FSBT has announced that effective 11:59PM, Sunday, July 11, 2010, new registrations for both the PT and PTA versions of the NPTE (physical therapist licensing examination) have been suspended for all graduates of physical therapy programs located in Egypt, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines.
FSBT has suspended registration based upon what it claims is "compelling evidence" of systematic and methodical cheating on the examination by candidates from these countries.
FSBPT is developing a separate, secure exam for those graduates (to be called the NPTE-YRLY), which should be available in the fall of 2011. FSBT intends to offer the NPTE-YRLY once per year.
Click here for a link to the notification on the FSBT website, which contains a detailed explanation of the basis for the suspension of registrations, as well as an explanation of the manner in which candidates for the test will be treated, based upon their particular stage in the registration process.
Candidates who have already registered, paid, and received an ATT (Authorization to Test) Letter from their state licensing board to take the NPTE are being given the option to withdraw their registrations for a full refund and wait to take the NPTE-YRLY, or to proceed with taking the test, but then have their scores held and evaluated for statistical analysis and possible invalidation if any anomalies are detected.
FSBT also announced scores of some prior test takers will be invalidated based upon evidence already collected.
FSBT has sent letters to candidates with a currently pending registration, indicating their options and providing a deadline of July 30, 2010 to respond. Applications for candidates who have registered but have not yet paid or received an ATT are being closed.
The Hammond Law Group strongly recommends consultation with your sponsoring agency, employer, and counsel prior to making any decision regarding such a letter. We will also continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
FSBT has suspended registration based upon what it claims is "compelling evidence" of systematic and methodical cheating on the examination by candidates from these countries.
FSBPT is developing a separate, secure exam for those graduates (to be called the NPTE-YRLY), which should be available in the fall of 2011. FSBT intends to offer the NPTE-YRLY once per year.
Click here for a link to the notification on the FSBT website, which contains a detailed explanation of the basis for the suspension of registrations, as well as an explanation of the manner in which candidates for the test will be treated, based upon their particular stage in the registration process.
Candidates who have already registered, paid, and received an ATT (Authorization to Test) Letter from their state licensing board to take the NPTE are being given the option to withdraw their registrations for a full refund and wait to take the NPTE-YRLY, or to proceed with taking the test, but then have their scores held and evaluated for statistical analysis and possible invalidation if any anomalies are detected.
FSBT also announced scores of some prior test takers will be invalidated based upon evidence already collected.
FSBT has sent letters to candidates with a currently pending registration, indicating their options and providing a deadline of July 30, 2010 to respond. Applications for candidates who have registered but have not yet paid or received an ATT are being closed.
The Hammond Law Group strongly recommends consultation with your sponsoring agency, employer, and counsel prior to making any decision regarding such a letter. We will also continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
Your updates on this matter will be sincerely appreciated sir.
ReplyDeleteFOREIGN NCLEX TEST'S ALSO NEED TO BE VERIFIED LIKE THIS .TOO MANY NURSES FROM THOSE PLACES....
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that this action was only against the 4 countries and that the bomb was dropped on the weekend.
ReplyDeleteWe know of only one (1) test review company in the Philippines that likely may be involved with this sort of thing. The measure seems more than a bit selective. If cheating is indeed going on, I personally believe that it is not just by PTs from these 4 countries.
With FSBPT’s history of discriminating against foreign born with such maneuvers as the various state board of physical therapy having wildly differing licensure requirements. For example, even if a foreign born PT has been working in the U.S. for years and is merely licensing by endorsement to another state – the foreign born PT has to jump through a whole new set of licensure requirements that the U.S. graduate does not have to qualify under.
I am wondering if this is not just the latest measure by the FSBPT to slow or stop the hiring of PTs from India and the Philippines – the 2 countries that supply the U.S. with the most foreign born PTs - and that Pakistan and Egypt were tossed in merely for window dressing.
JUNE 1 2004
ReplyDeleteEB3 Philippines
AUG 2010 VISA BULLETIN
Maybe blake is an ignorant moron.
