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Cultural Competency

In 2019, the legislature passed House Bill 2011, which directed 23 health care Boards to require their Licensees to complete cultural competency continuing education. The purpose of the requirement is to improve provider-patient interactions and subsequently, health outcomes— not just for people experiencing racial/ethnic health disparities, but for all historically and contemporarily marginalized people in Oregon.

All Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants must complete a minimum of 1 hour of Cultural Competency Education in order to renew their license. This must be completed every renewal period. 

Meeting the Cultural Competency Requirement

You can meet this requirement in three ways:

  • Take any of the courses approved by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) under ORS 413.450 OR
  • Take a course that OBPT has already reviewed and found to meet OHA Criteria for Cultural Competency (see list below) OR
  • Take any other course that meets OHA Criteria. The course must address attitudes and skills that enhance a licensee's ability to communicate and interact effectively with individuals across various cultures, groups and communities.
The same course may not be taken for credit two biannual renewal periods in a row. 
Ethics courses do not meet the cultural competency requirement UNLESS they explicitly meet the OHA criteria listed above.

Helpful Links:

Cultural Competency Courses

The list below includes courses that OHA has approved and courses that OBPT has reviewed and found to meet the OHA criteria. To find out more about a course, reach out to the course provider or review the most recent list of OHA approved courses.

Please note- not all courses are offered on demand. The links below are provided by the Board as a courtesy- the Board is not affiliated with the links below and is not responsible for their content. 

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