Arizona Physical Therapy Continuing Competence Requirements

Approval status

Approved

Make progress towards your required Arizona Contact Hours with our courses. Learn more about Arizona Physical Therapy CEU Requirements.

Course acceptance for these courses

These courses are accepted for Arizona contact hours. The Arizona Board of Physical Therapy does not pre-approve this provider. You still match the activity to the continuing-competence rule before you count it.

The board’s continuing-competence overview says the board does not pre-approve activities. A licensee decides whether an activity matches the rule descriptions. Renewal uses a signed statement that the requirement was met. Certificates are submitted if the board audits the licensee.

Contact hours in R4-24-401

For each compliance period, R4-24-401 requires a physical therapist to earn 20 contact hours. At least 10 must be Category A. No more than five of the Category A hours may be nonclinical coursework. No more than 10 hours may come from Categories B and C combined, and no more than five of those hours may be nonclinical.

A physical therapist assistant must earn 10 contact hours. At least six must be Category A. No more than three of the Category A hours may be nonclinical coursework. No more than four hours may come from Categories B and C combined, and no more than two of those hours may be nonclinical.

When an initial license or certificate lasts one year or less, the rule requires 10 Category A hours for a physical therapist and six Category A hours for a physical therapist assistant, with the same nonclinical limits stated for that initial period. The same activity cannot be counted twice. Hours do not carry into the next compliance period.

The compliance period begins on September 1 following issuance of the initial or renewal license or certificate and ends on August 31 of even-numbered years. A renewal application includes a signed statement of whether the requirement was fulfilled. An audit notice is sent within 60 calendar days after the renewal deadline. Evidence is due within 30 days after the licensee receives that notice. The rule asks for the date, place, course title, sponsor, schedule, presenter, number of contact hours, and proof of completion. Evidence is kept for two compliance periods after participation.

Category A courses and Category B self-instruction

R4-24-402 says a Category A activity must be approved by an accredited medical, health care, or physical therapy program; a state or national medical, health care, or physical therapy association, or a component of that association; or a national medical, health care, or physical therapy specialty society. A Category A continuing education course is one designed to provide understanding of current research, clinical skills, administration, or education related to physical therapy practice. Contact hours are the minutes of instruction divided by 60. Breaks are not instructional time.

Category B self-instruction is a structured course on one clinical physical therapy topic. It may be a correspondence course, video, internet, or satellite program. The maximum is five contact hours for a physical therapist and two contact hours for a physical therapist assistant.

These courses are approved by the Florida Physical Therapy Association, a component of a state physical therapy association. An association-approved course and internet self-instruction are different activities in R4-24-402. Confirm whether these online courses count as Category A, and whether any hours are nonclinical, before you count them. Twelve contact hours is not, by itself, the entire Category A requirement.

What the courses cover

Each course is 4 contact hours, and the bundle is 12. For a Category A course, R4-24-402 counts a contact hour as 60 minutes of instruction and excludes breaks. Prices are on the course and bundle pages. Those links open the pages. They do not complete enrollment.

• Foundational nutrition: macronutrients, micronutrients, calories, and requirements for a healthy population.
• Dietary patterns, including the standard American diet, Mediterranean diets, and plant-based diets.
• How food marketing can affect everyday food choices.
• Label reading for sugars and other nutrients.
• Dietary screening tools used in a physical therapy setting.
• Nutrients related to healing, tissue recovery, and rehabilitation.

References

• Ariz. Admin. Code R4-24-401, continuing competence requirements for renewal
• Ariz. Admin. Code R4-24-402, continuing competence activities
• Arizona Board of Physical Therapy, continuing competence
• Arizona Board of Physical Therapy, continuing competence overview