ReplyDeleteAre you blake? or you are just numb too because you are also an ignorant victims of visa retrogression.
Nclex is done on a matrix and logit that is CAT, that if you will ask the test takers each and every one of them, it will take you years to know each questions to pass the NCLEX and every 4 years the NCSBN change their question bank. You are just plain nincompoop!
To PhilSlaton,
ReplyDeleteI think, I know the review center that you are talking about and it happened, about 4 years ago, that this review agency was raided by the NBI (similar to FBI), it starts with letter S?
I share the sentiment of your comments.
One thing more, they just want to hire those AC PT first. Let us pray and hope that America will be back on tract so that we can go to America. But I have to be honest, for us Nurses, we will not be probably see any hiring from any country to the US for nurses until 2014 and that is actually an optimistic view and if the US economy bounce back or let me correct myself, any visa issuance for that matter until 2014. The US media is starting to give air time to the looming shortage of US doctors in the coming years and it will be acute. So,if we pursue the american nightmare, at least we will end up being a doctors 5 years from now but with no visa, well at least we will become Doctors, just look at the positive side. Well maybe America will not be important by then, but probably BRIC (brazil, Russia, India or China) or the PIGS Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain which by the way are almost bankrupt. So where do we go? Saudi? when you can be raped eventhough you are a man and be sentence to death at the same time. I really dont know!
hmmm... they did this with dentistry too, the US dentistry board decided no more foreign exams because it's robbing their home grown dentists of their business, now it's the PTs turn huh? Well, the RNs are already being blocked clear evidence is this retrogression. Guess America is saying "thanks for thinking of us but we're closed right now, sorry".
ReplyDeleteThis is just nonsense. I have been searching for egyptian candidates to help me prepare for the NPTE for a year now, and I ended up finding nothing. I know no one from Egypt who have passed the NPTE, and Fsbpt tells us that it's ORGANIZED cheating. Come on. Now this decision will affect the whole licensing process of innocent people from these countries who have literally nothing to do with this issue and I'm really uncomfortable with that.
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone taking legal action against FSBPT? If so, please sign me up. I see a HUGH class action against them for this.
ReplyDeleteAugust visa bulletin is out..
ReplyDeleteEB3 moved to june 2004.. a one year movement.. Good move for the first time, I hope it will be the same before the year ends..
Can we all discuss on this on
ReplyDeletehttp://guidetophysicaltherapy.blogspot.com/
How they can say that only these 4 countries candidate are cheating, what about native American educated Pt , do they have any proof that everything is good with them if the test material it is accessible to everybody not only these 4 countries, and how many Pakistani PT take the exam every year its hardly 2% of the all PT appearing in exam as they don’t get the FCCPT credentialing. I belief this is highly unethical and discriminative action.
ReplyDeleteIf somebody has passed the exam questions why don’t they keep updating the questions it’s there weakness, unlike USMLE MD and Nurses exam they didn’t do any action like that to ban few countries. And the most painful thing is you are just giving one chance in a year. Ok whatever they want to do may be they have a "right" and they can design a most difficult test again "OK" but give atleast 3 cances in the year.
What to do, I am highly disappointed with “two wrong make a right" policy which FSBPT following.
I think it is totally unfair from FSBPT. Do they think that only students from those affected countries are cheating. Those materials are available everywhere. Its is their fault for not updating the questions now and then. Is it that difficult for a body like FSBPT who generate so much money, to prepare new set of questions or at least randomize it thrice or four times in an year. It is totally an conspiracy against the Asian to curb their entry to their country. I wish somebody would take legal action against them, so they people like me, who are at the verge of applying for the exam and the other students who aspire to work in America could be benefited.
ReplyDeleteThe FSBPT should be answerable to this issue since it represent a democratic nation where human rights means lot more, represents a medical field which needs professional, mature, strong and guided actions , and represents a professional community. The impact of any decision taken by such a body has a lot of consequences and i dont think the board really does understand the consequences of this action though they say they do. A lot of PT's have already sacrificed a lot of time, energy, money and even their career in homelands for a PT license in the US. What happens to them all? They all trusted in the board to be responsible and never thought is going to push them away halfway through the process. Where is the rights of those people here?
