Continuing Education Insight
Oklahoma Continuing Education Update
By: Lindsey Tatum, Milestone Continuing Education
Bad weather happens everywhere. Blizzards plague the North in the winter months. Hurricanes batter the South and the Eastern coastlines in the summer. Earthquakes rock the West. Droughts and flash floods occur throughout the country. And then there's the Midwest, known to many for its weather phenomenon: the tornado. According to the National Weather Service records, Oklahoma dwellers experienced 63 tornadoes in 2012! Sixty-three... that's an incredible number. Even if you haven't personally witnessed the destructive nature of a tornado, you can probably easily imagine the damage they can inflict. But you didn't click on this blog post to learn weather statistics, did you?
Medical professionals in the "Sooner State" have to be prepared for catastrophic weather events like those that happened in early June this year, when five tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma City, killing 18 and injuring dozens. For tornado survivors, the road to recovery may involve many medical procedures and treatments. More than likely, physical therapy will be required to restore physical abilities and get them back to living their lives as they did before.
Continuing education for Oklahoma physical therapists and physical therapy assistants helps to increase practical and professional knowledge to better enable the skills to help recovering clients. Every December 31st (of odd years, only), PTs are required to complete 40 hours of physical therapy continuing education courses, and PTAs are required to complete 30 hours of physical therapy continuing education classes. Oklahoma State board rules (sub-chapter 9) divide continuing education for physical therapists into 2 categories - A and B. Category A consists of physical therapy and physical therapy assistant continuing education classes in a live environment. No less than half of the required CEU hours (20 for PTs and 16 for PTAs) are to be derived from courses that fit the definition of Category A.
The B Category is defined as "individualized instruction" including home study or Internet courses. PTs are only allowed to obtain 20 hours from online resources, and PTAs are allowed 14 hours (the Oklahoma physical therapy board defines 1 CEU credit as 60 minutes). It is the responsibility of the PT or PTA to report their hours to the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Board. Physical therapy continuing education courses are outlined to optimize success and improve professional performance by incorporating the latest study findings and medical techniques.
This post was provided by Lindsey Tatum from Milestone Continuing Education.
https://www.MilestoneCE.com/
Milestone Continuing Education is an approved provider of physical therapist and physical therapy assistant continuing education by the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Board. Look for our discount on the homepage of RehabEdge.com.
Disclaimer: It is ultimately the responsibility of the practitioner to be aware of changes to their continuing education requirements. Check your state board’s website to insure you are up to date on your requirements, as they frequently change.
