Rules & Regulations of the State of Tennessee
Title 1150 - TN Boards of Occupational and Physical Therapy
Chapter 1150-02 - General Rules Governing the Practice of Occupational Therapy
Section 1150-02-.04 - QUALIFICATIONS FOR LICENSURE
Universal Citation: TN Comp Rules and Regs 1150-02-.04
Current through September 24, 2024
(1) To qualify for licensure as an occupational therapist, an applicant must:
(a) Be of good moral character;
(b) Have successfully completed the academic
requirements of an educational program for occupational therapists accredited by the
Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or its predecessor
organization;
(c) Have successfully
completed the supervised fieldwork experience required by ACOTE; and
(d) Pass the National Board for Certification in
Occupational Therapy Examination administered by the National Board for
Certification in Occupational Therapy; or be eligible for licensure as provided in
T.C.A. §
63-13-213.
(2) To be eligible for licensure as an occupational therapy assistant, an applicant must:
(a) Be of good moral character;
(b) Have successfully completed the academic
requirements of an educational program for occupational therapy assistants
accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE)
or its predecessor organization;
(c)
Have successfully completed the supervised fieldwork experience required by ACOTE;
and
(d) Pass the National Board for
Certification in Occupational Therapy Examination administered by the National Board
for Certification in Occupational Therapy; or be eligible for licensure as provided
in T.C.A. §
63-13-213.
(3) If the date of application for licensure as either an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant is more than three (3) years following successful completion of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Examination and the applicant is not currently practicing in another state and applying for a Tennessee license by reciprocity, the applicant may be subject to additional requirements for licensure to be determined by the Board including, but not limited to the following:
(a) Engage in a formalized process of
self-assessment through the use of the AOTA professional development tool.
(b) Submit documentation that applicant has
attended and successfully completed a minimum of ten (10) hours of formal learning
related to the occupational therapy service delivery for each year between the
original qualification for licensure and actual application for licensure, at least
twenty (20) of which must have occurred within the twenty-four (24) months prior to
application and must relate to the area of practice in which the applicant intends
to practice; or
(c) Must have a minimum
of two (2) hours of continuing education in the area of ethics; one (1) hour of
continuing education in Tennessee jurisprudence and a minimum of two (2) hours of
continuing education in the area of documentation. These continuing education hours
should be obtained within twenty-four (24) months prior to the
application.
(d) Upon licensure approval
by the Board as either an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant,
a licensee is required to be supervised during their first twelve (12) months of
practice by a licensed occupational therapist in good standing. If the relationship
between supervisor and licensee should cease before the expiration of the twelve
(12) months, licensee must obtain a new supervisor and notify the Board of the name
of the new supervisor within thirty (30) days of obtaining the new
supervisor.
(4) Certification in the use of physical agent modalities
(a)
Electrical stimulation certification - To be eligible for certification in
electrical stimulation, an applicant must:
1. Meet
all qualifications in paragraph (1) or (2) of this rule and all applicable
procedures in Rule 1150-02-.05; and
2.
Submit documentation of current certification from the Hand Therapy Certification
Commission; or
3. Successfully complete
Board-approved training that shall consist of a total of twenty-five (25) contact
hours of didactic and laboratory experiences which include five (5) treatments on
clinical patients to be supervised by licensees who hold certification pursuant to
subparagraph (a) or by a physical therapist currently licensed in the United States.
The treatments shall be from the following categories, and at least one (1)
treatment shall be from each category:
(i)
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
(ii) Electrical stimulation for pain
control
(iii) Edema reduction
4. If applicant is seeking
certification in the use of physical agent modalities, as provided in paragraph (4)
of this rule, the applicant shall present to the Board's administrative office proof
of successful completion of didactic and clinical training that has been completed
within the two (2) years preceding the submission of the application for
certification.
(b) Thermal
agents certification - To be eligible for certification in the use of thermal
agents, an applicant must:
1. Meet all
qualifications in paragraph (1) or (2) of this rule and all applicable procedures in
Rule 1150-02-.05; and
2. Submit
documentation of current certification from the Hand Therapy Certification
Commission; or
3. Successfully complete
Board-approved training that shall consist of a total of twenty (20) contact hours
of didactic and laboratory experiences which include ten (10) treatments on clinical
patients to be supervised by licensees who hold certification pursuant to
subparagraph (b) or by a physical therapist currently licensed in the United States.
Five (5) of the ten (10) treatments shall utilize ultrasound. The treatments shall
be from the following categories, and at least one (1) treatment shall be from each
category:
(i) Superficial heating agents
(ii) Cryotherapy
(iii) Deep heating agents
4. If an applicant is seeking certification in the
use of physical agent modalities, as provided in paragraph (4) of this rule, the
applicant shall present to the Board's administrative office proof of successful
completion of didactic and clinical training that has been completed within two (2)
years preceding the submission of the application for certification.