ReplyDeleteIt is the responsibilty of the board regarding the security of the test and not the candidates. It is for such things aswell candidates pay up the board. If someone breaks the law board should take action against them and should not be generalising a part of the community for that.
It is completely biased a decision of formulating a different test and a different evaluation for certain PT's. THere is going to be just one test a year limiting the number of applicants/aspirants and no one knows about the evaluation for the test.
Sharing of materials if happened through onnline then should be available in every nook and corner of the world and not just in philipines, india, pakistan or israel.
I would be a part of any legal questioning of the Board against this injustice.
If you all beleive that decison by FSBPT to ban candidates from 4 nations are discriminating then let us bring a class action law suit over them.
ReplyDeleteI am ready to lead this march along with you but you all will have to be a party to the law suit.
How many of you are ready to sign the petition ?
Any one pursuing any sort of solid actions or would like to discuss anything regarding it can count me in or can contact me at robin.robert.v@gmail.com .
ReplyDeleteI am ready to take part on any legal actions. I took the exam last 2009 and i was granted a license by my jurisdiction but now my license was pended by my state and wanted me to retake the exam in 10 months.i have been practicing for a year already and now this?suspension of the test just because of a single review center???how about those foreign-trained PTs who have been here in the US and never even knew about that review center but wanted to pursue their profession??? This is just unfair. Anyway,any PTs there who have been licensed and then license was just pended by the state saying you did not really pass the test and because of an erroneous mstake was just issued a license?
ReplyDeleteFACT No. 1: On January 4, 2008, FSBPT filed claims of copyright infringement against Hare Krishna Educational Consultants (“Hare Krishna”), a Texas-based NPTE test prep company, and its owner, Ankush Bhargava, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. With authorization from a federal judge, FSBPT attorneys and U.S. marshals conducted an unannounced raid on Bhargava’s home (which served as Hare Krishna’s headquarters) and seized infringing copies of FSBPT’s copyrighted PEAT materials.
ReplyDeleteFACT NO.2: Based on a lead by Therapy Team Educational Services and following a brief investigation, on September 5, 2008, FSBPT filed a lawsuit against American Healthcare Review Center, a New Jersey-based test preparation company offering courses and study materials to candidates preparing for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE).
The lawsuit alleges that American Healthcare has infringed FSBPT's copyright in its Practice Exam and Assessment Tool (PEAT), which American Healthcare has been reproducing and distributing to its customers without FSBPT's authorization. Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are three individuals believed to be owners, operators and/or instructors with American Healthcare - Rhandy Libiran, Mary Grace Tapar, PT, and Dharrian Jaype, PT. The defendants have not yet formally responded to the lawsuit.
Therapy Team Educational Services offers live review courses for the PT and PTA NPTE. They have also issued a cease and desist letter to American Healthcare Review Center for infringement of Therapy Team's copyrighted materials.
Fact No. 3: FSBPT investigated this two incident of cheating and copyright infringement in two Review/ Prep-test center in the US specifically in New Jersey and Texas. They hold the owners accountable for the incident but NO SUSPENSION OF EXAM HAPPENED FOR THE GRADUATES OF THIS STATES...A review center in the Philippines was accused of the same violation and thier solution is to PUNISH ALL THE GRADUATES OF THIS COUNTRY AND OTHER FOREIGN PT GRADUATES...This action of FSBPT only reflects true nature of DISCRIMINATION. The same problem but diffirent solution depending on which group they are dealing.
Good point bulinggit!i was thinking that too,american based review center was caught giving out materials with live questions too but no suspension and now this..a single review center in the philippines and it affected all who are just trying to pursue their dreams-in an honest way tsk tsk tsk!!
ReplyDeleteWhere do i sign up for the petition against fsbpt's move?
