Wisconsin Administrative Code › Physical Therapy Examining Board › Chapter PT 5 - Physical Therapist Assistants, Unlicensed Personnel, And Students › Section PT 5.02 - Supervision of unlicensed personnel

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) A physical therapist shall provide
			 direct, immediate, on-premises supervision of unlicensed personnel at all
			 times. The physical therapist may not direct unlicensed personnel to perform
			 tasks that require the decision-making or problem-solving skills of a physical
			 therapist, including patient examination, evaluation, diagnosis, or
			 determination of therapeutic intervention.
(2) In providing direct, immediate,
			 on-premises supervision, the physical therapist shall do all of the following:
(a) Retain full professional responsibility
			 for patient related tasks performed.
(b) Be available at all times for direction
			 and supervision with the person performing related tasks.
(c) Evaluate the effectiveness of patient
			 related tasks performed by those under direct supervision by assessing persons
			 for whom tasks have been performed prior to and following performance of the
			 tasks.
(d) Routinely evaluate the
			 effectiveness of patient related tasks performed by those under direct
			 supervision by observing and monitoring persons receiving such tasks.
(e) Determine the competence of personnel to
			 perform assigned tasks based upon education, training, and
			 experience.
(f) Verify the
			 competence of unlicensed personnel with written documentation of continued
			 competence in the assigned tasks.
(g) Perform initial patient examination,
			 evaluation, diagnosis, and prognosis, interpret referrals, develop and revise
			 as appropriate a written patient treatment plan and program for each patient,
			 and create and maintain a patient record for every patient the physical
			 therapist treats.
(h) Provide
			 interpretation of objective tests, measurements, and other data in developing
			 and revising a physical therapy diagnosis, assessment, and treatment
			 plan.
(i) Direct unlicensed
			 personnel to provide appropriate patient related tasks consistent with the
			 education, training, and experience of the person supervised. Direction should
			 list specific patient related tasks, including dosage, magnitude, repetitions,
			 settings, length of time, and any other parameters necessary for the
			 performance of the patient related tasks.
(j) Limit the number of unlicensed personnel
			 providing patient related tasks under direct supervision to a number
			 appropriate to the setting in which physical therapy is administered, to ensure
			 that all patients under the care of the physical therapist receive services
			 that are consistent with accepted standards of care and consistent with all
			 other requirements under this chapter.
(k) The total number of physical therapist
			 assistants providing physical therapy services and unlicensed personnel
			 performing patient related tasks under supervision may not exceed a combined
			 total of 4. This number shall be reduced by the number of physical therapists
			 and physical therapist assistants holding temporary licenses who are being
			 supervised under s.  PT 3.01(6).