Train the Trainer Part 5: Analytics - US PT/PTA CEU Guide

Continuing Education Units

Embodia has applied to become an Approved CEU Provider in 42 states in the US. This means that Embodia will be able to approve your course(s) for CEUs in those states.

Why CEUs matter for PTs

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants (PTAs) in the U.S. are required by most state licensing boards to complete continuing education (CE) as a condition for license renewal. These CE hours (often referred to as CEUs) ensure that PTs stay current with:

Clinical skills
Evidence-based practices
Ethics and legal updates
Advances in patient care

Who accredits CEU providers for physical therapy?

There is no single national accrediting body that regulates CEUs for PTs across all states, but the main gatekeepers are:

State Physical Therapy Licensing Boards. Each state has its own Board of Physical Therapy that determines:
- How many CEUs are required
- Which types of education are accepted
- Whether CEU providers need to be pre-approved
APTA & Its Subdivisions. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) does not directly accredit CEU providers, but:
- Many state chapters of APTA (e.g., APTA California, APTA Texas) review and approve continuing education courses.
- APTA also recognizes high-quality courses and providers through its credentialed clinical instructor programs.

What does "Approved Provider" mean?

An Approved CEU Provider is an entity that has been approved by a recognized accrediting body to offer CEUs that are accepted by professional licensing boards, associations, or employers.

This means the provider has met standards related to:

Course quality
Instructor qualifications
Record keeping
Assessment methods
Instructional design

What is the cost of having your course approved for CEUs on Embodia?

There is no direct cost to you, the Embodia Instructor, to have your course approved for CEUs on Embodia. A nominal annual fee of $400 will be added to the content creation fund on the backend of your course to cover the cost of CEU approval for your course (Embodia uses Redefine Health for CEU approval. Here's Redefine's pricing guide). This fee is paid back by sales of your course. Once it is paid off, we return to our usual revenue share.

This fee helps Embodia cover the cost of submitting and maintaining course requirements for each approved state. Embodia can offer a low, nominal fee to its instructors since Embodia is building a system and process for CEU course approvals. This includes tools on the backend of courses to help both Embodia and instructors manage and track their courses.

If you were to submit your course for CEUs in the same states that Embodia has approved provider status, the fee totals $1005. Some states do not allow for individual CEU course applications and require approved provider status. In addition to the monetary fee for CEUs, there is also a significant amount of time and resources needed to submit the applications. Embodia is simplifying this process with built in tools on the platform as well as a knowledgable team to support you.

What is required to have my course(s) CEU approved?

The first step is to request CEU approval from Embodia. To do so, please email us at support@embodiaapp.com and indicate which course(s) you would like to have approved. If you have multiple courses, be sure to specify which ones, or let us know if you'd like all of them reviewed for CEUs.

Once we’ve confirmed that your course(s) are eligible for CEU approval, the requirements outlined in this guide must be met.

If I host my course on another platform, does the CEU approval extend to that platform?

No, your CEU status is exclusive to the Embodia platform. If you would like to be approved for CEUs for your course(s) on other platforms, you will need to apply for CEUs yourself.

Which states does Embodia have Approved Provider status in?

The states that Embodia has approved provider status are:

AL – Alabama
AK – Alaska
AR – Arkansas
CA - California
CO – Colorado
CT – Connecticut
DE – Delaware
GA – Georgia
HI – Hawaii
ID – Idaho
IN – Indiana
IA – Iowa
KS – Kansas
KY – Kentucky
ME – Maine
MA – Massachusetts
MI – Michigan
MO – Missouri
MT – Montana
NE – Nebraska
NH – New Hampshire
NC – North Carolina
ND – North Dakota
OR – Oregon
PA – Pennsylvania
RI – Rhode Island
SC – South Carolina
SD – South Dakota
TN – Tennessee
UT – Utah
VT – Vermont
VA – Virginia
VI – U.S. Virgin Islands (Note: this is a U.S. territory, not a state)
WA – Washington
WI – Wisconsin
WY – Wyoming

The following are the states for which we have pending applications to become an approved provider:

Arizona
Florida
Illinois
Mississippi
New Mexico
Oklahoma

The following are the states for which we have not applied to become an approved provider in:

Texas
Nevada
Louisiana
Minnesota
Ohio
West Virginia
New Jersey
New York

However, individuals in these states can submit course information to their state board and receive CEUs. There may be fees associated with this submission that the individual is responsible for paying.

What if my course has already been approved for CEUs?

For courses that have already been approved for CEUs, we can simply keep track of the renewal date and add them to Embodia's list once the renewal date comes up.

How are the number of CEUs calculated?

Embodia will calculate the number of CEUs for your course(s). There are 5 components to calculating the number of CEUs a course is approved for:

Lecture, Seminar, Video, Lab: 60 mins = 1 contact hour
Reading: Use this Calculator: http://touchcalc.com/calculators/mergener
Writing: Use This Calculator: https://cte.rice.edu/workload. Report Estimated Writing Rate.
Case Review: Variable (use your best discretion on how long it would take a student to work through)
Quizzes/Assessments: 1 minute per standard multiple-choice, true/false question

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