Rule 4755:2-1-07 | Requirements for internationally educated applicants.
(A) An "internationally-educated applicant" is a person whose physical therapist or physical therapist assistant education was obtained in a program not accredited by the commission on accreditation of physical therapy education and located in a country other than the United States.
(B) All internationally-educated applicants applying to be licensed as a physical therapist must show an educational background deemed by the physical therapy section to be reasonably equivalent to the requirements established in section 4755.42 of the Revised Code, division (A)(4) of section 4755.45 of the Revised Code, and paragraph (A) of rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code.
(C) All internationally-educated applicants applying to be licensed as a physical therapist assistant must show an educational background deemed by the physical therapy section to be reasonably equivalent to the requirements established in section 4755.421 of the Revised Code, division (A)(4) of section 4755.451 of the Revised Code, and paragraph (B) of rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code.
(D) All internationally-educated applicants must submit to the section an evaluation of education credentials prepared by a professional education evaluating service approved by the section.
(1) Evaluations of the applicant's international education coursework content and required semester credits shall be completed utilizing the appropriate coursework evaluation tool adopted by the federation of state boards of physical therapy. The appropriate coursework evaluation tool means the latest edition coursework evaluation tool that applies to either of the following:
(a) The period when the applicant was initially licensed or registered as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in the initial country of license; or
(b) The period when the applicant completed their physical therapist or physical therapist assistant education program if the country in which the education program was completed does not issue a physical therapist license or registration.
(2) The section may accept an evaluation completed for another state if the other state's educational requirements for licensure, including the coursework tool used, were substantially equivalent to Ohio's for the period of review.
(3) The following professional education evaluating services are approved by the section to conduct and submit an evaluation of education credentials to the section:
(a) Foreign credentialing commission on physical therapy, inc. (FCCPT).
(b) International consultants of Delaware, inc. (ICD).
(c) International education research foundation, inc. (IERF).
(4) A list of approved professional education evaluating services shall also be available on the board's website (http://otptat.ohio.gov).
(E) To be considered reasonably equivalent to the requirements established in rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code, the applicant's international education must contain evidence of the content and distribution of coursework identified in the appropriate coursework evaluation tool identified in paragraph (D)(1) of this rule.
(F) The general education requirements established in rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code may be satisfied by credits earned through successful completion of college level examination program (CLEP) or advanced placement (AP) credits.
(G) Evaluations prepared pursuant to paragraph (D) of this rule reflect only the findings and conclusions of the evaluating service and shall not be binding upon the physical therapy section. In accordance with division (B) of section 4755.45 of the Revised Code or division (B) of section 4755.451 of the Revised Code, if the physical therapy section determines that an applicant's education does not meet the conditions of division (A)(4) of section 4755.45 or division (A)(4) of section 4755.451, the physical therapy section shall send written notice via certified mail stating the reasons why the applicant's education is not reasonably equivalent.
(H) All internationally-educated applicants shall demonstrate a working knowledge of English by obtaining:
(1) Scores of at least:
(a) 4.5 on the test of written English (TWE);
(b) Fifty on the test of spoken English (TSE); and
(c) Two hundred twenty on the computer based test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL) or five hundred sixty on the paper based TOEFL; or
(2) Scores on the TOEFL iBT of at least:
(a) Twenty-four on the writing section;
(b) Twenty-six on the speaking section;
(c) Twenty-one on the reading comprehension section;
(d) Eighteen on the listening comprehension section; and
(e) Eighty-nine on the overall examination.
(3) An internationally-educated applicant whose native language is English and who graduated from a physical therapy or physical therapist assistant education program located in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom shall not be required to demonstrate a working knowledge of English.
(I) An applicant must meet the requirements established in paragraph (H) of this rule prior to the board making the applicant eligible to sit for the examinations specified in rule 4755-23-03 of the Administrative Code.
(J) An internationally-educated applicant who is a candidate for licensure by endorsement may request a waiver for the TOEFL requirements established in paragraph (H) of this rule. In order to qualify for a waiver, the applicant must show proof of completion of a minimum of one thousand hours of clinical practice each year in a state or territory of the United States or in a country listed in paragraph (H)(3) of this rule for three of the last ten years immediately prior to application. No more than five years can have elapsed since the applicant has been actively engaged in the practice of physical therapy. The physical therapy section may, at its discretion, grant a waiver of the TOEFL requirement.
Last updated February 12, 2024 at 8:50 AM
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