Section 1340.30  Application for Licensure on the Basis of Examination

a)         An applicant for a physical therapist license by examination shall file an application on forms supplied by the Division.  The application shall include:

1)         A complete work history indicating all employment since graduation from a physical therapist program;

2)         Certification of successful completion of a physical therapist program, signed by the Director of the Physical Therapy Program or other authorized university official and bearing the seal of the university, which meets the requirements set forth in Section 1340.20 of this Part;

3)         The required fee specified in Section 1340.57 of this Part.

b)         An applicant for a physical therapist assistant license by examination shall file an application on forms supplied by the Division.  The application shall include:

1)         A complete work history indicating all employment since graduation from a physical therapist assistant program;

2)         Certification of graduation from a physical therapist assistant program and attainment of a minimum of an associate's degree signed by the director of the Physical Therapist Program or other authorized school official and bearing the seal of a school that meets the requirements set forth in Section 1340.20 of this Part; and

3)         The required fee specified in Section 1340.57.

c)         If supporting documentation for the application is not in English, a certified translation must be included.

d)         Graduates from Outside the United States

1)         A graduate of a physical therapist program outside the United States or its territories shall have his or her credentials evaluated, by a credentialing service acceptable to the Committee, to determine equivalence of education to a physical therapist degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States or its territories pursuant to Section 1340.20(b).  The credentialing service must have a physical therapist consultant on its staff.  The Committee recognizes the Foreign Credentialing Commission of Physical Therapy, Inc. (FCCPT), P.O. Box 25827, Alexandria, Virginia 22313 as a service determined by the Committee to be acceptable.

2)         A graduate of a physical therapist assistant program outside the United States or its territories shall have his or her degree evaluated by a credentialing service to determine equivalence of education to a physical therapist assistant degree conferred by a regionally accredited college or university in the United States or its territories pursuant to Section 1340.20(b).  A person who graduated from a physical therapist assistant program outside the United States or its territories and whose first language is not English shall submit certification of passage of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE).

e)         An applicant shall have 60 days after approval of the application to take the examination.  If the examination is not taken within those 60 days, the examination fee is forfeited and the applicant shall resubmit the required examination fee to Continental Testing Services, Inc.  An applicant who fails to take the examination within 60 days shall forfeit his/her right to work as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant until the examination is passed.

f)          If the applicant has ever been licensed/registered in another state or territory of the United States, he/she shall also submit a certification, on forms provided by the Division, from the state or territory of the United States in which the applicant was originally licensed and the state in which the applicant predominantly practices and is currently licensed, stating:

1)         The time during which the applicant was registered in that jurisdiction, including the date of the original issuance of the license;

2)         A description of the examination in that jurisdiction;

3)         Whether the file on the applicant contains any record of disciplinary actions taken or pending.

g)         An applicant for a license, who has successfully completed the examination recognized by the Division in another jurisdiction but who has not been licensed in that jurisdiction, shall file an application in accordance with subsection (a) or (b) and have the examination scores submitted to the Division by the reporting entity.

h)         When the accuracy of any submitted documentation or the relevance or sufficiency of the course work or experience is questioned by the Division or the Committee because of lack of information, discrepancies or conflicts in information given or a need for clarification, the applicant seeking licensure shall be requested to:

            1)         Provide such information as may be necessary; and/or

2)         Appear for an interview before the Committee to explain such relevance or sufficiency, clarify information or clear up any discrepencies or conflicts in information.

i)          If the applicant has been determined eligible for licensure except for passing of the examination, the applicant shall be issued a letter of authorization which allows him/her to practice under supervision in accordance with Section 2 of the Act.  Supervision shall constitute the presence of the licensed physical therapist on site to provide supervision.  The applicant shall not begin practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, license pending, until the letter of authorization is received from the Division.

(Source:  Amended at 28 Ill. Reg. 16252, effective December 2, 2004)