Oklahoma Physical Therapist Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Oklahoma physical therapist assistants must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, Physical Therapy Advisory Committee.
Physical therapist assistant licenses renew on a two-year cycle that ends January 31 of even-numbered years, the same cycle as physical therapists, for example February 1, 2022 through January 31, 2024. To renew, a physical therapist assistant completes the renewal application, pays the fee, completes the Board's jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related rules, and meets the continuing education requirement.
Summary
Oklahoma physical therapist assistants must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, Physical Therapy Advisory Committee. Physical therapist assistant licenses renew on a two-year cycle that ends January 31 of even-numbered years, the same cycle as physical therapists, for example February 1, 2022 through January 31, 2024. To renew, a physical therapist assistant completes the renewal application, pays the fee, completes the Board's jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related rules, and meets the continuing education requirement. Oklahoma also mandates specific subjects. Ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Board jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related Oklahoma Administrative Code: required every renewal cycle. Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Oklahoma Physical Therapist Assistant renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 01/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Category 1 minimum | 15 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Approved professional development unit (PDU) activities other than coursework, up to half the requirement |
OAC 435:20-9-2(b) states separate totals: effective February 1, 2022 and every two years thereafter, physical therapists must show proof of forty approved contact hours or PDU equivalent and physical therapist assistants thirty. The board's own page repeats it, stating that a Physical Therapist Assistant must obtain thirty hours of approved continuing education every two years. At least half of the required hours, so fifteen for an assistant, must be professional development coursework, and three of the required hours must be ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics. No professional development hours may be carried over from one compliance period to another. A licensee who cannot meet the requirement may not renew until the deficient units are obtained and verified, and must complete double the required units in the next compliance period. A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant initially licensed during the second year of a compliance period is exempt from the requirement for that first renewal period; the rule states no exemption for one licensed in the first year, which is why exempt_first_renewal is left null.
Required CE topics for Oklahoma physical therapist assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of EthicsThree of the thirty required hours for a physical therapist assistant. The rule states the same three hours for physical therapists out of forty, so the ethics figure does not scale down with the total. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | OAC 435:20-9-2(b)(2) |
| Board jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related Oklahoma Administrative CodeOAC 435:20-3-6(a) applies to each Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant and requires completion of a jurisprudence examination prepared by the Board as a condition of renewal. No hour value is assigned and no separate assistant version is described. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | OAC 435:20-3-6(a)(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Professional development activities are approved by the Board through the process in OAC 435:20-9-3; the board's page directs continuing education providers to create a provider account in CE Broker. At renewal the applicant signs a statement indicating whether professional development requirements have been fulfilled. Each licensee keeps evidence of participation for a minimum of four years, two compliance periods, including date, place, course title, schedule, presenters, the number of contact hours or PDUs, and proof of completion such as abstracts or certificates, and submits copies to the Board on request. The Physical Therapy Committee conducts random audits of professional development records. Failure to keep records rebuts the presumption that the requirements were completed. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Oklahoma PTA need to renew?
- Oklahoma physical therapist assistants must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, Physical Therapy Advisory Committee. OAC 435:20-9-2(b) states separate totals: effective February 1, 2022 and every two years thereafter, physical therapists must show proof of forty approved contact hours or PDU equivalent and physical therapist assistants thirty. The board's own page repeats it, stating that a Physical Therapist Assistant must obtain thirty hours of approved continuing education every two years. At least half of the required hours, so fifteen for an assistant, must be professional development coursework, and three of the required hours must be ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics. No professional development hours may be carried over from one compliance period to another. A licensee who cannot meet the requirement may not renew until the deficient units are obtained and verified, and must complete double the required units in the next compliance period. A physical therapist or physical therapist assistant initially licensed during the second year of a compliance period is exempt from the requirement for that first renewal period; the rule states no exemption for one licensed in the first year, which is why exempt_first_renewal is left null.
- How often does a Oklahoma PTA license need to be renewed?
- Physical Therapist Assistant licenses in Oklahoma renew every two years. Physical therapist assistant licenses renew on a two-year cycle that ends January 31 of even-numbered years, the same cycle as physical therapists, for example February 1, 2022 through January 31, 2024. To renew, a physical therapist assistant completes the renewal application, pays the fee, completes the Board's jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related rules, and meets the continuing education requirement.
- What specific CE topics are required for Oklahoma physical therapist assistants?
- Ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Board jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related Oklahoma Administrative Code: required every renewal cycle. Citations: ethics education that includes the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct and the APTA Code of Ethics (OAC 435:20-9-2(b)(2)) and board jurisprudence examination on the Oklahoma Physical Therapy Practice Act and related Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC 435:20-3-6(a)(3)).
- Do Oklahoma physical therapist assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 4 years. Professional development activities are approved by the Board through the process in OAC 435:20-9-3; the board's page directs continuing education providers to create a provider account in CE Broker. At renewal the applicant signs a statement indicating whether professional development requirements have been fulfilled. Each licensee keeps evidence of participation for a minimum of four years, two compliance periods, including date, place, course title, schedule, presenters, the number of contact hours or PDUs, and proof of completion such as abstracts or certificates, and submits copies to the Board on request. The Physical Therapy Committee conducts random audits of professional development records. Failure to keep records rebuts the presumption that the requirements were completed.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Oklahoma Physical Therapists and Assistants (Continuing Education Requirements section, quoting OAC 435:20-9-2), Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and SupervisionState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Okla. Admin. Code 435:20-3-6, Requirements for renewal and re-entry (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
Oklahoma sets a different number for assistants and both sources say so in the assistant's own words: the board's page states thirty hours every two years for a Physical Therapist Assistant against forty for a Physical Therapist, and the same page reproduces OAC 435:20-9-2(b), which names physical therapist assistants at thirty approved contact hours or PDU equivalent. The half-coursework minimum, the three ethics hours, the no-carryover rule, the four-year retention, the audit, and the second-year first-renewal exemption were read in that reproduced rule text, which is written for physical therapists and assistants together. The renewal jurisprudence examination was confirmed in OAC 435:20-3-6(a), read through the Cornell LII mirror because the board publishes its rules compilation only as a PDF. category_1_minimum records the fifteen hours of professional development coursework, half of thirty. The rule states no cap on asynchronous or online hours.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision, Physical Therapy Advisory Committee before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.