Form - Traineeship Letter of Agreement
"Trainee" means an individual who is approved for a traineeship.
"Traineeship" means a period of activity during which a trainee works under the direct supervision of a licensed physical therapist who has practiced for not less than one year prior to assuming the supervisory role.
"Training permit" means a valid and current certificate of registration issued by the board, which gives the person to whom it is issued authority to engage in practice through a traineeship prescribed thereon.
A training permit may be issued to a qualified applicant following Board-approval of a properly submitted application.
Qualified Applicants
Graduates of entry-level programs for physical therapists or physical therapist assistants from either a CAPTE or a non-CAPTE-accredited school who have taken and passed the national licensing examination and an examination on the laws and rules governing the practice of physical therapy in Georgia; or
Applicants for reinstatement, who have not practiced for two (2) and up to five (5) years;
Applicants for reinstatement who have not practiced for more than five (5) years and who have successfully taken and passed the national licensing examination and an examination on the laws and rules governing the practice of physical therapy in Georgia;
Applicants for endorsement, who have not practiced for two (2) and up to five (5) years;
Applicants for endorsement who have not practiced for more than five (5) years and who have successfully taken and passed the national licensing examination and an examination on the laws and rules governing the practice of physical therapy in Georgia.
Initial Applications and Reinstatement Applications
A notarized training permit application form must be submitted by the trainee's supervisor specifying:
The name and license number of the trainee supervisor who will be responsible for the conduct of the traineeship;
The name, address, phone, fax number and e-mail address of all sites where the trainee and supervisor may be working during the course of the traineeship;
The effective dates of the traineeship;
Acceptance of responsibility for trainee supervision and completion of the performance evaluation;
Termination of the traineeship as defined herein; and
Type of facility.
A training permit may be renewed one time, for no more than six (6) months, upon written request and with approval of the Board, and only for one good and exceptional reason as determined by the Board. Failure to pass the licensing examination is not considered a good and exceptional reason. For purposes of this rule, good and exceptional reasons include but are not limited to:
Death of an immediate family member; or
Illness or incapacitation of the applicant or immediate family member (a physician's statement is required); or
Jury duty (proof required).
Validity of Permit
Training permits are subject to the following conditions:
Able to be initiated in the State of Georgia within three months of issuance of such permit.
Must be returned to the Board by the trainee with a brief explanation of why it was not used.
A 480 hour traineeship must be completed within three (3) months of initiation. A 1000 hour traineeship must be completed in no less than 6 months or no more than 1 year if approved by the Board;
A training permit shall become invalid and must be immediately returned to the Board office by the trainee if:
The trainee fails to complete the traineeship within the above prescribed time frames; or
If the trainee does not exhibit performance satisfactory to the supervisor.
The supervisor named on the training permit application holds full responsibility under their license for direct, continuous, on-site supervision of the trainee at all times. The supervisor must assure that the trainee does not perform any patient care activities in his/her absence.
If for some reason the primary supervisor cannot fulfill their duties as supervisor, a new application requesting an alternate supervisor must be approved by the Board. The trainee may not participate in direct patient care until an alternate supervisor is approved by the Board. The alternate supervisor will assure compliance with all terms and obligations outlined in this rule.
The supervisor or approved alternate supervisor must hold a Georgia license in good standing and have practiced full time for not less than one continuous year.
The supervisor must regularly evaluate trainee performance in all areas as specified by the Board. At the end of the traineeship period, the supervisor must submit a performance evaluation on the board approved traineeship performance evaluation reporting form
The supervisor must notify the Board of unsatisfactory performance at which time the training permit becomes null and void.
The supervising therapist will supervise no more than two (2) trainees at one time.
O.C.G.A § 43-33-3
Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 490-2-.04