This government office determines whether physical therapy assistants are eligible for licensure. It stipulates accreditation requirements for PTA schools, approves and administers examinations for license applicants, and imposes rules for license renewals and continuing education.
The board also conducts investigations and holds hearings concerning allegations of improper conduct. Practitioners may be censored or reprimanded, lose their licenses temporarily or permanently, be ordered to pay fines or restitution, or submit to an inspection of their facilities.
The governor names five state residents to the board. Three of them are licensed physical therapists who have been practitioners, teachers, or researchers in Idaho for at least three years. One of the officials may be a licensed physical therapist assistant, and one is “a member of the public with an interest in the rights of the consumers of health services.”
Minimum Education Requirements for Physical Therapy Assistant Programs in Idaho
Either a high school diploma or a GED is essential to begin the process to become a physical therapy assistant in Idaho. Some PTA schools are more likely to accept applicants who took extra science, health, and math classes in high school.
State officials mandate that a prospective practitioner enroll in a nationally accredited postsecondary institution offering a PTA program “with a curriculum acceptable to the board.” The most common certification is from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), which the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognize.
Every year, practitioners must obtain 16 hours of continuing education. The state accepts the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy’s ProCert certification for continuing education.