Military Trained Applicant Information

Military Trained Applicant Instructions

A military applicant applying for licensure who has been educated through military training and clinical experience must demonstrate that their education is substantially equivalent to the education received by CAPTE educated graduates. NOTE: A physical therapist assistant MUST have a current North Carolina license PRIOR to practicing physical therapy in North Carolina. All Military Trained/Active Military/Military Spouse/Veteran/Veteran Spouse will have an expedited process to licensure.

Using the Application Instructions, Military Applicants who were educated through military training and clinical experience will apply for a PTA license by Exam the same as other applicants with these differences:

• Application Fee Waiver: Military will have the application fee waived; however, will be required to submit payment for FBI Fingerprint Criminal Background Check costs. Military must answer yes to military on the application and choose military status, then upload an accepted form of Military Identification to receive waiver of the application fee.
• Proof of Military Identification: Example: Military ID, Military Orders, Military discharge forms for waiver of application fees. The Board will request this when application is received and can be returned via email or fax, if not uploaded when the application is completed online.
• Certification of Education: North Carolina General Statutes Section 93B-15.1 addresses licensure for individuals with military training. A portion of the statute is as follows:
  PART I. MILITARY SPOUSE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSURE SECTION 1. G.S. 93B-15.1 reads as rewritten: " § 93B-15.1. Licensure for individuals with military training and experience; proficiency examination; licensure by endorsement for military spouses; temporary license. "
  

  (a) Except as provided by subsection (a2) of this section, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, an occupational licensing board, or State agency licensing board, as defined in G.S. 93B-1, shall issue a license, certification, or registration to a military-trained applicant to allow the applicant to lawfully practice the applicant's occupation in this State if, upon application to an occupational licensing board or State agency licensing board, the military-trained applicant satisfies the following conditions:

  (1) Has been awarded a military occupational specialty and has done all of the following at a level that is substantially equivalent to or exceeds the requirements for licensure, certification, or registration of the occupational licensing board or State agency licensing board from which the applicant is seeking licensure, certification, or registration in this State: completed a military program of training, completed testing or equivalent training and experience, and performed in the occupational specialty.

  
  

  Submission of a substantially equivalent Educational Credentials Review is required. To assure that the education / training is equivalent as required by 93B-15.1, the Board has determined that military trained physical therapist assistant applicants must have their education / training evaluated by a credentialing agency using the current Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy’s Coursework Tool for Physical Therapist Assistants. The credentialing agency that has been approved by the Board to administer this tool is the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (“FCCPT”) and the contact information is listed below.

  
  
  The Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT)
  511 Wythe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
  Telephone 703/684-8406, Fax 703/684-8715
  E-mail address: help@fccpt.org.
  
  

  The results of the evaluation must be sent directly to the Board by FCCPT.

• Eligibility to take and pass the National Physical Therapy Exam: An applicant seeking initial licensure or who fails to meet the requirements for military endorsement is required to pass the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) for physical therapist assistants.

  The NPTE for physical therapist assistants is administered on fixed-dates throughout the year. To view information on examination dates and deadlines visit the FSBPT website.

  The passing level for the examination is 600 on a scale of 200 - 800. Examination applicants must also pay the current cost of the NPTE exam directly to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) at www.fsbpt.org. Financial assistance for the testing fee may be available from the Department of Defense.

  Applicants must complete all required documents in order for the application to be considered complete and the Board review the application for licensure. Applicants are responsible for making sure documents are submitted to the Board office.

Military trained applicants my apply for LICENSURE BY ENDORSEMENT if: the applicant has an active license in another state or jurisdiction by “military equivalency”

Requirement unique to military trained applicants by endorsement:

• An active license in another state or territory may be endorsed if the applicable requirements for licensure were at the time of the applicant's licensure substantially equal to the requirements of the North Carolina Physical Therapy Practice Act. A person must be licensed in another state by virtue of examination or by endorsement of a license granted on the basis of examination. The applicant's examination score must meet the North Carolina passing level.
• A Military Trained applicant who is not a graduate of CAPTE (Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education) must have his/her education / training evaluated using the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy 2007 Coursework Tool, which must be determined to be equivalent by the Board.
• Provides proof that he/she has engaged in assisting in the active practice of physical therapy for at least two of the five years preceding the date of the application under this section.

NC State and Physical Therapy Law information regarding Military Trained applications for licensure