ReplyDeleteFollow this link to sign the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/NPTE2010/petition.html
ReplyDeleteHere's the link for the reference in
Fact NO.1https://www.fsbpt.org/NewsAndEvents/AmericanHealthcare/index.asp
Fact NO.2:
https://www.fsbpt.org/ForFaculty/Newsletter/Vol5_No1/index.asp
Some US laws can be expected to be biased in favor of US citizens; you have to be a US citizen in order to run for public office here in the US, and with regard to the presidency, being a US citizen is not enough, you have to be a natural-born US citizen, which explains why Henry Kissinger, who was born in Germany, was able to become a US Secretary of State but was not qualified to run for US president. On the other hand, some laws are supposed to apply equally to all; robbery is still robbery regardless of the citizenship of the victim. The same can be said about policies; some can be expected to be biased in favor of US citizens; but some other policies are supposed to apply to all. If you will join the Boston Marathon, it is reasonable to expect that the rules apply to all participants. It would be ridiculous for the marathon organizers to say, "Non-US citizens who are participating in this marathon are not allowed to wear shoes. Well, the rules are simply biased in favor of US citizens". A licensure examination is supposed to test a graduate's competency, not his or her status in the country where he or she wants to practice, so there should be a level playing field with regard to licensure examinations.
ReplyDeleteA review center in New Jersey and another one in Texas were found by FSBPT to have infringed on its intellectual property rights, and yet FSBPT did not ban New Jersey-educated and Texan-educated physical therapists from taking the NPTE. Well, those who want to join the Boston Marathon can at least prepare for it with the assurance that the marathon organizers are not like the FSBPT. I wonder what will happen if all US institutions will follow FSBPT's example. Imagine this: the organizers of the US Open Golf Championship announces, "Non-US citizens who have engaged in extra-marital sex are banned from participating in this tournament out of respect for the moral sensibilities of the people of the United States. But the ban does not apply to Tiger Woods because, well, he is a US citizen". Perhaps even he would not approve of such a ban. If FSBPT will not observe fair play, it should not promote fair play. Some things require moral ascendancy; you can not promote sexual purity if you are a prostitute.
In January 2007, agents of the NBI, in cooperation with FSBPT, raided SLRC. Surely, the names of the reviewees were discovered. Did FSBPT ban those reviewees from taking the NPTE? No; in April 2007, FSBPT nullified the scores of 20 NPTE takers, but at least they were not banned from taking the NPTE. In July 2010, or three years and six months after January 2007, FSBPT announced a ban on all Philippine-educated physical therapists with regard to the NPTE, even if they have not set foot on SLRC. It's like punishing Cristiano Ronaldo and other Portuguese football players for colonization-related wrongdoings of Portugal generations ago.
ReplyDeletegood news for Philippine nurses
ReplyDeleteI am an Indian student and have completed my BPTH. I am highly confused whether it would be right to apply for next fall for MPT keeping in mind the license exam issue. Kindly guide me about the same. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, please refer to the Constitution regarding states rights. FSBPT has no legal authority over the licensure requirements of individual states. It is the same as 50 little countries and they can make whatever laws and requirements regarding medical licensure that they see fit. Accusing FSBPT of discrimination is totally unfounded.
ReplyDeleteUp until they dicovered that live test questions were being used by universities and test prep services in the 4 referenced countries, if a state said you could test, you could test, period. There is a large pool of exam questions. These comments reek of people who care more about their own personal interests than that of patient safety. If it has been proven that many candidates in certain countries are sharing live exam questions and answers as a means to come to the US, that is endangering the public. Public safety is the number one priority. FSBPT would not have taken this step without the full legal authority to do so. They have a substantial team of lawyers.
And the NCLEX is structured in a completely different fashion.
FSBPT knows that cheating is occuring all over the world, however legal action is taken against only the countries were they had irrefutable proof. And yes, a cheating ring within the US was discovered some years ago and legal action was taken against the Americans who were caught. Many exam scores were invalidated, and multiple criminal convictions were made.
Sign petitions if you will but FSBPT could and would not have taken this step without enough evidence and legal backing to do so.