What is the PT Compact?
If you are a traveling therapist, a physical therapist in particular, you will want to familiarize yourself with the PT Compact. As stated on the PT Compact website, “The Physical Therapy Compact is an interstate agreement between member states to provide a state-developed collaborative structure to protect the public by increasing consumer access to physical therapy services by reducing regulatory barriers to interstate mobility and cross-state practice.” In short, the PT compact is a way to bypass the normal individual state licensure process for quick and easy access to practicing in the participating member states.
Normal PT Licensing
To fully understand the benefits of the PT Compact, one must understand how typical licensing occurs. Normal licensing for PTs occurs either via exam or via endorsement/reciprocity.
Licensure by Exam
Licensure by exam only occurs for one’s very first license. When applying to take the NPTE (National PT Exam), each candidate must declare which state they intend to get licensed following passing the exam. This ensures that your scores are immediately sent to the appropriate licensing body for the state you intend to be licensed. Note this is the only time you won’t have to pay to have those scores transferred to each respective state. After passing the NPTE, you then go through the normal state licensure application process. Each state will have different requirements and processing times, but overall with slightly fewer hoops than with licensure by endorsement/reciprocity.
Licensure by Endorsement/Reciprocity
Licensure by endorsement or reciprocity is the process that will occur when applying for any other subsequent state license following the very first. As it sounds, you will be applying via endorsement from another state licensing body. First, you will still provide proof that you passed the NPTE, and you will have the extra steps of going through the normal licensing application process, as well as obtaining licensure verification from each state you are already licensed. As one’s travel career goes along and many licenses are held, this process can be quite cumbersome and time-consuming, as one can imagine.
So, that is how someone would typically get licensed, that is until the PT Compact was introduced.
Who Can Utilize the PT Compact?
As amazingly beneficial as the PT Compact is, not everyone is eligible to use it. There are specific eligibility requirements that must be met before obtaining any compact privilege.
PT Compact Eligibility Requirements
In order to purchase and maintain a Compact Privilege, you must meet each of these requirements:
- Hold a current, valid PT or PTA license in your home state, as defined in Commission Rules.
- Your “home state” is the state you are claiming as your place of permanent residency. Furthermore, you must have a valid driver’s license proving permanent residency in your home state. (Flexibility for active duty military and their spouses only).
- Your home state must be a member of the PT Compact and actively issuing compact privileges. (see map below for participating member states)
- You cannot have any active encumbrances against any PT or PTA license.
- An encumbrance is any action taken by the Licensing Board that limits the practice of the PT or PTA. An encumbrance may be disciplinary or non-disciplinary in nature as stated by the PT Compact website.
- You cannot have any disciplinary action against any PT or PTA license for a period of two years.
- The state where you are seeking a Compact Privilege must be a member of the PT Compact and actively issuing compact privileges. (again see the map below for participating member states)
Remember- Home State must = Member State
I think the biggest misunderstanding for most people who’ve never used the PT compact is listed under #1 and #2 above. #1 you must have an active license in your “home state,” and #2 your home state must be a member of the PT Compact and actively issuing compact privileges.
Just to reemphasize, the PT compact is an “interstate agreement” between PARTICIPATING MEMBER STATES. This can only be utilized by the states that are members of the compact, including your HOME STATE, or place of permanent residence. This is typically the state where one would have their driver’s license and the place that one would be traveling away from on a travel contract.
So, curious if your home state is a member state?? Check out the PT Compact map below to see!! If your home state is not currently a participating member state, fear not. The compact legislature is frequently being introduced or proposed in many states, so never say never! I would recommend joining the PT Compact email list here to stay up to date on current announcements from the PT Compact including new member state legislature.
The current map taken directly from http://ptcompact.org/ptc-states, Taken as of 2/27/22
Now that you understand what the PT Compact is and who can utilize it, what are the benefits of using it??
Benefits of the PT Compact
There are SO many benefits to utilizing the PT Compact as a traveler. I have used the PT compact for over half of the travel contracts I’ve done thus far. The two biggest benefits I see are the shortened processing time and decreased cost.
Processing Time
To me, the biggest benefit of using the PT Compact vs normal state licensing is the short processing time. Every state is different, but oftentimes it takes WEEKS sometimes MONTHS for state licenses to be processed and issued. Between all the documents that must be submitted, potential background checks to be run, and outside licensure verification from the states you are already licensed in, there’s a lot to be processed for licensing!
When I had to apply for individual state licenses, I applied way ahead of time. This way I already have obtained the license in the desired state early to avoid potential delays. However, with the PT compact, the processing time is a matter of how quickly you can click through the application. Oftentimes, this only takes a matter of minutes, 10 minutes or less.
So, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements (see above), you go onto the PT Compact website, purchase your PT compact privilege, take the jurisprudence exam (if required) and it is immediately issued following payment. No background checks, no waiting on licensure verification, no NPTE score transfers, and no sending over transcripts from your alma mater. All quick and painless. And to your recruiter’s delight (who typically pays for licensure costs), PT compact privileges are much more affordable than typical state licenses.
Cost
The cost of normal PT state licensing can range anywhere from just over ~$100 up to $300-400+ depending on the state. Most states require an initial application fee, which is where the biggest cost comes from, but when applying for licensure by endorsement, you will also have to transfer your NPTE scores (~$90 fee) as well as send your transcripts from the school you graduated from, which typically also comes with a small fee (~$12 for my school). These fees as well as those associated with a potential background check, fingerprints, mailing cost, etc all add up quickly!
With the PT Compact, there is a one-time processing fee. This fee is typically a fraction of the cost of the normal licensure application fee. See each state processing fee here. Luckily, most travel recruiting companies will reimburse any licensing cost as a benefit of each new travel contract; however, when applicable, it’s nice to avoid the upfront cost of a new state license.
Other FAQ’s about PT Compact Privileges
“How long does each compact privilege last?” – Each compact privilege is valid as long as your home state license is valid. For me, my home state license is in Missouri. I currently have compact privileges in North Dakota, Colorado, Georgia, and Texas. I have to renew my Missouri license every 2 years. This is the case for most state licenses. When I renew my Missouri license, I will also have to renew each compact privilege I still need with the same processing fee as mentioned before. And again each renewed compact privilege is valid as long as your home state license is valid.
“Can PTs and PTA’s both obtain PT compact privileges?” Yes, PTA’s or physical therapy assistants can also obtain compact privileges to practice PT in a state outside their home state.
Summary
As you can see, the PT compact is an INCREDIBLE resource, particularly for travelers who are practicing in different states frequently. When eligible, I highly recommend utilizing the PT Compact. It will make your life MUCH easier and will save you time and money that you can spend enjoying your current travel adventures. If you have any other questions about the PT Compact, please feel free to reach out and Contact Us. Or Check out the PT Compact website.