Steps in Getting Physical Therapy Continuing Education

Physical therapists work each day with folks stricken by everything from a bruised hip to combat trauma. Thence, physical therapy continuing education is vital to keep contemporary on the newest therapies.
Choosing a Speciality
Like several things nowadays, the term PT encompasses a broad range of disciplines. So, in wanting at physical therapy continuing education, you really should focus or one or two areas. You can take categories in athletic training, massage therapy, occupational therapy, special education, and then speech and language therapy. Beneath occupational, you'll be able to further specialize in helping folks recover from severe trauma. This may embody vehicular accidents and military injuries. There are geriatric and paediatric specialities; the previous helps the aged, and also the latter deals with children.
Checking Your State's Necessities
Each state has varying degrees of needs as to physical therapy continuing education.

As a physical therapist, you'll be licensed by the state, and will consult with their department of skilled regulation to determine what those rules are. In some cases, categories are required to be taken yearly, others every 2 years; some categories will be taken online, and with others you have to look in person. Additionally, the state's web site will offer you a list of approved continuing education providers.
The Four Varieties of Physical Therapy Continuing Education
As of 2000, a bachelor's degree was declared to not be enough to practice during this field; a master's or doctorate is needed, and there are four ways in which to earn either. With the master's degree, you'll either get an instantaneous entry or a transitional. The former is if you have a bachelor's degree in another subject and you would like to switch to PT, and it usually lasts two years. The latter is if your bachelor's is in PT, and is typically completed during a year. The doctorate is the identical means - direct and transitional - and it applies in the same manner.
Online Categories
With physical therapy continuing education, it's hard to believe that some categories may be offered online - as it's a hands-on profession. But, there are classes related to the non-physical therapy aspects of the profession that you can take this way. You can study reimbursement policies, handling managed care (HMO's), professional ethics, and fraud and abuse. Then there are some physical courses that conjointly do not require you to observe on a live patient. You can study the anatomy of various areas of the body, and find out about skin lesions and their treatment. Relying on the requirements of your state, these forms of physical therapy continuing education might be enough.
Check with the Association
The Yankee Physical Therapy Association can be helpful in handling physical therapy continuing education. Their website - apta.org - features a plethora of information regarding the various educational programs available - each online and at schools close to you. They'll also advise you on handling state regulators to insure they settle for the classes you take.

Enrolled Agent Continuing Education Aids in Explaining the AMT

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) sneaks up on unsuspecting taxpayers who then need advice about how to avert it in the future. This requires having some understanding of how the tax works and why only some taxpayers are subject to it. Fortunately, enrolled agents can take advantage of these situations as opportunities to expand their tax practices.

People want experts to explain particularly complex tax subjects. By promoting the knowledge you retain from enrolled agent continuing education, you certainly qualify as an expert to the public.

The AMT is a separate tax system from regular income tax. Under the AMT, tax is calculated according to a distinctive set of rules regarding income and deductions. When the tax determined using AMT rules is higher than tax assessed under the regular tax system, taxpayers owe the additional amount.

The ethics CPE of tax professionals teaches you to assess all tax payable, including any for the AMT.

Any taxpayer owing tax due to the AMT who doesn't pay is liable for penalties and interest. An enrolled agent should calculate potential AMT for all taxpayers with income above ,000 having a lot of personal exemptions or deductions.

An enrolled agent studies the AMT process in a CPE course. The AMT is calculated by completing IRS Form 6251, which adds disallowed deductions and extra income to the regular income tax calculation. Some of the likely situations where taxpayers owe AMT involve exercising of incentive stock options, ownership of a vacation property, and holding extensive investment interests.

The AMT disallows deduction of interest on home equity loans. Also disallowed under the AMT is investment interest expense that exceeds investment income other than interest and dividends.

Items counted as income under the AMT but not the regular tax system include the market gain on incentive stock options, interest earned on private activity bonds, and gains on the sale of qualified small business stock.

Because the AMT is a completely different tax system, it affects carry forward losses and basis. Therefore, an enrolled agent is valued for maintaining records a taxpayer will eventually require. For example, stock acquired by exercising incentive stock options may have a different basis under the AMT when sold. The AMT also reduces the deduction of passive activity losses and thus the loss carried forward to the time of property disposition.

These situations create long-term relationships between taxpayers and enrolled agents in order to accurately make future AMT adjustments.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.

Psychology Continuing Education: What You Should Know

When it comes to psychology, continuing education is the name of the game. For many professions, you learn everything you need to know in school. After graduation, you may be surprised at how little you need even that. In other fields, what you learn on the job is far more important than the theory you picked up in college. For the soft sciences, however, it is a combination of both. Not only must your theory and fundamental background be firm, you must be able to seek out and assimilate any new knowledge that advances your understanding. For psychologists, this is not just good advice; it is a requirement to remain licensed.

As you might expect, psychology continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Some states have very few requirements in place and more or less allow the doctor to choose their place of accreditation. Other states have stringent requirements and insist that individuals choose from their acceptable learning materials. If you're planning to practice and be licensed in a state, you need to keep up with those requirements. They may be very different than the ones where you came from.

In addition to placing varying demands on the amount of credits you must obtain in a period, state licensing boards have different requirements when it comes to the type of courses you may take. It's not uncommon for a state to have its pet issues that it feels are important. For instance, in Florida you'll find the state requires more domestic violence training for its psychologists. Other states may require more drug abuse training.

