In this News Brief:
We are excited to announce that the Healthy Practice Resource is officially live! FSBPT, in collaboration with HRRI, developed this innovative self-assessment tool to support licensee well-being and promote healthy practice across the profession. The tool consists of ten modules that cover key areas, including emotional, mental, physical, and financial well-being, as well as work-related factors such as practice climate and role support. It is designed to encourage self-reflection and provide tailored resources—not to set standards or influence licensure decisions. All responses remain confidential and are shared only with the individual user. This tool is important as research shows that continuing education alone does not guarantee competence or prevent harm to patients. The Healthy Practice Resource offers a proactive approach by helping professionals identify areas for growth and access resources that support sustainable, healthy practice.
If your board would like a presentation on the tool—how it works, why it matters, and why your state should consider granting CE credit for completion—please let us know. FSBPT staff is ready to walk you through the resource and answer any questions about implementation and credit approval.
Explore the Healthy Practice Resource at healthypractice.hrri.org. Thank you for helping us promote well-being in physical therapy practice to help advance public protection.
The web address for the FSBPT Member Portal has changed. If you are getting to the portal through the FSBPT website or recent emails, you should be fine! However, please update any personal bookmarks or saved links to ensure uninterrupted access to the portal. Please reach out if you have any questions or run into any problems.
The annual meeting of the PT Compact Commission will take place on Tuesday, December 10, at 1:00 PM ET. This meeting is open to the public, and we encourage interested stakeholders to attend. To register, please log in to the FSBPT Portal, select "Events," and click on the PT Compact Commission Annual Meeting.
The 2025 Practice Analysis for the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) is now available on our website. This comprehensive report, prepared by HumRRO in collaboration with FSBPT, provides an in-depth analysis of the work activities, knowledge, and skills essential for entry-level physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
The practice analysis serves as the foundation for ensuring that the NPTE remains a valid and reliable measure of competence. By examining current trends in physical therapy practice, this report helps guide updates to test specifications and item development, ensuring that the exam reflects the realities of modern clinical practice.
You can access the full report on our Ensuring Validity page.
FSBPT continues to refine the Coursework Tool (CWT), updating it to correspond with the latest CAPTE standards and requirements. Dedicated task forces for CWT7 and PTA Tool 3 have collaborated over the past year to make certain that educational equivalency for internationally trained physical therapy practitioners is both robust and fair. These updates aim to minimize discrepancies in evaluating foreign credentials, ultimately strengthening the licensure process for all applicants.
Extensive reliability studies are underway to guarantee consistency in how the new tools are applied across jurisdictions. The anticipated launch date for these tools is January 1, 2027, promising a uniform framework that will benefit both licensure applicants and reviewers.
Each month, we will focus on a different statute section from the Model Practice Act and its accompanying commentary. Learn more by reading the Model Practice Act.
Article 4: Regulation of Physical Therapy
4.11 Substance Abuse Recovery Program
A. The board may permit a licensee [or certificate holder] to actively participate in a board-approved substance abuse recovery program if:
1. The board has evidence that the licensee [or certificate holder] is impaired.
2. The licensee [or certificate holder] enters into a written agreement with the board for a restricted license [or certificate] and complies with all the terms of the agreement, including making satisfactory progress in the program and adhering to any limitations on his or her practice or employment imposed by the board to protect the public. Failure to enter into such an agreement shall activate an immediate investigation and disciplinary proceeding by the board.
3. As part of the agreement established between the licensee [or certificate holder] and the board, the licensee [or certificate holder] signs a waiver allowing the substance abuse program to release information to the board if the licensee [or certificate holder] does not comply with the requirements of this section or is unable to practice or work with reasonable skill or safety.
Commentary
This model language is placed here as opposed to Grounds for Denial of a License[ and Certificate]; Disciplinary Action, Article 4.04 because entry and participation in a substance abuse recovery program shall be initiated in a way other than through the formal disciplinary process. A person regulated by this statute could (and should) report a substance abuse problem to the board. This self-reporting could be handled through voluntary participation in a recovery program monitored by the board in lieu of discipline. Successful recovery from substance abuse provides a benefit to society in general, to the profession’s position of public trust and to the impaired practitioner. After a sufficient period of supervision and recovery, a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who is otherwise free from actionable activities under the disciplinary provisions of a practice act shall be able to return to or maintain a productive career.
