BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2382
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Date of Hearing: April 20, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS, PROFESSIONS AND CONSUMER
PROTECTION
Mary Hayashi, Chair
AB 2382 (Blumenfield) - As Amended: April 12, 2010
SUBJECT : California State University: Doctor of Physical
Therapy degrees.
SUMMARY : Authorizes California State University (CSU) to award
the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Authorizes CSU to award DPT.
2)Requires DPT offered by CSU to be distinguished from doctoral
degree programs at the University of California (UC).
3)States that nothing in this article shall be construed to
limit or preclude the California Postsecondary Education
Commission from exercising its authority to review, evaluate,
and make recommendations relating to any and all programs, as
specified.
4)Requires CSU to comply with all the following:
a) Funding on a per full-time equivalent student (FTES)
basis for each new student in these degree programs shall
be from within CSU's enrollment growth levels as agreed to
in the annual Budget Act. Enrollments in these programs
shall not alter the CSUs ratio of graduate instruction to
total enrollment, and shall not diminish enrollment growth
in university undergraduate programs. Funding provided from
the state for each FTES shall be at the agreed-upon
marginal cost calculation that CSU receives;
b) The DPT degree shall be focused on preparing physical
therapists to provide health care services, and shall be
consistent with meeting the requirements of the Commission
on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE);
c) Each student in the programs authorized by this article
shall be charged fees no higher than the rate charged for
students in state-supported doctoral degree programs in
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physical therapy at UC, including joint DPT programs of the
CSU and UC; and,
d) CSU shall provide any startup funding needed for the
programs authorized by this article from within existing
budgets for academic programs support, without diminishing
the quality of program support offered to CSU undergraduate
programs. Funding of these programs shall not result in
reduced undergraduate enrollments at CSU.
5)Requires CSU, the Department of Finance, and the Legislative
Analyst's Office to jointly conduct a statewide evaluation of
the new programs implemented under this bill. The results of
the evaluation shall be reported, in writing, to the
Legislature and the Governor on or before January 1, 2015. The
evaluation required by this section shall consider all of the
following:
a) The number of new doctoral programs in physical therapy
implemented, including information identifying the number
of new programs, applicants, admissions, enrollments, and
degree recipients;
b) The extent to which the programs established under this
article are fulfilling identified needs for physical
therapists, including statewide supply and demand data that
considers capacity at the UC and in California's
independent colleges and universities;
c) Information on the place of employment of students and
the subsequent job placement of graduates;
d) Program costs and the fund sources that were used to
finance these programs, including a calculation of cost per
degree awarded;
e) The costs of the programs to students, the amount of
financial aid offered, and student debt levels of graduates
of the programs; and,
f) The extent to which the programs are in compliance with
the requirements of this bill.
6)Makes legislative findings and declarations.
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EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires that CSU offer undergraduate and graduate instruction
through the master's degree in the liberal arts and sciences
and professional education, including teacher education.
Presently established two-year programs in agriculture are
authorized, but other two-year programs shall be permitted
only when mutually agreed upon by the Trustees of the
California State University and the Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges.
2)Limits CSU to awarding doctoral degrees jointly with UC or
jointly with independent institutions of higher education,
provided that the proposed doctoral program is approved by the
California Postsecondary Education Commission.
3)States that the primary mission of CSU is undergraduate and
graduate instruction through the master's degree.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
Purpose of this bill . According to the author's office, "AB
2382 would grant CSU the narrow authority to independently
confer the now-required 'doctorate' degree to enter the physical
therapy profession. The degree, while called a 'doctorate,' is
deemed the entry-level degree by the Commission on the
Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education. California's master
plan for higher education allows CSU to confer degrees for entry
into a profession, such as those awarded by the four physical
therapy programs at CSU. Additionally, current law allows CSU to
confer 'doctorate' degrees in conjunction with the University of
California. Efforts to have joint programs between CSU and UC
have had very limited success with declining participation."
Background . The Commission on Accreditation for Physical
Therapy Education, which has sole responsibility for accrediting
PT education programs in the United States, revised its
accreditation standards last October to require the DPT as the
terminal degree instead of the Master's degree, requiring PT
Master's degree programs to convert to DPT programs by December
30, 2015. Programs that do not meet this criterion by that date
will be required to come into compliance no later than December
31, 2017, or lose accreditation.
