Physical Therapists who graduated from institutions not accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) must meet additional requirements to be licensed in Oregon. There is currently one institution outside of the United States accredited by CAPTE, so these rules impact most PTs educated outside of the United States.
PTs must meet all of the requirements for licensure found on the Applying for Licensure page, plus the additional requirements below.
There are two routes to licensure for Physical Therapists: Exam and Endorsement.
- An Endorsement Candidate has been licensed in another US state or territory.
- An Exam Candidate has not been licensed in another US state or territory.
The rules and requirements for each of these are different, so read on to determine what you need to provide to OBPT in order to be licensed in Oregon.
Endorsement Candidates
A physical therapist may be licensed by endorsement if they complete all of the licensure requirements AND they provide:
- A Certified Copy of the Course Work Tool (CWT) in place at the time that they graduated showing that the education is equivalent. This must be sent by the credentialing agency or the state that issued the license.
These items cannot be provided by the applicant- they must be sent to the board by the credentialing agency.
OAR 848-010-0022 is the administrative rule governing endorsement candidates who were educated outside of the United States. Applicants are encouraged to read through the full rule to understand the requirements for licensure.
Exam Candidates
A physical therapist may be licensed by exam if they complete all of the licensure requirements AND they provide:
- A Certified Copy of the current Course Work Tool (CWT). The current course work tool is CWT 6. This must be sent to OBPT by the credentialing agency.
- A Score Report showing the following minimum TOEFL scores: writing, 22; speaking, 24; reading, 22; listening, 21; with an overall score of not less than 89. All scores are not required to be achieved on the same examination. The TOEFL is not required if English is the native language of the applicant's country of origin AND the physical therapy program employs English as the language of training. This must be sent to OBPT by ETS.
These items cannot be provided by the applicant- they must be sent to the board by the credentialing agency or by ETS.
OAR 848-010-0015(3) is the administrative rule governing exam candidates who were educated outside of the United States. Applicants are encouraged to read through the full rule to understand the requirements for licensure.
Social Security Numbers
OBPT may not issue a license without an applicant's social security number. Applicants may submit an application without one, however the license will not be issued until a valid social security number is provided.
Physical Therapist Assistant Licenses
In Oregon, the only education that will qualify an applicant for licensure as a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) is a CAPTE- Accredited PTA program. Individuals trained as PTs who do not meet either the PT Exam or PT Endorsement candidate requirements may not apply as a PTA, even if they have been licensed as a PTA in other states.