
If you’re a physical therapist in North Carolina, you’ll need to complete 30 hours of continuing competency activities to keep your license current. PTAs must complete 20 hours. Although your license renewal is annual, you’ll have 25 months to finish all your continuing competency hours. Many activities qualify, including coursework in continuing education. Keep reading for more information on North Carolina physical therapy continuing education requirements!
At a glance:
North Carolina – 30 CEU hours reported every two years by January 31st; license renewal is annual. |
Technically, units of continuing competency are considered “points,” with each point equaling one contact hour of competency or credit hour of education. In this article, I’ll use the terms “point,” “contact hour” and “CEU” interchangeably.
North Carolina Physical Therapy CEU Requirements
From the North Carolina Physical Therapy Practice Act Website: (NC Source)
“NEW PT licensees in NC are assigned to the continuing competence reporting period that begins on January 1 following the date of first licensure. Each PT licensee must accumulate 30 points and each PTA licensee must accumulate 20 points of continuing competence activities during the assigned reporting period to be eligible for license renewal. The points must include one mandatory point from a Jurisprudence Exercise.
“There is a 25 month period to complete the continuing competence requirement. License renewal is EVERY year.
“Up to 10 extra points earned during one reporting period may be carried over to the next reporting period, except that points earned for the Jurisprudence Exercise, Clinical Practice and Self-Assessment categories may not be carried forward.
“During each reporting period, every licensee must complete a jurisprudence exercise provided by the Board. The jurisprudence exercise shall be available online at the Board’s website, and a certificate of completion shall be issued to a licensee at the conclusion of the exercise, at which time one point shall be awarded to the licensee. The maximum number of points allowed during a reporting period is three.”
What Counts as Continuing Competency?
There are many ways to complete your 20 or 30 hours of continuing competency, from teaching a class and supervising a student to serving on a committee or publishing a paper. Below is a list of all the categories the Board recognizes as continuing competency activity:
- Continuing Education
- Advanced Training (Certification and Recognition)
- FSBPT Practice Review Tool (PRT)
- Clinical Education
- Presenting/Teaching
- Clinical Practice
- Professional Membership and Service
- Workplace Education/Facility-based Education
- Professional Self-Assessment/Reflective Practice
- Research and Publishing
- Jurisprudence Exercise (mandatory)
By far, the most common way to demonstrate competency is to complete continuing education coursework. This includes CEU classes—in person and online—as well as seminars, workshops, and webinars.
Just make sure that you set aside one hour of your total CEUs for the jurisprudence exercise. On the Board website you’ll find 3 different jurisprudence exercises; you’ll need to complete at least one, but completing all three exercises can earn you 3 hours in continuing competency.
What CEU Courses are Allowed in North Carolina?
Before you complete a continuing competency activity, you’ll want to make sure it’s approved by the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners (NCBPTE). Most CEU providers will indicate if their course is approved for a given state, but it’s generally safe to assume the course is approved by the Board if it is already approved by the following:
- APTA and any of its chapters
- FSBPT
- IACET
- Another state PT licensure board in the US or Canada
Otherwise, all CEU courses must be “directly related to the practice of physical therapy or patient welfare” and have “intellectual or practical content based on best available scientific evidence,” with a primary objective to “increase the participant’s professional competence and proficiency as a licensee.” You can read more about approved courses and providers on the NCBPTE website. If you’re unsure whether a course or activity qualifies for continuing education, just contact the Board.
Can I Use MedBridge in North Carolina?
Yes, you can use an online CEU company like MedBridge Education to complete your North Carolina Physical Therapy continuing education. A quick check on the MedBridge website shows hundreds of approved courses for North Carolina PTs and PTAs.
Although the NCBPTE has limited how many points you can earn through online coursework, you may still be able to complete the entirety of your continuing competency online through a provider like MedBridge. That’s because in addition to self-directed coursework, MedBridge offers live and interactive webinars for CEU credit.
For example, you’re allowed up to 15 hours of continuing competency by attending a “live course or conference offered in real time by an approved provider through electronic media.” In addition, you can take up to 10 hours of coursework considered “home study,” which doesn’t include an interactive component. So if you’re a PTA, that means you can complete all 19 hours (20 minus your jurisprudence exercise) entirely online. PTs can knock out most of their hours, if not all, through MedBridge.
An annual subscription to MedBridge Education grants you unlimited access to their vast library of CEU courses, as well as free registration for live and interactive webinars all year long. Whether you’re a PT or a PTA, you can find plenty of eligible courses on MedBridge. Use the MedBridge promo code PTProgress to save on unlimited CEUs.
Do I need to submit proof of my completed CEUs?
Every 25 months you’ll need to report your continuing compliance here. But in addition, you should retain any necessary documentation for at least 4 years after your reporting period, in case you’re selected for an audit. Every legitimate CEU provider, including MedBridge, will give you a certificate of completion when you finish a CEU course or activity. Create a folder for these documents, and you’ll always be ready to prove your competency when asked.
May I carry over any completed CEUs?
Yes, with limitations. PTs and PTAs in North Carolina are allowed to carry an excess of 10 contact hours from one renewal year to the next. Exceptions include any hours accrued in jurisprudence, self-assessment, and clinical practice; those hours may not be carried over.
How much is the renewal fee?
It costs $120 to renew a PT or PTA license in North Carolina. If your license has been lapsed for less than one year, then you’ll need to complete a separate license revival application, which incurs a $150 fee.
When do I need to renew my North Carolina Physical Therapy license?
License renewal runs annually from November 1 to January 31. On odd-numbered years, you’ll also need to complete your allotted continuing competency hours, due by January 31st. See the table below:

How long does it take to renew a North Carolina Physical Therapy license?
For many states, it can take 4–8 weeks to process your request, so start the process early!
Compare Physical Therapy CEUs by State
How does your state compare? Take a look at all of the state-by-state CEU requirements in this comprehensive article.