
Foreign-trained applicants must submit the following items IN ADDITION TO the general requirements for initial licensure or reciprocity.
Required Items
- Educational Credentials Evaluation – You must have your entry-level physical therapy education evaluated by a board-approved credentialing agency. The credentialer will report directly to the Board whether your education is substantially equivalent to that of a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)-accredited physical therapy program. The Board will not accept a copy of the evaluation submitted by the applicant.
If your education is lacking evidence of required coursework, you will need to remediate the deficiencies before your education can be deemed substantially equivalent.
Applicants by examination must be evaluated using the most current version of the Coursework Tool (CWT). Applicants by endorsement must be evaluated using the version of the CWT appropriate to the year the applicant graduated from the foreign physical therapy program or a more current version.
EXCEPTION: A degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited physical therapy program exempts you from the educational credentials evaluation requirement. However, applicants from CAPTE-accredited programs must have a transcript sent by the school directly to the Board.
IMPORTANT: An evaluation of educational content by the New York State Education Department does not meet the Education Credentials Evaluation requirement.
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – Foreign-trained applicants by examination must achieve a passing score on the TOEFL as follows:
Composite of reading comprehension, listening comprehension and writing: 63
Speaking: 26
Foreign-trained applicants by reciprocity are not required to meet the TOEFL requirement.
THERE ARE 3 EXCEPTIONS TO THE TOEFL REQUIREMENT:
a) You earned your entry-level physical therapy degree in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, or you hold a degree from a foreign CAPTE-accredited program.
b) You hold a current license in physical therapy in a country listed in #1 above and have been licensed and practicing in that country for at least 5 years prior to application. (Documentation required: verification of licensure and proof of active practice)
c) You submit satisfactory proof that you are a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S. or a current H1-B visa holder, and
i. have attended 4 or more years of secondary (high school) or post-secondary (college/university) education in the U.S., or
ii. have completed a post-professional physical therapy degree in English from a program in the U.S. or a country listed in #1.
3. Supervised Clinical Practice
Foreign-educated applicants seeking initial licensure in the United States in Louisiana must obtain a provisional license and complete a period of supervised clinical practice prior to obtaining a permanent license.
A foreign-educated physical therapist or foreign-educated PTA who have engaged in the practice of physical therapy for a minimum of 20 hours per week for at least for at least one year in another jurisdiction of the United States, may be eligible for licensure by reciprocity as a PT or PTA without completing the period of supervised clinical practice at the discretion of the board. Such request shall be made in writing and submitted with license application and acceptable documentation of clinical experience.
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