AB 2382
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As of January 2010, there were 203 DPT programs (96%) and only
nine master's programs (4%) accredited nationally. There are
currently nine private DPT programs in California and one public
program-a joint DPT between San Francisco State University and
UC San Francisco. CSU operates four PT Master's programs at its
Fresno, Northridge, Long Beach, and Sacramento campuses. CSU
Fresno also offers a nine-month DPT option upon completion of
its program in partnership with UC San Francisco.
The Master Plan for Higher Education differentiates the
functions among the public postsecondary education segments.
Specifically, UC is given exclusive jurisdiction in public
higher education for doctoral degrees, although CSU can award
joint doctorates, with the exception of the Doctor of Education
(Ed.D) degree. CSU was granted the authority to offer the Ed.D
degree because data indicated that California lagged behind the
nation in Ed.D degrees per K-12 students, and UC did not offer
Ed.D programs.
Master's degree programs typically are two to two and one-half
years in length, while doctoral degree programs last three
years. Doctoral programs include a more robust clinical
education and diagnostic education. Doctoral degree programs
are more costly to operate than baccalaureate or master's level
programs. However, representatives from the existing CSU
master's degree programs maintain that their current curriculum
is equivalent to a DPT, and no additional funds will be needed
for program planning, facilities, or faculty growth.
A similar situation existed with regards to CSU's audiology
program. A decade ago, CSU offered five master's level
audiology programs and one joint doctoral program. The American
Academy of Audiology declared that accreditation would require a
doctoral degree, which threatened the accreditation of CSU's
audiology programs. Anticipating the need of both audiologists
and physical therapists, AB 724 (Scott) of 2005, would have
authorized CSU to offer a doctoral program in both disciplines.
These provisions were dropped amidst opposition from UC and
others, and CSU discontinued its audiology programs in 2007.
There is currently only one doctoral audiologist program in
California, a joint program between San Diego State University
and UC San Diego.
According to the author, the existing DPT programs cannot
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accommodate the demand for training, and CSU's retreat from the
field would put California's health marketplace at a competitive
disadvantage for attracting PTs.
Arguments in support . The sponsors, California Physical Therapy
Association, write, "Not only will AB 2383 meet the need to
comply with the mandate of CAPTE, but also will meet the growing
need for physical therapists in California. The Bureau of Labor
and Statistics projects a 30% increase in the need for physical
therapists by 2016. Labor estimates for California continue to
place physical therapy in one of the top three jobs in demand
over the next twenty years. In addition, the Employment
Development Department estimates that there is currently an
annual shortage of 500 therapists a year in California. With
the four CSU programs graduating 38% of the physical therapy
workforce each year, California can simply not afford to allow
these programs to close when the need for rehabilitative
services is at an all time high. Moreover, the CSU physical
therapy programs cost an average of half of the physical therapy
programs offered at private institutions. In short, this
legislation keeps the profession accessible to lower and middle
income students."
Arguments in opposition . The California Podiatric Medical
Association writes, "Currently, UC has the exclusive
jurisdiction to award a doctoral degree. Our concern, as others
in the medical professions have expressed, is whether the CSU
system is set up to include the enhanced clinical rotations
which are key to a meaningful higher level of Physical Therapist
training. Additionally, it is entirely unclear that the CSU
system has the funding to establish a doctoral program that
would include adequate clinical training, or how the new program
would differ from the Masters of Physical Therapy currently
available.
Related legislation : AB 867 (Nava) of 2009, pending in the
Senate Appropriations Committee, would grant CSU the authority
to award the Doctor in Nursing Practice degree.
AB 724 (Scott), Chapter 269, Statutes of 2005, authorized CSU to
award the Ed.D, DPT and the Doctor in Audiology degree. The
latter two provisions were removed due to objections by UC.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
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Support
California Physical Therapy Association (sponsor)
American Nurses Association of California
California Association of Health Facilities
California Hospital Association
Intercollegiate Academic Clinical Coordinators Council
Northern California Clinical Education Consortium
Numerous individuals.
Opposition
California Medical Association
California Podiatric Medical Association
Analysis Prepared by : Sarah Weaver / B.,P. & C.P. / (916)
319-3301