Mississippi

United States Physical Therapy Practice Acts

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Temporary License Requirements/Availability

SEC. 73-23-53. Temporary license.

In order to obtain a temporary license the individual must fit the following criteria:

• have not taken the licensure exam yet, or
• have taken the exam but have not yet received the scores
• once the exam results are received the individual must pass, if not their temporary license is revoked and they cannot be issued another temporary license, they must pass the exam to received their next license
• the individual must fit the other criteria set for obtaining a license, which are listed in the section below
• if a licensed PT is moving into Mississippi they are able to get a 60 day temporary hospital while they are waiting for their Mississippi licensure to come through

A temporary license is only valid for 90 days and during that 90 day time period the individual must be under direct (face to face oversite at regular intervals) supervision of a licensed PT and that must documented and on file with the board before the temporary license is granted.

If a temporary license is desired by an individual coming from a foreign country they must be proficient in English and meet the other criteria which are listed in the section below.

Requirements for License

An individual wanting to obtain a license must have the following:

• good moral character that aligns with the profession's ethical standards and behaviors
  
• graduated from an accredited physical therapy program
  
• passed the licensure exam with at least minimal passing score
  

      -if an individual takes the test 5 times without passing, they are not permitted to take the test in Mississippi

Individual may apply for reciprocity. The individual must have a valid license from another state.
If an individual as trained in a foreign country they must have the following to obtain a license:

• good moral character
• have a diploma obtained from an institute approved by the board
• evidence of professional education substantially equivalent to the applicant that is applying for licensure within the states
• demonstrate proficiency in the English language

Physical Therapy Students

SEC. 73-23-39. Persons permitted to practice without license; terms

Students must be under the direct, on-site supervision of a licensed physical therapist.  Direct, on-site supervision is considered direct, face to face oversite at regular intervals.

Continued Competence

There is a yearly requirement of 24 hours of continuing education, or 2.4 CEU's.  The year spans from July 1st-June 30th every year and there is no carry over of CEU's beyond 2.4 earned in one year time frame.

There are two requirements for the 24 hours of continuing education:

• at least 6 hours must be directly related to the clinical practice
• at least 2 hours must be used on board approved ethics/professional responsibility programs

Does the Act appear restrictive? Why/Why not?

SEC. 73-23-33. Definitions

The Act does not appear restrictive.  The following is a description taken directly from Mississippi's practice act stating the following:

The "practice of physical therapy" means the practice of the health specialty and encompasses physical therapy evaluation, treatment planning, treatment administration, instruction and consultative services, including:

• Performing and interpreting tests and measurements as an aid to physical therapy treatment, for the purpose of correcting or alleviating any physical condition and to prevent the development of any physical or mental disability within the scope of physical therapy; and the performance of neuromuscular-skeletal tests and measurements as an aid in diagnosis, evaluation or determination of the existence of and the extent of any body malfunction;
• Planning initial and subsequent treatment programs, on the basis of test findings; and
  
• Administering treatment by therapeutic exercise, neurodevelopmental procedures, therapeutic massage, mechanical devices and therapeutic agents which employ the physical, chemical and other properties of air, water, heat, cold, electricity, sound and radiant energy for the purpose of correcting or alleviating any physical condition or preventing the development of any physical or mental disability. The use of roentgen rays and radium for any purpose, and the use of electricity for surgical purposes including cauterization, are not part of physical therapy
  

References

Click below to be directed to Mississippi's Physical Therapy Practice Act

<http://www.mscode.com/free/statutes/73/023/index.htm />

Disclaimer:   Informational Content is assimilated from the state practice act is a resource only and should not be considered a  substitute for the content within the state practice act.  All state practice acts can change and it is recommended that you refer to the original resource in the link above.