Law Passes Requiring PTA Licensure in Michigan
According to the June 26 PT Bulletin Online from the APTA, Michigan has passed legislation to license PTAs. Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm signed SB 151 into law on June 25, requiring PTAs to obtain state licensure. With this move, Michigan becomes the 42nd jurisdiction to license PTAs. Thirty-nine other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico license PTAs, while 8 other states regulate PTAs through certification or registration.
"Our efforts to ensure that physical therapy patients will receive the highest quality care from PTAs have paid off," said Michigan Physical Therapy Association President Jake Jakubiak Kovacek, PT. "We're grateful that our lawmakers recognized the importance of this legislation for patient protection and passed SB 151 in its original form."
The Bulletin further noted that the Physical Therapy Board of Licensure and Michigan Department of Community Health will move forward with the process of officially stating administrative rules, creating a limited license and distributing that license to qualified PTAs by December 31. The new law also adds term protection for "physiotherapy" and "DPT," and establishes a continuing education requirement as a condition for PT and PTA licensure renewal.
What do you think about this new legislation and how it will impact the physical therapy profession?