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Continuing Competency (CC)

The Oregon Board of Physical Therapy has continuing competency (CC) requirements in order to renew your PT or PTA license. 

All required continuing competency must be completed within the current certification period. The current Certification Period runs from April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2026. 

Continuing Competency activities are requiredto be reported to the Board as part of the renewal process. You will be asked to enter details about your 2024-2026 CC courses and activities and upload copies of your certificates as part of your renewal application. You can also enter them throughout the period in order to save time at renewal and track your progress.

Guide to Continuing Competency

The Board has created a new PDF guide to help explain Continuing Competency Requirements in Oregon. Click below to view the guide.

Understanding Continuing Competency Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

The number of CC hours that ​you need ​​depends on the effective date of your current license.  This date is printed on your license, or you can look up your record via the license lookup tool.  Then, just determine where your effective date falls in the table below to determine how many hours you will need to complete.

Effective DateTotal CC Units Required
Between April 1st, 2024​ and March 31st, 2025
24 Hours
Between April 1st, 2025 and December 31st, 2025
12 Hours
Between January 1, 2026 and March 31, 2026​
0 Hours​
​
​

There are two mandatory continuing competency courses.

Pain Management. ​This is a requirement made by the legislature in 2021. Licensees MUST take the Oregon Pain Management Commission's Pain Management Module at every renewal. Click here to take the free course.

Cultural Competence. Licensees MUST take a course in cultural competency every renewal period. Licensees may choose from a variety of courses. The course must be a minimum of one hour. Additional details can be found on our Cultural Competency Page.​​

The Oregon Pain Management Commission's Pain Management Module is required to be taken at every renewal, in accordance with ORS 413.590(j). ​The course is free.

The current course is "Transforming Pain Management" ​and is worth 1 CC.

Click here to take the course.​

Additional information on the OPMC Course:

  • A previous version of the course called Changing the Conversation on Pain was worth 1.5 CC. If you took the prior version within the current renewal period you do not need to retake the course, and you may submit the full 1.5 CC. 
  • If you were initially licensed after April 1, 2024, you have already taken the course as part of your initial application. You do not need to complete the module again at renewal, however you MUST add a continuing competency activity ​during renewal and upload the course certificate, as it will not transfer from your application automatically.
  • If you are having issues with the course, please contact the Course Provider through the OHA Course Website for assistance. ​

The Board allows for a wide range of qualifying courses and activities and allows for both clinical and non-clinical content. 

This includes traditional courses, seminars and workshops as well as other activities, such as completing an ABPTRFE fellowship or residency, serving as a certified clinical instructor, publishing articles in a peer-reviewed journal, or for presenting a course or lecture. Non-clinical content may only count for a maximum of 8 CC.​

There are applicable criteria, and, in some cases maximum credits for different activities in a given certification period.
Please see OAR 848-035-0030 for specifics.

30 minutes.

Courses must be a minimum of half an hour to qualify for CC credit. Courses less than 0.5 CC cannot be accepted. 

There are no requirements for course setting in the current law. Courses may be online, in-person, or hybrid. They can be synchronous or asynchronous.  

In other words, licensees may take all of their courses online, may take them all in-person, or can take a combination of both in-person and online courses. 
​

At a minimum, course certificates must show:

  • Title of the Course
  • Licensee Name
  • Name of Speaker/Sponsor
  • Number of Hours of Class
  • Date of Class​

Additional details on required documentation, including for non-course continuing competency activities, can be found in OAR ​848-035-0040. 

Documentation must be provided when submitting a continuing competency for renewal.

​Yes, and it's a great way to refresh your knowledge of Oregon laws regarding the practice of Physical Therapy!

Once per renewal period, licensees may take the Oregon Jurisprudence Assessment Model (OR-JAM). 

The OR-JAM is a 50 question law exam based on the content of the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) and Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR).  It is a computer-based, open-book exam that you can take from your home computer. The cost to take the OR-JAM is $48.00 and passing it will count for 3 hours of continuing competence in the Non-Clinical Category of Jurisprudence.

All CC courses taken in the 2 years prior to your license expiration date may count towards your continuing competency requirements for renewal. 

Example:

  • You were licensed in Washington in 2022 and took a course in December 2024 to renew your Washington License.
  • You became licensed in Oregon in September 2025.
  • Your Oregon license is set to expire in March 2026.
  • You can count the December 2024 course for your March 2026 Oregon renewal, because it was taken within the 2 years prior to your license expiration, even though you were not an Oregon Licensee at the time you took the course. ​

Courses taken as part of a CAPTE-Accredited PT or PTA education program may not count towards your requirements., the courses must be continuing education, not initial PT or PTA education.

​The Board does not approve Continuing Competency courses, but does require that courses have been sponsored, certified, or approved by another established and recognized health related organization, professional association, or state. 

Essentially- if the course says that they have been approved by any other state or by any other health related Oregon Board, the course is approved for credit with the Oregon Board of Physical Therapy as well. ​

Helpful Hints for inputting CC Activities:

Choose the activity type first: When adding a CC activity, select whether it is Clinical or Non-Clinical before entering any other information. Each type requires different information, and changing the selection later may erase what you’ve entered.

Use your keyboard: Use the arrows next to the hours field for whole numbers (e.g., 1, 2, or 3 hours). For partial hours (e.g., 0.5, 1.75, or 2.5), you’ll need to type the number manually.

Use your mobile device: The Licensee Portal is mobile-friendly. If you don’t have a scanner, you can take photos or use a scanning app on your phone or tablet and upload documents directly. iPhone users: please turn off Live Photo.

Maximum credit limits are calculated automatically: Some activity categories have maximum credit limits. For example, Business/Leadership activities can count for up to 4 hours total. If you enter more than the allowed maximum, only the permitted hours will apply to your total number of CC Hours.

Print to PDF: If a course only offers a “Print” option, you can still save your certificate by printing it as a PDF.
[Click here for a guide on printing to PDF on various devices] (links to a site unaffiliated with OBPT).

Try a different device or web browser: If you're having issues, try logging in on a different device or switching which web browser you are using. Device-specific settings can sometimes cause issues, and switching often resolves them. If the problem continues, email the Board with a detailed description or screenshots of what’s happening—we’re happy to help.

Video Guides: Adding Continuing Competency in the Licensee Portal

The videos below show how to navigate to the Licensee Portal on a desktop computer or an iphone, and walk the viewer through adding a continuing competency activity. 

Hint: Video too fast? Too Slow? Try clicking on the cog icon at the bottom of the video while it is playing, then click Playback speed. Selecting smaller numbers will make the video go slower, higher numbers will go faster!

Desktop Version:

iPhone Version: