State law and jurisprudence CE requirements by state
Many boards require a course or exam on their own state's practice act and rules. It's usually short and online, and it only counts in the state that requires it.
23states require it of PTs
6states require it of OTs
| State | Physical therapists | Occupational therapists |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 hours of Alabama jurisprudence covering the Practice Act and the Administrative Code at your first renewal, then in years ending in 0 or 5 (2030, 2035 and so on). General ethics courses don't count for this. rules | Not required |
| Arkansas | The Arkansas jurisprudence exam, at every odd-year renewal (counts as 1 online hour) rules | Not required |
| California | 2 hours of ethics, laws and regulations rules | Not required |
| Florida | Not required | A 2-hour board-approved course on Florida laws and rules (Chapters 456 and 468 Part III, F.S., and Division 64B11, F.A.C.) rules |
| Georgia | 4 hours of Georgia ethics and jurisprudence, or passing the Georgia Ethics and Jurisprudence Exam. Courses must come from a Georgia university with an accredited PT program or a provider with a current PTAG approval certificate. rules | Not required |
| Hawaii | 2 units of ethics, laws and rules covering Hawaii law, from a course approved by the Hawaii board (no other approvals count) rules | Not required |
| Illinois | At least 3 hours on the ethical practice of physical therapy, including jurisprudence rules | Not required |
| Indiana | 2 hours in an ethics and Indiana jurisprudence course related to physical therapy rules | Not required |
| Kansas | PTs: the Kansas jurisprudence assessment module from the board and FSBPT, each cycle (counts for 1 hour) rules | Not required |
| Kentucky | The board's jurisprudence examination, an open-book tutorial on Kentucky PT law (counts for 2 hours) rules | Not required |
| Louisiana | 2 hours of jurisprudence: pass the board's jurisprudence exam (online) or attend a board jurisprudence course rules | A 1-hour course from the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners on the rules and regulations for OTs and COTAs rules |
| Massachusetts | At least 2 points in ethics, or the laws and regulations governing practice in Massachusetts rules | At least 2 points in ethics, or the laws and regulations governing practice in Massachusetts rules |
| Minnesota | A self-study jurisprudence exam on the Minnesota Practice Act each year you renew (open book; you can retake it until you pass) rules | Not required |
| Mississippi | 3 hours of board-approved study in ethics, professionalism or jurisprudence rules | Not required |
| Nevada | Not required | Passing the Nevada Occupational Therapy Jurisprudence Examination at least once every 5 years (it can count toward your hours) rules |
| New Hampshire | The New Hampshire jurisprudence assessment module, taken in April, May or June of years ending in 0 or 5 rules | Not required |
| New Jersey | 4 credits of jurisprudence and professional ethics rules | Not required |
| North Carolina | The board's online jurisprudence exercise, each reporting period (counts for 1 point) rules | Not required |
| Ohio | At least 2 hours of ethics through the board's renewal jurisprudence module (they count toward your total; a fee may apply) rules | At least 1 hour of ethics, jurisprudence or cultural competence each renewal cycle rules |
| Pennsylvania | PTs: 2 hours of law or ethics, and 2 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting PTAs: 2 hours of law or ethics, 2 hours of board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting, and 4 hours on identifying and responding to emergency health conditions rules | Not required |
| South Carolina | 3 hours in ethics, professionalism or South Carolina jurisprudence, taken as a Certified Activity rules | Not required |
| Tennessee | 4 hours of ethics and jurisprudence every other renewal cycle, from courses approved by the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association (TPTA). Each course is at least 2 hours. rules | 1 hour on the OT portions of the Tennessee OT and PT Practice Act and the board's OT rules (Chapter 1150-02) rules |
| Texas | The Texas Jurisprudence Assessment Module (TX JAM) rules | Not required |
| Washington | Passing the Washington jurisprudence exam within your first full CE cycle after licensure (counts as 1 hour) rules | Not required |
| Wisconsin | 4 hours of ethics, jurisprudence or both (for PTs and PTAs) rules | Not required |
Where to take it
- These come from the board itself or a provider it names. Several PT boards use a Jurisprudence Assessment Module (JAM) built with FSBPT; the board's page tells you where to take yours.
- Taking another state's law course won't meet the requirement.
Summaries of each board's rules. A state not listed doesn't require this topic as far as its PT and OT rules say. Rules change, so confirm with your board.
Other required topics
- Ethics 21 states
- Human trafficking 3 states
- Implicit bias 3 states
- Suicide prevention 4 states
- Cultural competency and health equity 5 states
- Pain management 2 states
- Preventing medical errors 1 state
- HIV/AIDS 1 state
- Child abuse recognition and reporting 2 states
- CPR and basic life support 3 states
- Sexual harassment prevention 1 state
- Dementia recognition 1 state
- Mental health and substance use 1 state