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Arizona PT Jurisprudence study materials
Arizona PT Jurisprudence study resources

Arizona PT Jurisprudence: Arizona Physical Therapy Practice Act: The Statutory Framework

Arizona PT Jurisprudence · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Arizona Physical Therapy Practice Act: The Statutory Framework

What the statute does

The Arizona Physical Therapy Practice Act is codified in A.R.S. Title 32, Chapter 19. Statutes are the top layer: they create the Board, define "physical therapy," define "physical therapist" and "physical therapist assistant," set licensure qualifications, and list the grounds on which the Board may discipline a licensee. Board rules (Domain 2) fill in the operational detail; when a question asks what the law requires versus how it is administered, this distinction is the first thing to sort out.

Concepts to master

  • Practice without a license is prohibited; only a licensed PT may perform physical therapy, and only a licensed PTA may assist under PT supervision.
  • Scope language: the statutory definition of physical therapy is broad (examination, evaluation, treatment, and the modalities and procedures used), but it never authorizes diagnosing a medical condition or prescribing.
  • Direct access: Arizona permits a PT to examine and treat a patient without a physician referral, but the privilege is bounded by competence and by the duty to refer when the condition is outside PT scope, is not responding, or needs medical diagnosis.
  • Statutory exemptions (students in supervised clinical education, certain consultative activity) are narrow - questions love to stretch them.

Traps

  1. Importing another state's rules (visit limits, referral windows) into Arizona answers.
  2. Treating "may" as "shall" - permissive statutory language is not a mandate.
  3. Assuming an unlicensed aide can perform any part of the plan of care because no license is "required" for the task.

Rule of thumb

Ask: Does this activity require the judgment of a licensed PT, or is it an administrative support task? If judgment is involved, the statute reserves it to the licensee.

Worked example: A patient walks in with knee pain and no referral. The PT may evaluate and treat. If the PT suspects a fracture or a tumor, the PT must refer - direct access never converts a PT into a physician.