Ohio Administrative Code|Rule 4755-23-12 | Requirements for foreign educated applicants.

                                                
(A) A "foreign-educated
		  applicant" is a person whose physical therapist or physical therapist
		  assistant education was obtained in a program not accredited by the commission
		  on accreditation of physical therapy education and located in a country other
		  than the United States.
(B) All foreign-educated applicants
		  applying to be licensed as a physical therapist must show an educational
		  background deemed by the physical therapy section to be reasonably equivalent
		  to the requirements established in section 4755.42 of the Revised Code,
		  division (A)(4) of section 4755.45 of the Revised Code, and paragraph (A) of
		  rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code.
(C) All foreign-educated applicants
		  applying to be licensed as a physical therapist assistant must show an
		  educational background deemed by the physical therapy section to be reasonably
		  equivalent to the requirements established in section 4755.421 of the Revised
		  Code, division (A)(4) of section 4755.451 of the Revised Code, and paragraph
		  (B) of rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code.
(D) All foreign-educated applicants must submit to the
		  section an evaluation of education credentials prepared by a professional
		  education evaluating service approved by the section.
(1) Evaluations of the
			 applicant's foreign education coursework content and required semester
			 credits shall be completed utilizing the appropriate coursework evaluation tool
			 adopted by the federation of state boards of physical therapy. The appropriate
			 coursework evaluation tool means the latest edition coursework evaluation tool
			 that applies to the period when the applicant was initially licensed as a
			 physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in the initial country or
			 state of license.
(2) The following
			 professional education evaluating services are approved by the section to
			 conduct and submit an evaluation of education credentials to the
			 section:
(a) Foreign credentialing commission on physical therapy, inc.
				(FCCPT).
(b) International consultants of Delaware, inc.
				(ICD).
(c) International education research foundation, inc.
				(IERF).
(3) A list of approved
			 professional education evaluating services shall also be available on the
			 board's website (http://otptat.ohio.gov).
(E) To be considered reasonably equivalent to the
		  requirements established in rule 4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code, the
		  applicant's foreign education must contain evidence of the content and
		  distribution of coursework identified in the appropriate coursework evaluation
		  tool identified in paragraph (D)(1) of this rule.
(F) The general education requirements established in rule
		  4755-23-02 of the Administrative Code may be satisfied by credits earned
		  through successful completion of college level examination program (CLEP) or
		  advanced placement (AP) credits.
(G) Evaluations prepared pursuant to paragraph (D) of this
		  rule reflect only the findings and conclusions of the evaluating service and
		  shall not be binding upon the physical therapy section. In accordance with
		  division (B) of section 4755.45 of the Revised Code or division (B) of section
		  4755.451 of the Revised Code, if the physical therapy section determines that
		  an applicant's education is not reasonably equivalent to the educational
		  requirements that were in force for license in Ohio on the date of the
		  applicant's initial license or registration in another state or foreign
		  country, the physical therapy section shall send written notice via certified
		  mail stating the reasons why the applicant's education is not reasonably
		  equivalent.
(H) All foreign-educated applicants shall demonstrate a
		  working knowledge of English by obtaining:
(1) Scores of at
			 least:
(a) 4.5 on the test of written English (TWE);
(b) Fifty on the test of spoken English (TSE); and
(c) Two hundred twenty on the computer based test of English as a
				foreign language (TOEFL) or five hundred sixty on the paper based TOEFL;
				or
(2) Scores on the TOEFL
			 iBT of at least:
(a) Twenty-four on the writing section;
(b) Twenty-six on the speaking section;
(c) Twenty-one on the reading comprehension section;
(d) Eighteen on the listening comprehension section;
				and
(e) Eighty-nine on the overall examination.
(3) A foreign-educated
			 applicant whose native language is English and who graduated from a physical
			 therapy or physical therapist assistant education program located in Australia,
			 Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom shall not
			 be required to demonstrate a working knowledge of English.
(I) An applicant must meet the
		  requirements established in paragraph (H) of this rule prior to the board
		  making the applicant eligible to sit for the examinations specified in rule
		  4755-23-03 of the Administrative Code.