Free CE for Physical Therapists / North Carolina
North Carolina physical therapists must accumulate 30 continuing competence points and physical therapist assistants 20 in each 25-month reporting period, while renewing the license itself every January — and no more than 10 of those points may come from on-demand, self-paced courses.
✓ Verified against the North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners on August 4, 2026
| Topic | Hours | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Board's online Jurisprudence Exercise (free, at ncptboard.org) | 1 | every reporting period; counts within the total; cannot be carried forward |
21 NCAC 48G; N.C. Gen. Stat. ch. 90 art. 18E. North Carolina counts POINTS, not hours: PTs need 30 and PTAs 20 per 25-month reporting period (48G .0106, .0105(12)), with one contact hour — defined as 50 consecutive minutes — equal to one point. Up to 10 points carry forward, except Jurisprudence Exercise, Clinical Practice, and Self-Assessment points. TWO STRUCTURAL POINTS THAT ARE EASY TO GET WRONG. First, NC does NOT renew by birth month: G.S. 90-270.99(a) and 48G .0104 require renewal during January each year, expiring January 31, while the CE reporting period is a separate, per-licensee, staggered 25-month cycle beginning January 1 — so any reminder logic keyed to birth month will be wrong for every NC licensee, and there is no single statewide CE rush. Second, the delivery-format caps are severe: 48G .0109(a)(4) allows a maximum of 10 points for non-interactive recorded or electronic media and (a)(8) a maximum of 10 points for approved-provider home study, while live real-time interactive electronic courses are capped at 15 and live in-person at 29. An on-demand catalog therefore tops out at 10 points — one third of a PT's requirement and half of a PTA's — and that ceiling should be stated plainly on the page. Rule 48G .0107(3) expressly permits delivery via "a computer website accessed via the Internet," and .0107(5) requires written materials or at least a written agenda, objectives, or outline be distributed, so build a downloadable handout into NC-facing courses. Certificates must carry all six elements of 48G .0110(c), including the name of the accrediting organization. Approved providers must report activity codes and completing licensees to the board within 90 days (48G .0108(g)). Self-entry at renewal with documents produced only on audit; random post-period audits with a 30-day response; retain evidence 4 years; deficiencies of 10 points or fewer may be cured within 90 days. No audit percentage is published. Rules have been stable since 2020.
Yes — North Carolina recognizes continuing education approved by another state's physical therapy board or APTA chapter, so our courses (approved through the Texas Physical Therapy Association) can count toward your renewal. Read the caveat below before you rely on it.
One caveat: North Carolina accepts our Texas approval automatically — no application, no fee, no waiting period. 21 NCAC 48G .0108(c)(3) lists "State Chapters of APTA" as approved providers, and (c)(1) plus (c)(6) independently approve any provider approved by an agency or board that licenses physical therapists in the US or Canada. That has real value: a non-approved provider pays $150 per activity with a 60-day lead time, or the licensee pays $25. Two caveats to keep visible: certificates must name the approving organization (Texas Physical Therapy Association), not just our brand, and self-paced on-demand courses are capped at 10 points per 25-month period regardless of approval.
North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
https://www2.ncptboard.org/app/ContinuingCompetence/ContinuingCompetenceHome.php
Requirements change. Confirm all figures on the board site above before relying on them.
Pulse offers free CE for PTs and PTAs. Local healthcare organizations cover the cost — you pay nothing, and the hours apply toward your North Carolina requirement (subject to the board rules above).