1. (1) Except as provided under subs. (3) and (4), every person applying for any class of license to provide physical therapy services shall submit to the board all of the following:

   1. (a) A completed and verified application form provided by the board and the fees specified in s. 440.05 (1), Stats.

      Note: Application forms are available from the department of safety and professional services’ website at www.dsps.wi.gov.

   2. (c) For a physical therapist, verified documentary evidence of graduation from a school of physical therapy; for a physical therapist assistant, verified documentary evidence of satisfactory completion of a physical therapist assistant educational program approved by the board.

   3. (d) In the case of a graduate of a foreign school of physical therapy or physical therapist assistant educational program, verification of educational equivalency to a board-approved school of physical therapy or physical therapist assistant educational program. The verification required under this paragraph shall be obtained from a board-approved foreign graduate evaluation service, based upon submission to the evaluation service of all of the following material:

      1. 1. A verified copy of transcripts from the schools from which secondary education was obtained.
      2. 2. A verified copy of the diploma from the school or educational program at which professional physical therapy or physical therapist assistant training was completed.
      3. 3. A record of the number of class hours spent in each subject, for both preprofessional and professional courses. For subjects which include laboratory and discussion sections, the hours must be described in hours per lecture, hours per laboratory, and hours per discussion per week. Information must include whether subjects have been taken at basic entry or advanced levels.
      4. 4. A syllabus that describes the material covered in each subject completed.
   4. (e) Evidence of successful completion of the examinations specified in ch. PT 2.

2. (2) If an applicant is a graduate of a school of physical therapy or a physical therapist assistant educational program not approved by the board, the board shall determine whether the applicant’s educational training is equivalent to that specified in sub. (1) (c). In lieu of its own evaluations, the board may use evaluations prepared by a board-approved evaluation service. The cost of an evaluation shall be paid by the applicant.

   Note: The board periodically reviews and approves foreign graduate evaluation services. A list of board-approved evaluation services is available upon request by calling (608) 266-2112.

3. (3) The board may waive the requirement under sub. (1) (c) for an applicant who establishes, to the satisfaction of the board, all of the following:

   1. (a) The applicant is a graduate of a physical therapy school or a physical therapist assistant educational program.
   2. (b) The applicant is licensed as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant by another licensing jurisdiction in the United States.
   3. (c) The jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed required the applicant to be a graduate of a school or educational program approved by the licensing jurisdiction or of a school or educational program that the licensing jurisdiction evaluated for educational equivalency.

   4. (d) The applicant has actively practiced as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant, under the license issued by the other licensing jurisdiction in the United States, for at least 3 years immediately preceding the date of application.

      Note: The board approves those schools of physical therapy and physical therapist assistant educational programs that are at the time of the applicant’s graduation recognized and approved by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.

4. (4) A reciprocal license to provide physical therapy services shall be granted to a service member, a former service member, or the spouse of a service member or former service member who the board determines meets all of the requirements under s. 440.09 (2), Stats. Subject to s. 440.09 (2m), Stats., the board may request verification necessary to make a determination under this subsection.

History

History: Cr. Register, September, 1995, No. 477, eff. 10-1-95; r. (1) (b), am. (2) and (3) (intro.), Register, June, 1998, No. 510, eff. 7-1-98; CR 03-020: am. (1) (intro.), (c), (d) (intro.), 2., (2), (3) (a) to (d), Register April 2004 No. 580, eff. 5-1-04; CR 12-002: am. (1) (c) Register August 2012 No. 680, eff. 9-1-12; CR 15-027: am. (title), (1) (intro.), (a), cr. (1) (e) Register January 2016 No. 721, eff. 2-1-16; CR 20-054: am. (1) (intro.), (d) (intro.), 3., 4., (3) (a) to (d), cr. (4) Register June 2021 No. 786, eff. 7-1-21; correction in (4) made under s. 35.17, Stats., Register June 2021 No. 786.