This section does not preclude disciplinary action against an impaired physical therapist or physical therapist assistant who declines to participate in voluntary recovery or who violates the conditions of an approved recovery program (see Paragraph 22 under Grounds for Denial of a License [and Certificate]; Disciplinary Action, Article 4.04). This section provides two options: the licensee or certificate holder shall either participate in the substance abuse program or face disciplinary proceedings. The public will be further protected by Paragraph 2 that requires the licensee or certificate holder to adhere to any limitations imposed by the board as a condition of participation in a recovery program.
This model language does not provide for confidential participation in a substance abuse recovery program. Entering into a written agreement requiring participation in such a program constitutes an official action by the board and would be part of the public record. Jurisdictions wishing to adopt a confidential program should seek local legal counsel. "
The FSBPT Board is committed to supporting its member jurisdictions in their mission to protect the public. Join the ranks of states, including Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and the Virgin Islands, that have all taken a big step toward both administrative efficiency and protecting the public. They are currently leveraging FSBPT Grants to enhance the ELDD, improve compact privilege implementation, and collect workforce data.
Your state should be next! Learn more about our available grants to help jurisdictions with enhancing your participation in or communication with our Examination, Licensure, and Disciplinary Database (ELDD), improving compact privilege implementation, or collecting workforce data.
FSBPT offers grant funding to support its member jurisdictions in their mission to protect the public. If you are interested in receiving a grant, please send an email to FSBPT's CEO, William A. Hatherill summarizing what you would like to have funded and why it is important or how it can improve efficiencies for your board.
We are hosting multiple upcoming webinars within the FSBPT Portal, allowing you to easily access member resources, groups, and events all in one place! Be sure to register for these upcoming webinars:
Regulatory Hour with Dale Atkinson: A Year in ReviewDecember 17, 4:00 p.m. ETTo register, please log in to the FSBPT Portal, select "Events," and click on the event you'd like to register for.
Do you know of any individuals or groups that would be interested in receiving our monthly News Brief? Do you have new board members or staff starting in 2025? Or did someone forward this to you, and you'd like to be on our list?
Please send any referrals our way! Contact us via email at communications@fsbpt.org with information, ideas, or suggestions.
We appreciate your collaboration in our effort to further our mission to protect the public.
Standardized workforce data collection in physical therapy is critically important to help inform policy decisions and support the healthcare workforce effectively. This article is based on a presentation at the 2024 Annual Education Meeting by Mario Baker, Katie Brittain, and Meghan Warren.
The purpose of this document is to provide information and general guidance to physical therapy jurisdictional authorities for regulating the use of telehealth technologies in the practice of physical therapy.
This month, we thank our generous volunteer members for their support of our mission.
FSBPT provides the following links for your education and awareness, but does not endorse the content.
"Nurse charged with allegedly replacing hospice patient’s oxycodone with cleaning chemicals," Chad Van Alstin, HealthExec, November 5, 2025
"A hospice nurse treating a patient with dementia is accused of purposefully replacing oxycodone with a household cleaning chemical, in a potentially dangerous attempt to divert the opioid pain reliever."
"Pennsylvania woman accused of giving patients weight loss drugs meant for animals," Chad Van Alstin, HealthExec, October 29, 2025
"A woman who operated weight loss and holistic medicine clinics in Pennsylvania is facing a federal charge for allegedly giving patients weight loss drugs meant for animals, describing it as human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a pregnancy hormone."
Recently, to advance the business of FSBPT, the board approved the motions listed. Please contact your jurisdiction board liaison if you have any questions or would like additional information.
2025-10-01
To appoint the following individuals as committee or task force chairs.
2025-10-02
To appoint the following individuals to the PT Examination Development Committee for the positions and terms specified.
2025-10-03
To appoint the following individuals to the PTA Examination Development Committee for the positions and terms specified.
2025-10-04
To appoint the following individuals as PT Item Writer Coordinators.
2025-10-05
To appoint the following individuals as PTA Item Writer Coordinators.
2025-10-06
To appoint the following individuals as PT Item Writer Task Force Members.
2025-10-07
To appoint the following individuals as PTA Item Writer Task Force Members.