One good thing about going into the field now is that you'll have more choices and flexibility than ever before when it comes to deciding where to complete your psychology continuing education. Online classes, workshops, and multimedia presentations open up another world of possibilities. There are still plenty of real life opportunities as well, for those who learn better in a classroom environment.

One final note: keep your records straight. It's not uncommon for a person to take credits, lose the paperwork, and find out that those credits won't be counted towards their psychology continuing education requirements. Don't let this happen to you. Keep your paperwork in a secure place and make sure everything is well organized. Don't ever depend on the learning institution to take care of it for you. If they do live up to their promises, so much the better. If they don't, you have the backup.

Tax Continuing Education And The New Healthcare Rules

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes changes in the delivery of health insurance and several new income tax provisions. The implementation of these new rules over several years is a major focus oftax continuing education for Enrolled Agents and other tax professionals.

Coverage Changes

Starting in 2010, an adult child up to age 26 who is unable to obtain health insurance from an employer may remain covered by the employer plan of a parent. This replaces the common insurance company provision of not covering any child who reaches age 19 and is not a full time student.Tax CPE courses address how this provision may affect claiming older children as dependents.

Also new for 2010 is a provision that health insurance coverage for children cannot be denied solely because of pre-existing health conditions. In addition, health insurance coverage for anyone can no longer be terminated as a consequence of illness.

Policy maximums have also been eliminated beginning in 2010. Insurance companies are barred from instituting lifetime caps on coverage.

Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. This provision requires a pooling of risk involving mandatory coverage for everyone. Failure to obtain coverage beginning in 2014 will incur fines based upon individual incomes. Financial assistance will become available for families earning up to ,200 per year. State operated insurance exchanges in 2014 will provide coverage options in addition to private insurers.

For those who have been denied coverage in 2010 due to pre-existing conditions, coverage is available through state-operated high-risk pools. The maximum out-of-pocket cost under this coverage is ,950 for individuals and ,900 for families.

Starting in 2010, Medicare beneficiaries no longer have out-of-pocket cost for preventative care such as physical exams, testing for treatable conditions, and laboratory work. In addition, the federal government will send 0 to those covered by Medicare to cover prescription drug costs not currently covered by Medicare Part D.

However, those with annual incomes of ,000 (0,000 on joint returns) incur a reduced prescription drug subsidy in 2010. In addition, government subsidies for Medicare Advantage plans are being reduced so those covered by such programs face higher premiums. To assist in tax return preparation, aregistered tax agent must inquire about whether clients received their 0 checks.

Tax Provisions

Continuing professional education (CPE) has several areas to address relating to changing health care rules.Tax CPE courses include information on the new tax credits and additional tax assessments.

Tax credits are available for individuals who purchase health insurance through a state-operated exchange. The tax credit program begins in 2014, when each state is required to have established an exchange. The premium assistance credit is available for households with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the annual poverty level. Upon enrollment, individuals will report income to the exchange. A premium assistance credit is then calculated and paid by the federal government to the state. The insured individual then pays the difference between the premium and the credit.

Individuals who fail to maintain health insurance coverage in 2014 will be subject to tax penalties. Tax professionals will learn in their CPEethics course that, beginning in 2014, an employer with at least 50 full-time employees during the preceding year must offer all full-time employees and their dependents minimum essential coverage under an employer-sponsored plan. Failure to meet this requirement results in a fine for the employer if any eligible employee enrolls in coverage under a state exchange for which a premium tax credit is allowed to the employee.

To assure coverage exists from employer-provided plans, annual W-2 reporting beginning for the 2011 tax year requires disclosure of the value of each employee's health insurance provided by the employer.

Small businesses with fewer than 25 employees and average wages of less than ,000 are eligible for tax credits beginning in 2010. The credit is up to 50 percent of employer contributions for health insurance premiums. Employers with fewer than 10 employees and average wages of less than ,000 receive a 100 percent credit. Wages paid to five-percent owners of a business (or 2 percent of S corporation shareholders) are excluded from the average calculation.

In addition, business are required beginning in 2012 to report on Form 1099 all payments aggregating 0 or more in a calendar year to a single payee, including corporations (other than a payee that is a tax-exempt corporation).

For 2010, the maximum adoption credit is increased to ,170 per eligible child. This increase applies to both non-special needs adoptions and special needs adoptions. Also, the adoption credit is made refundable. The new dollar limit and phase-out of the adoption credit are adjusted for inflation in tax years beginning in 2011.

The tax on distributions from a health savings account (HSA) or an Archer medical savings account (MSA) that are not used for qualified medical expenses is increased to 20 percent, effective in 2011.

Continuing education tax deductible topics include a new threshold for itemized medical expenses. Beginning in 2013, the threshold is increased to 10 percent of adjusted gross income. The present threshold is 7.5 percent of AGI.

Also beginning in 2013, a new Medicare tax is effective for taxpayers with income of 0,000 or more (0,000 for joint tax returns). This is a major change that is being addressed intax continuing education. The tax is 3.8 percent of the lesser of investment income or a modified adjusted gross income calculation. For self-employed taxpayers, the same additional Medicare contribution applies to the Medicare component of the self-employment tax on income in excess of the threshold amount.

In 2014, flexible spending accounts (FSAs) will have lower contribution limits. The new maximum amount allowed will be ,500. In addition, fewer expenses will qualify for FSA spending. For example, an FSA withdrawal will no longer be available to cover the cost of over-the-counter drugs.

However, employees may use a cafeteria plan for paying premiums under a health care plan offered through a state-operated exchange. This affects employees who receive group coverage through an exchange option provided by their employer plus have cafeteria plans. This provision is also effective beginning in 2014.