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Chapter 148

Section 148.6402

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148.6402 DEFINITIONS.

Subdivision 1.Scope.

For the purpose of sections 148.6401 to 148.6450, the following terms have the meanings given them.

Subd. 2.Advisory council.

"Advisory council" means the Occupational Therapy Practitioners Advisory Council in section 148.6450.

Subd. 3.Biennial licensure period.

"Biennial licensure period" means the two-year period for which licensure is effective.

Subd. 4.Commissioner.

"Commissioner" means the commissioner of health or a designee.

Subd. 5.Contact hour.

"Contact hour" means an instructional session of 60 consecutive minutes, excluding coffee breaks, registration, meals without a speaker, and social activities.

Subd. 6.Credential.

"Credential" means a license, permit, certification, registration, or other evidence of qualification or authorization to engage in the practice of occupational therapy issued by any authority.

Subd. 7.Credentialing examination for occupational therapist.

"Credentialing examination for occupational therapist" means the examination sponsored by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy for credentialing as an occupational therapist, registered.

Subd. 8.Credentialing examination for occupational therapy assistant.

"Credentialing examination for occupational therapy assistant" means the examination sponsored by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy for credentialing as a certified occupational therapy assistant.

Subd. 9.Delegate.

"Delegate" means to transfer to an occupational therapy assistant the authority to perform selected portions of an occupational therapy evaluation or treatment plan for a specific patient.

Subd. 10.Direct supervision.

"Direct supervision" of an occupational therapy assistant using physical agent modalities means that the occupational therapist has evaluated the patient and determined a need for use of a particular physical agent modality in the occupational therapy treatment plan, has determined the appropriate physical agent modality application procedure, and is available for in-person intervention while treatment is provided.

Subd. 11.Electrical stimulation device.

"Electrical stimulation device" means any device which generates pulsed, direct, or alternating electrical current for the purposes of rehabilitation of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction.

Subd. 12.Electrotherapy.

"Electrotherapy" means the use of electrical stimulation devices for a therapeutic purpose.

Subd. 13.Licensed health care professional.

"Licensed health care professional" means a person licensed in good standing in Minnesota to practice medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, podiatry, advanced practice registered nursing, or dentistry, or is a person registered as a physician assistant in Minnesota.

Subd. 14.Occupational therapist.

"Occupational therapist" means an individual who meets the qualifications in sections 148.6401 to 148.6450 and is licensed by the commissioner.

Subd. 15.Occupational therapy.

"Occupational therapy" means the use of purposeful activity to maximize the independence and the maintenance of health of an individual who is limited by a physical injury or illness, a cognitive impairment, a psychosocial dysfunction, a mental illness, a developmental or learning disability, or an adverse environmental condition. The practice encompasses evaluation, assessment, treatment, and consultation. Occupational therapy services may be provided individually, in groups, or through social systems. Occupational therapy includes those services described in section 148.6404.

Subd. 16.Occupational therapy assistant.

"Occupational therapy assistant" means an individual who meets the qualifications for an occupational therapy assistant in sections 148.6401 to 148.6450 and is licensed by the commissioner.

Subd. 16a.Occupational therapy practitioner.

"Occupational therapy practitioner" means any individual licensed as either an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant under sections 148.6401 to 148.6450.

Subd. 17.Physical agent modalities.

"Physical agent modalities" mean modalities that use the properties of light, water, temperature, sound, or electricity to produce a response in soft tissue.

Subd. 18.

[Repealed, 2001 c 7 s 91]

Subd. 19.License or licensed.

"License" or "licensed" means the act or status of a natural person who meets the requirements of sections 148.6401 to 148.6450.

Subd. 20.Licensee.

"Licensee" means a person who meets the requirements of sections 148.6401 to 148.6450.

Subd. 21.Licensure by equivalency.

"Licensure by equivalency" means a method of licensure described in section 148.6412 by which an individual who possesses a credential from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy may qualify for licensure.

Subd. 22.Licensure by reciprocity.

"Licensure by reciprocity" means a method of licensure described in section 148.6415 by which an individual who possesses a credential from another jurisdiction may qualify for Minnesota licensure.

Subd. 22a.Limited license.

"Limited license" means a license issued according to section 148.6425, subdivision 3, paragraph (c), to persons who for two years or more did not apply for a license after meeting the requirements in section 148.6408 or 148.6410 or who allowed their license to lapse for four years or more.

Subd. 23.Service competency.

"Service competency" of an occupational therapy assistant in performing evaluation tasks means the ability of an occupational therapy assistant to obtain the same information as the supervising occupational therapist when evaluating a client's function.

Service competency of an occupational therapy assistant in performing treatment procedures means the ability of an occupational therapy assistant to perform treatment procedures in a manner such that the outcome, documentation, and follow-up are equivalent to that which would have been achieved had the supervising occupational therapist performed the treatment procedure.

Service competency of an occupational therapist means the ability of an occupational therapist to consistently perform an assessment task or intervention procedure with the level of skill recognized as satisfactory within the appropriate acceptable prevailing practice of occupational therapy.

Subd. 24.Superficial physical agent modality.

"Superficial physical agent modality" means a therapeutic medium which produces temperature changes in skin and underlying subcutaneous tissues within a depth of zero to three centimeters for the purposes of rehabilitation of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction. Superficial physical agent modalities may include, but are not limited to: paraffin baths, hot packs, cold packs, fluidotherapy, contrast baths, and whirlpool baths. Superficial physical agent modalities do not include the use of electrical stimulation devices, ultrasound, or quick icing.

Subd. 25.Temporary licensure.

"Temporary licensure" means a method of licensure described in section 148.6418, by which an individual who (1) has completed an approved or accredited education program but has not met the examination requirement; or (2) possesses a credential from another jurisdiction or the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy but who has not submitted the documentation required by section 148.6420, subdivisions 3 and 4, may qualify for Minnesota licensure for a limited time period.

Subd. 26.Ultrasound device.

"Ultrasound device" means a device intended to generate and emit high frequency acoustic vibrational energy for the purposes of rehabilitation of neuromusculoskeletal dysfunction.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes