Section Occ 305.03 - Required Professional Education(a) The required professional education relating to ultrasound modalities, including phonophoresis, shall: (1) Be at least 6 hours in duration for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants; and (2) Cover the following topics: a. Proper use of ultrasound equipment, including: 1. The use of treatment controls; 4. Application method; and 5. Equipment maintenance as it relates to overall client safety; b. Knowledge of the clinical use, optimal parameters, precautions and contraindications to determine, prior to administration, the appropriateness of ultrasound for a client; c. Knowledge of the physiological effect of ultrasound, including the therapeutic benefits as well as the tissue response for both thermal and non-thermal delivery;d. Understanding of the optimal parameters for maximum therapeutic benefit in regards to: 4. Size of the area to be sonated; and 5. The mode of ultrasound delivery, including but not limited to, pulse, continuous and medication; e. The appropriate selection and storage of topical drugs: 1. Prescribed by a licensed healthcare practitioner authorized to prescribe medicine; and 2. Used in the ultrasound treatment; and f. The proper positioning of the client for maximum safety and therapeutic effectiveness. (b) The required professional education relating to electrical stimulation modalities, including, at a minimum, NMES, TENS, iontophoresis and HVGS, shall: (1) Be at least 15 hours in duration for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants; and (2) Cover, for each of the specific electrical stimulation modalities listed in (b) above, the following topics:a. Electrotherapeutic terminology and biophysical principles, including current, voltage and amplitude; b. The normal electrophysiology of nerve and muscle; c. The types of current, direct, pulsed and alternating, used for electrical stimulation; d. The duration and type of current appropriate for the client's neurological status; e. The following common denominators of electrical currents: 1. Normal and abnormal human responses to direct and alternating current; 2. Current flow effect on tissue, including thermal, chemical and kinetic changes; 3. Waveforms, including: (i) The true direct current of iontophoresis; and (ii) Pulsed currents, including monophasic, biphasic and polyphasic; 4. The characteristics of phase, including: 5. The modulation of the characteristics listed in e.4. above; and 6. The physiological correlates of the phase characteristics listed in e.4. above;f. The indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions of electrotherapy, including considerations regarding pathology of nerve and muscle tissue; g. The rationale and clinical indications of electrotherapy necessary for the safe and appropriate integration in the delivery of occupational therapy; h. The appropriate selection and storage of topical drugs: 1. Prescribed by a licensed healthcare practitioner authorized to prescribe medicine; and 2. Used in electrical stimulation treatments;i. The proper positioning of, and adequate instructions to, the client during application of the modality;j. Appropriate education of the client as to the benefits and risks of the electrotherapeutic treatment; k. Knowledge of the safe and appropriate operation of the electrical stimulation device and the optimal parameters, including: 2. The frequency or rate; 3. The type of current; and 4. The duration of treatment; and l. The optimal electrode placement, including motor points and physiological effects desired. N.H. Admin. Code § Occ 305.03
#8297, eff 3-1-05; ss by #8895, eff 6-7-07
Amended by Volume XXXV Number 32, Filed August 13, 2015, Proposed by #10901, Effective 7/29/2015, Expires7/29/2025.Amended by Volume XLII Number 2, Filed January 13, 2022, Proposed by #13257, Effective 12/21/2021, Expires 12/21/2031