2025-10-08
Update NPTE score reports for candidates testing prior to July 1996 to remove UNK from the status box and modify the explanation of the score to read, “Prior to 1996, the NPTE passing score was determined by each jurisdiction. Consistent with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, FSBPT discourages interpreting outdated scores. An individual who tested in a given jurisdiction prior to July 1996, and was then licensed in that jurisdiction, passed the exam.”Rationale: Updating the language and score status indicator on pre-1996 score reports will improve the clarity for state boards.Fiscal Impact: Minimal. Will be included in a planned update of the Online Processing System (OPS) in 2026.
2025-10-09
Create a new task force charged with developing model language for code of ethics for use by regulatory boards.Rationale: With the recent changes to APTA Code of Ethics document, several jurisdictions are impacted and may have difficulty handling the aspirational components of the new APTA document scheduled to go live in 2026.
2025-11-01
To approve the 2026 organizational goals.Rationale: The Board of Directors annually adopts organizational goals.Fiscal Impact: None
2025-11-02
To adopt the FSBPT 2026 operating budgetRationale: The Board of Directors annually adopts an operating budget.
2025-11-03
To adopt the FSBPT 2026 capital budgetRationale: The Board of Directors annually adopts a capital budget.
2025-11-04
To adopt the 2026 reserve funding Rationale: The Board of Directors annually adopts reserve fund amounts.
2025-11-05
To adopt the 2026 FSBPT Policies Manual.Rationale: As a matter of procedure, the policy manuals are reviewed and approved each year.Fiscal Impact: None.
2025-11-06
To adopt the 2026 Personnel Policy Manual.Rationale: As a matter of procedure, the policy manuals are reviewed and approved each year.Fiscal Impact: None.
2025-11-07
To adopt the 2026 NPTE Policies.Rationale: The 2026 NPTE Policies will become effective 60 days after they have been sent to the member jurisdictions for review.Fiscal Impact: None.
2025-11-08
Motion - ApprovedTo adopt the 2026 Salary Administration Manual.Rationale: As a matter of procedure, the policy manuals are reviewed and approved each year.Fiscal Impact: None.
2025-11-09
To adopt the 2026 Nominations Election Manual.Rationale: As a matter of procedure, the policy manuals are reviewed and approved each year.Fiscal Impact: None.
2025-11-10
To re-appoint Charles Reiter as the Public member through December 31, 2026
Members of the board of directors serve as liaisons to multiple jurisdictions.
Stephen Curley Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia
Craig Miller Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah
David Relling Hawaii, New Jersey, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, and Virgin Islands
Steven Scherger Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas
Michelle Sigmund-Gaines Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
Michele Thorman Delaware, District of Columbia, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, Virginia, and Wisconsin
Krista Wolfe Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Charles E. Reiter The public member of the board does not serve as a liaison to jurisdictions
FSBPT’s Board of Directors wants members to know staff is available to assist any jurisdiction with writing statutory or regulatory language. When you are crafting new laws or regulations/rules, especially involving FSBPT products such as the NPTE or Coursework Tool, or controversial topics such as dry needling, FSBPT is a resource to remember!
Subject
Point of Contact/Email Address
ADA accommodations
Christine Sousa
Assessment or examination development questions
Lorin Mueller npte@fsbpt.org
Continuing competence
Jeffrey M. Rosa
Credentials review
Jaime Nolan, FCCPT
ELDD- Exam, Licensure and Disciplinary Database participation
eldd@fsbpt.org
Exam registration processing
Foreign educated issues
Leslie Adrian
Immigration
Jamie Nolan
JAM- Jurisprudence Assessment Module
JAM@fsbpt.org
Legislation or Model Practice Act
Meeting arrangements
Paul Delaney
NPDB reports/questions
Angela Burnham
PTC- Physical Therapy Compact
compact@fsbpt.org
PEAT®- Practice Exam & Assessment Tool
peat@fsbpt.org
Reimbursement of expenses and other financial matters
David Sigman, ext. 226
School reports
schoolreports@fsbpt.org
Score transfer & reporting
SCP PET- Supervised Clinical Practice Performance Evaluation Tool
scppet@fsbpt.org
Security issues
Susan Newman security@fsbpt.org
Anything else, including news to share with members
William A. Hatherill Caitlin Jennings Communications@fsbpt.org
From the bright fall colored leaves on the banks of the Potomac, where the fish are faster, the fishing boats are longer, and the fishermen are still full of stories.