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Are You Certified to be a Clinical Instructor to Supervise a Foreign Educated Physical Therapist Applicant while Performing the Required Period of Clinical Service?

Effective January 1, 2008 all Center Coordinators of Clinical Education (CCCE) are required to be certified as a clinical instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in order to supervise a foreign educated physical therapists performing the required period of clinical service.

Section 1398.26 and Section 1398.26.5 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations was amended on January 9, 2005 to revise existing clinical service provisions for foreign educated applicants that include the following: (1) to specify that the supervising physical therapist is the Center Coordinator of Clinical Education (CCCE) and/or the Clinical Instructor (CI); (2) to require by January 1, 2008 that a CCCE, and by January 1, 2010 that all CIs must be certified as a clinical instructor by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA); (3) to require the supervising physical therapist to be onsite and available to the applicant to provide assistance with patient care; (4) to require an evaluation of the applicant’s skill level using the Clinical Performance Instrument (12/1997) issued by the APTA midway through, and at the end of the period of clinical service; (5) to require waiver of three months of clinical service if the applicant completes a postsecondary course in Law and Professional Ethics or four continuing education units in Ethics; and (6) to require waiver of one month of clinical service for each month of licensed clinical practice in another state.

The PTBC does not certify the CCCE. You will need to contact the APTA directly to obtain information on how to become certified as a CCCE.

American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Contact Information:

1-800-999-2782
www.apta.org