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Internationally Educated Applicants
To practice physical therapy in Alberta, you must be registered with and licensed by the College of Physical Therapists of Alberta. The licensing process is significant in terms of time and money. To help potential applicants, registration requirements are listed below, followed by step-by-step instructions and current fee information.
Registration requirements
1. Education comparable to a Canadian educated physical therapist
Credentialling
The College uses the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (the Alliance) to assess the education credentials/qualifications of internationally educated applicants. The credentialling process determines if your education is equivalent to Canadian physical therapy education standards using the following criteria:
• Professional title – does your education enable you to practice as a physical therapist?
• Intent of education – was your physical therapy education at a university degree
level (e.g., bachelor's, entry level master's or equivalent) and completed at a
recognized/accredited university or university level institution?
• Language proficiency – are you fluent in English or French?
• Educational systems and processes – Did your academic physical therapy
program include comprehensive coursework and supervised clinical physical therapy
practice to meet minimum courses/credits for Canadian educated physical therapists?
• Context of physiotherapy practice in Canada – did you complete acceptable education
or evidence of prior learning or supervised clinical education that reflects the need
for independent, safe, effective and ethical practice? (When applicants apply for
credentialing, the Alliance provides them with ways they can demonstrate knowledge
of physical therapy practice in Canada).
See credentialling application forms on the Alliance’s website for more information.
2. Pass the Physiotherapy Competency Exam (PCE)
• Exam is administered by the Alliance and can only be completed in Canada.
• Has two parts - written and clinical. The written part must be completed first.
• Assesses applicant readiness to practice safe, effective, independent physical therapy.
• Evaluates practice skills including history taking, physical examination, data
interpretation, clinical problem solving, treatment skills, ethics, safety, interviewing
and communication.
• Covers core clinical practice areas - musculoskeletal, neuromuscular and cardio
respiratory.
Find more information on the PCE and PCE application forms on the Alliance's website.
3. English language proficiency – demonstrated by one of the following:
• Through credentialling, demonstrate to the Alliance that your formal physical
therapy education was in English.
• Obtain a posted score on an Alliance accepted English-language test.
• Pass both PCE components in English.
Note: while you may demonstrate English or French proficiency for the credentialling
process, only English proficiency is recognized when applying for licensure in Alberta
as this is a provincial requirement.
4. Current competence to practice – demonstrated by one of the following:
• Proof of passing PCE within previous three years.
• Proof of practicing physical therapy for at least 1200 hours during the past
five years (physical therapy practice includes administration, clinical
management/consulting, direct patient care, teaching physical therapy
to physical therapists, research and/or sales).
5. Good character and reputation – demonstrated by both of the following:
• Written reference(s) (satisfactory to Registrar) from regulatory board(s) where
you are/were licensed to practice physical therapy during the past five years
(the College reserves the right to request additional references if needed).
• Information regarding professional conduct provided on College registration form
satisfactory to Registrar.
6. Eligibility to work in Canada – demonstrated by one of the following:
• Proof of Canadian citizenship as indicated on the application form.
• Copy of permanent resident/landed immigrant of Canada card.
• Copy of valid work permit.
7. Identification – demonstrated by both of the following:
• Photo ID such as current driver's license or passport.
• Evidence of name change if name on educational qualifications, immigration
or citizenship documents is different from name on application.
Registration process
Step 1: Credentialling
Apply to the Alliance for credentialling. You should start this process before you leave your home country so you can facilitate the document sourcing process if required. You are also in a better position to make informed decisions about next steps if your education credentials are deemed not equivalent by the Alliance. The following is an overview of the credentialling process:
a) Application – submit application and required documents to the Alliance and request
your physical therapy school forward documentation directly to the Alliance. See
credentialling application forms on the Alliance’s website for more information.
b) Authentication – of documents.
c) Evaluation – your course content is evaluated against Canadian standards.
d) Decision – your credentialling file is reviewed and you are notified of the decision.
Credentialling – how long does it take?
The process is complex and requires the gathering, receipt and evaluation of numerous documents. It can take anywhere from four to 22 weeks to complete after the required documentation is received by the Alliance. On average, precedent files (i.e., applicant’s program of education is known to the Alliance) are processed in nine weeks and non-precedent files in 21 weeks.
Credentialling fees (in Canadian funds and current as of of August 25, 2009)
• Education credentials and qualification assessment $780 – payable to the
Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators.
• Fees for transcripts, verification of registration – are set by the respective
organization. Contact the respective organization for details.
• English language tests – fees set by testing agency. If your credentials are deemed
equivalent, results are valid for two years. During those two years applicants are eligible
to apply for the PCE and must pass the written component before the eligibility expires.
For more information, see exam section below and visit www.alliancept.org for exam application and dates.
Step 2: PCE
Apply to the Alliance to complete the PCE. Once you pass the exam's written component, you have two options:
a) Successfully complete PCE clinical component and apply for registration as a physical
therapist in Alberta. This option provides an unrestricted practice permit.
b) Apply for registration as a physical therapist in Alberta before completing PCE
clinical component. This option provides a temporary license to practice under
supervision (see temporary license for more information).
PCE fees
(in Canadian funds and current as of August 25, 2009)
• Written component $775 (one sitting) – payable to the Alliance.
• Clinical component $1200 (one sitting) – payable to the Alliance.
Step 3: College registration/licensing process
Download the appropriate application package below. Complete and submit with the appropriate fees, and documentation listed on checklist for internationally educated applicants (included in application package). For your convenience, all forms are provided in fillable form format and can be completed on your computer. Alternatively, you can print the forms and complete by hand.
• Internationally educated - have passed PCE
• Internationally educated - HAVE NOT passed PCE
Temporary license
Applicants meeting all registration requirements except passing the PCE clinical component are eligible for a temporary license to practice under supervision. Temporary licenses can be held for a maximum of two years, during which time individuals must pass the PCE clinical component to continue practicing in Alberta. Despite the two-year time period, an individual’s temporary license will be cancelled if they fail the PCE clinical component twice.
The College’s Supervision Guide provides a framework to support the provision of effective supervision in clinical practice and helps ensure College practice standards are met. Processing time The College acknowledges receipt of applications via email within three working days and provides an electronic link where applicants can check the status of their application.
Questions about registration in Alberta
Please contact the College.
Additional resources for international applicants
You may find the following websites useful:
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Alberta Employment, Immigration & Industry
• Foreign Credentials Referral Office
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