(c) Training. The continuous
supervision of fieldwork students who are training to be certified in the use of
physical agent modalities is required at all times. Such supervision shall only be
provided by an occupational therapist who is currently licensed in Tennessee and is
currently certified in Tennessee in the use of physical agent modalities.
1. Approval of all training courses shall be made
by the Board. The required training for electrical stimulation and thermal agents
certification may be obtained through:
(i) Colleges
and universities approved for training occupational therapists and occupational
therapy assistants by the American Occupational Therapy Association, or physical
therapists and physical therapy assistants by the American Physical Therapy
Association, or at clinical facilities affiliated with such accredited colleges or
universities; or
(ii) The American
Society of Hand Therapists; or
(iii) Any
approved provider offering a Board-approved course.
2. The training for the therapeutic use of
electrical stimulation devices shall provide competency in the following areas:
(i) Standards
(I)
The expected outcome or treatments with therapeutic electrical current (TEC) must be
consistent with the goals of treatment.
(II) Treatment of TEC must be safe, administered
to the correct area, and be of proper dosage.
(ii) Correct dosage and mode
(I) Ability to determine the duration and mode of
current appropriate to the patient's neurophysiological status while understanding
Ohm's law of electricity, physical laws related to the passage of current through
various media, as well as impedance.
(II) Ability to describe normal electrophysiology
of nerve and muscle; understanding generation of bioelectical signals in nerve and
muscle; recruitment of motor units in normal muscle and in response to a variety of
external stimuli.
(III) Ability to
describe normal and abnormal tissue responses to external electrical stimuli while
understanding the differing responses to varieties of current duration, frequency
and intensity of stimulation.
(iii) Selection of method and equipment
(I) Ability to identify equipment with the
capability of producing the pre selected duration and mode.
(II) Ability to describe characteristics of
electrotherapeutic equipment and understanding of the therapeutic value of different
electrotherapeutic equipment.
(III)
Ability to describe safety regulations governing the use of electrotherapeutic
equipment.
(IV) Ability to describe
principles of electrical currents.
(V)
Ability to describe requirements/idiosyncrasies of body areas and pathological
conditions with respect to electrotherapeutic treatment.
(iv) Preparation of treatment
(I) Ability to prepare the patient for treatment
through positioning and adequate instructions
(II) Ability to explain to the patient the
benefits expected of the electrotherapeutic treatment.
(v) Treatment administration
(I) Ability to correctly operate equipment and
appropriately adjust the intensity and current while understanding rate of
stimulator, identification of motor points, and physiological effects
desired.
(II) Ability to adjust the
intensity and rate to achieve the optimal response, based on the pertinent
evaluative data.
(vi)
Documentation of treatments - Ability to document treatment including immediate and
long-term effects of therapeutic electrical current.
3. The training for the therapeutic use of thermal
agents shall provide competency in the following areas:
(i) Standards
(I)
The expected outcome or treatments with thermal agents must be consistent with the
goals of treatment.
(II) Treatment with
thermal agents must be safe, administered to the correct area, and be the proper
dosage.
(III) Treatment with thermal
agents must be adequately documented.
(ii) Instrumentation
(I) Ability to describe the physiological effects
of thermal agents as well as differentiate tissue responses to the various modes of
application.
(II) Ability to select the
appropriate thermal agent considering the area and conditions being
treated.
(III) Ability to describe
equipment characteristics, indications, and contraindications for treatment,
including identifying source and mechanisms of generation of thermal energy and its
transmission through air and physical matter.
(iii) Preparation for treatment
(I) Ability to prepare the patient for treatment
through positioning and adequate instruction.
(II) Ability to explain to the patient the
benefits expected of the thermal treatment.
(iv) Determination of dosage - Ability to
determine dosage through determination of target tissue depth, stage of the
condition (acute vs. chronic), and application of power/dosage calculation rules as
appropriate.
(v) Treatment
administration - Ability to administer treatment through identification of controls,
sequence of operation, correct application techniques and application of all safety
rules and precautions.
(vi)
Documentation of treatments - Ability to document treatment including immediate and
long-term effects of thermal agents.
(5) In determining the qualifications of applicants for licensure as an occupational therapist or as an occupational therapy assistant, only a majority vote of the board of occupational therapy shall be required.
Authority: T.C.A. §§ 4-5-202, 4-5-204, 63-13-102, 63-13-103, 63-13-108, 63-13-202, 63-13-203, 63-13204, 63-13-205, 63-13-206, 63-13-213, and 63-13-216.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Tennessee may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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