Erin Hofmeyer, PT, DPT, GCS
The greater Cincinnati region offers many opportunities to Mount St. Joseph University physical therapy graduates. Both Ohio and Kentucky are member states of the PT Compact Commission. Many license holders, in both states, continue to have questions about whether or not a PT Compact Privilege is right for them. I took a moment to discuss this licensing option with Ohio’s Executive Director, Missy Anthony. Additional insights about the PT Licensure Compact can be found by going to the PT Compact Commission website at: https://ptcompact.org/
1.) What is the PT Licensure Compact?
a. The Physical Therapy Compact is an agreement between member states to improve access to physical therapy services for the public by increasing the mobility of eligible physical therapy providers to work in multiple states.
2.) Is my state a member state?
a. Check out the map below or go to: https://ptcompact.org/ptc-states
3.) How can I purchase a Compact Privilege?
a. You may purchase Compact Privileges in multiple member states by going to: https://ptcompact.org/How-to-Get-Privileges
4.) What benefits are there to purchasing compact privileges if I am already a licensee holder in multiple states?
a. Compact Privileges allow for greater mobility with reduced burdens of following requirements for each license held within a state. As long as the home state remains in good standing, Compact Privileges are easy to obtain and maintain over the course of your clinical practice. A therapist can practice in multiple states with a reduced burden of maintaining licenses in each of those states. This means that there is one set of continuing education requirements (for the home state) and one expiration date to remember (all compact privileges expire on the same date as a home state license).
5.) How many Compact Privileges have been issued in Ohio?
PT – 161 issued, 19 renewed, 147 currently active
PTA – 26 issued, 1 renewed, 22 currently active
6.) How has the PT Licensure Compact impacted care in the state of Ohio?
Given the ease with which any PT or PTA in good standing can purchase a PT Compact privilege, being a member of the PT Compact has expanded Ohio’s workforce. Anecdotally, I have corresponded with physical therapy professionals who have chosen a travel assignment in Ohio based on the fact that they can use a compact privilege to work here. I have also talked to individuals who have been able to more easily promote continuity of care by doing teletherapy while a patient of theirs is temporarily staying in Ohio. But the most excited PTs and PTAs are those whose work takes them across state lines. When previously they held two separate licenses, most welcome the simplicity of having a compact privilege instead of a license so they no longer have to track multiple renewal dates and expiration times.
It is difficult to quantify in numbers this type of impact. But these sorts of anecdotes, combined with the fact that individuals from 19 states have purchased a compact to work in Ohio, promotes the idea that this administrative simplification makes Ohio an attractive state in which to work.
7.) Other thoughts or insights on the PT Licensure Compact?
The PT Compact plays a critical role in public protection by respecting states’ rights to regulate business within the borders while also elevating the value of regulation and easing the burden of obtaining a license. It is an important step for the profession of physical therapy and places PT in a forward looking environment moving forward.
Do you have additional questions for the Ohio OTPTAT Board or Missy? Feel free to email your questions to Board@otptat.ohio.gov