Temporary Permits are available to expedite the licensing process in very limited circumstances.
If you have ever taken the NPTE OR if you are not married to an active duty US military member, you do not qualify for a temporary permit. Go to the
Applying for Licensure page or the
PT Compact page for information on working in Oregon.
If you have not taken the NPTE, or if you are married to an active duty US military member, read on to see if you qualify.
New Graduates who have Not Yet Taken the NPTE
If you have completed your physical therapy education at a CAPTE accredited instituion, but you have NOT yet been able to take the NPTE due to scheduling, you may be eligible to begin working under an Exam Temporary Permit while you wait to take your exam.
Temporary permits allow the applicant to work for up to 90 days after the permit is issued. The applicant MUST take the NPTE within these 90 days. Temporary Permit holders MUST work under the on-site supervision of a licensee.
If you have taken the NPTE and failed the exam, you are not eligible for a temporary permit.
Supervision
PTA permit-holders may work under the supervision of a licensed PTA or PT, while a PT permit-holder may only work under the supervision of a licensed PT.
Permit-holders MUST provide the Board with a completed “Temporary Permit Letter from Employer” form within five days of starting or changing employment. The form will be provided by the Board when the permit is issued.
Applying for the Permit
To apply for an Exam Temporary Permit, complete the PT or PTA license application within the Applicant Portal. You cannot apply for the permit without applying for full licensure.
Step 11 of the application will ask if you have taken the National Physical Therapy Examination. If you answer “No” to this question, you will be able to add the permit application to your licensure application. You will be charged an additional $50.
You must complete ALL other steps of the licensing process, such as fingerprinting, passing the OR-JAM, and providing transcripts before the permit can be issued. Additionally, you must already be registerd to take the NPTE.
If you have already submitted an application for licensure and you want to add an application for a temporary permit, you can email
physical.therapy@obpt.oregon.gov and Board staff can manually add the permit for you. This is useful in cases where you receive a job offer after you have already applied for licensure.
Ending the Temporary Permit
If the permit-holder passes the NPTE, the permit will expire and, at the same time, the permit-holder will be issued a license. This happens once the Board receives and processes the score report from FSBPT, not on the day of the exam. There is no interruption in the Permit-Holder/New Licensee’s ability to practice.
If the permit-holder fails the NPTE, the permit will immediately expire and the permit-holder must stop working until they re-take the exam and receive a passing score.
The permit will expire 90 days after it is issued if the applicant has not completed the exam.
Military Spouse Temporary Permit
Spouses of Military members are eligible for a temporary permit allowing them to practice in Oregon. Applying for the permit has fewer steps than applying for a standard PT or PTA license and has a reduced fee. There is no difference in permit-holders’ ability to practice compared to licensees.
You are eligible for a Military Spouse Temporary Permit if you
- Hold an active license in another US state or territory that has licensure requirements similar to Oregon
- Your spouse is an Active Duty US Military member stationed in Oregon.
The Military Spouse Temporary Permit is $99. If a permit holder applies for a standard license within 60 days of the permit being issued, the cost of the permit can be applied toward the licensure fee. Permit holders are not able to use their Oregon Military Spouse Temporary Permit to qualify for Compact Privileges in other states.
Applying for the Permit
To apply for a Military Spouse Temporary Permit, complete the PT or PTA license application within the Applicant Portal.
Step 3 of the application will ask for your military status. Select “Spouse/Domestic Partner of Active Duty Military.” You will be asked if you want to apply for the Permit. If you select Yes, your application will be adjusted to reflect the requirements for the permit.
Permit applicants must provide:
- Proof that Applicant’s Spouse is in the Armed Forces AND stationed in Oregon
- Proof that the Applicant is married to the servicemember
- A passing score on the OR-JAM (Oregon Jurisprudence Assessment Model)
- Verification of current licensure in at least one other state or territory (we recommend the one with the latest expiration date, if applicant holds more than one!)
- Completion of the OPMC Pain Management Module
Permit applicants are not required to provide proof of education, fingerprint-based background check, a passing score on the NPTE, verification of all health care licenses, or continuing competence. Board staff will verify that the state that the applicant is licensed in requires all of these items for licensure, which allows these items to be waived for the Military Spouse Temporary Permit, in accordance with
Oregon Laws 2019, Chapter 626.
Ending the Temporary Permit
The permit expires on the earliest of the following dates:
- Two years after the permit is issued
- The date the permit-holder’s spouse completes their term of service in Oregon
- The date the permit-holder’s license issued by another state expires, is revoked, suspended, or otherwise is no longer valid.