Continuing Education

Licensees must document 30 continuing education hours during the two-year license cycle (refer to § 20:66:03:01) 

No; CE hours may only be credited to the licensing cycle within which they are completed. 

CE hours and CE units (CEUs) measure time spent participating in an organized educational experience for continuing education. CEUs are calculated using rules issued by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training with these equivalents:

• 1 Clock Hour = 1 Continuing Education Hour = 0.10 Continuing Education Units

South Dakota administrative rules establish CE hours as the unit of measurement; however, some CE course certificates report continuing education credit as CEUs. In this case, CEUs must be converted to CE hours (number of CEU’s x 10) to determine credits toward SD CE hour requirements. For instance, if 0.5 CEUs are issued on the certificate, the course earns 5.0 CE hours (0.5 x 10 = 5.0) toward the 30 CE hours required within the two-year licensing period. 

Category 1 activities (Table 1, Appendix) consist of certified coursework. These activities are approved through a formal process used by a credentialing agency (i.e., state board, university unit, designated agency) to determine if an educational activity meets minimum expectations for CE credit. As many as 30 CE hours (100%) may be used to meet § 20:66:03:01 requirements.

Category 2 activities (Table 2, Appendix) are designed as options that help licensees individualize their professional development and continued competence. These participation activities are designed for completion apart from typical structured coursework pedagogy. If audited, licensees seeking renewal must be prepared to provide evidence of completion, as detailed in the tables below. During biennial renewals, licensees may receive CE credit for no more than 15 CE hours (or 1.5 CEU credits) from Category 2 activities.  

If you are randomly audited to show evidence of continuing education activity hours, approval sources are found in the table below. 

• 01.01.23 – 01.01.24 licensing period: any continuing education you took during calendar years 2023 and 2024 must have been approved by entities identified under administrative rules effective December 7, 2017 – October 2, 2024 (Set A in the table below). 
• 01.01.24 – 01.01.26 licensing period:
  • Any continuing education you completed during the calendar year 2024 must have been approved by entities identified in the administrative rules effective December 7, 2017 – October 2, 2024 (Set A or B in the table below). 
  • Any continuing education you completed during the calendar year 2025 must have been approved by entities identified in the administrative rules effective October 3, 2024 (Set B in the table below). 
• 01.01.25 – 01.01.27 licensing period: any continuing education you took during calendar years 2025 and 2026 must have been approved by entities identified in the administrative rules effective October 3, 2024 (Set B in the table below).

There is no limit to the number of online CE hours, as long as the online course:

1. Deals with matters directly related to the practice of physical therapy;
2. Is not among the activities deemed as “not acceptable” (Box 1, Appendix);
3. Is approved by the APTA, APTA-SD, or a physical therapy licensing board in another state (Categories 1 and 2, Appendix); and,
4. Complies with Category 2 maximum CE hour limitations (Table 2, Appendix)

You will select an indicator box on your renewal application verifying you have met the CE hour requirements for renewal (§ 20:66:03:03), and you will attach the SDBPT CE hour summary form (Appendix) to your application. You are not required to provide evidence of completion of activities unless you are randomly audited by SDBPT. You will receive specific instructions on how to provide evidence of CE hour completion if you are audited. 

Yes. If you completed a CE course that was not a part of your regular education in an accredited PT/PTA program and if the course dates are within the 2-year SDBPT licensing cycle, you may use these hours as a part of your first-time renewal requirements. For instance, if your license expires 01.01.26, you may use Category 1 CE hours earned between 01.01.24 and 01.01.26. You may not use Category 2 activities earned prior to your initial licensure date for use toward the required CE hours.

You may complete a waiver form (Appendix) requesting a partial waiver based upon financial hardship experienced by students and new graduates. SDBPT allows a waiver of up to 15 CE hours for first renewal licensees who graduated from an accredited DPT/PTA program within the same 2-year licensing cycle.

A provision to Codified Law 36-10-51 (§ 20:66:03:04) exists for requesting a waiver because of illness, disability, military service, or financial hardship. Instructions for requesting a waiver of CE requirements are found on the SDBPT application renewal webpage (see also, waiver form).  A request for a waiver of continuing education is not an assurance that the waiver will be granted. Second, consecutive requests for CE waiver receive a higher level of approval scrutiny, since a 4-year period without CE may present a greater public protections risk than a 2-year period without CE.  

SDBPT and APTA-SD use CEU Locker (https://ceulocker.com) to help SD licensees (a.k.a., CEU holders) manage and maintain their CE records. One of the functions of this system is that SD licensees may submit a course inquiry through CEU Locker to determine if the course meets § 20:66:03:02 requirements. This is an individual approval that does not grant broad course approval for all individuals who complete the course. There is a separate, different process that CEU providers undertake to receive a seal assuring approval in SD for attendees who have completed the provider’s course. Licensees are encouraged to seek course approvals as individuals prior to completing the continuing education course in question.