Florida Statutes 486.161 – Exemptions
Current as of: 2024 | Check for updates
|
Other versions
(1) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit any person licensed in this state from using any physical agent as a part of, or incidental to, the lawful practice of her or his profession under the statutes applicable to the profession of chiropractic physician, podiatric physician, doctor of medicine, massage therapist, nurse, osteopathic physician or surgeon, occupational therapist, or naturopath.
(2) No provision of this chapter shall be construed to prohibit:
(a) Any student who is enrolled in a school or course of physical therapy approved by the board from performing such acts of physical therapy as are incidental to her or his course of study; or
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 486.161
- Board: means the Board of Physical Therapy Practice. See Florida Statutes 486.021
- Direct supervision: means supervision by a physical therapist who is licensed pursuant to this chapter. See Florida Statutes 486.021
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Physical therapist: means a person who is licensed and who practices physical therapy in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. See Florida Statutes 486.021
- Physical therapist assistant: means a person who is licensed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter to perform patient-related activities, including the use of physical agents, whose license is in good standing, and whose activities are performed under the direction of a physical therapist as set forth in rules adopted pursuant to this chapter. See Florida Statutes 486.021
- Practice of physical therapy: means the performance of physical therapy assessments and the treatment of any disability, injury, disease, or other health condition of human beings, or the prevention of such disability, injury, disease, or other health condition, and the rehabilitation of such disability, injury, disease, or other health condition by alleviating impairments, functional movement limitations, and disabilities by designing, implementing, and modifying treatment interventions through therapeutic exercise; functional movement training in self-management and in-home, community, or work integration or reintegration; manual therapy; massage; airway clearance techniques; maintaining and restoring the integumentary system and wound care; physical agent or modality; mechanical or electrotherapeutic modality; patient-related instruction; the use of apparatus and equipment in the application of such treatment, prevention, or rehabilitation; the performance of tests of neuromuscular functions as an aid to the diagnosis or treatment of any human condition; or the performance of electromyography as an aid to the diagnosis of any human condition only upon compliance with the criteria set forth by the Board of Medicine. See Florida Statutes 486.021
(b) Any physical therapist from another state from performing physical therapy incidental to a course of study when taking or giving a postgraduate course or other course of study in this state, provided such physical therapist is licensed in another jurisdiction or holds an appointment on the faculty of a school approved for training physical therapists or physical therapist assistants.
(3) No provision of this chapter prohibits a licensed physical therapist from delegating, to a person qualified by training, experience, or education, specific patient care activities, as defined and limited by board rule, to assist the licensed physical therapist in performing duties in compliance with the standards of the practice of physical therapy. Specific patient care activities, as defined and limited by board rule, must be performed under the direct supervision of the licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in the immediate area, if the person is not a licensed physical therapist assistant.