Physical therapists get licenses revoked, suspended over patient sexting

The Virginia Board of Physical Therapy has revoked the license of a Lynchburg physical therapist and suspended the license of a Yorktown physical therapist assistant over unrelated sexting incidents with patients. 

The board entered an order to revoke Stephen Maynard Scott’s physical therapy license on Oct. 11 for “conduct with a former patient that was of a sexual nature.” 

According to the board, Scott treated a 74-year-old woman recovering from a stroke at a rehabilitation facility in Stuart from January to March 2023. The patient had depression, bipolar disorder and symptoms of dementia, according to board documents. Shortly after the patient returned to her home in January 2024, Scott began sending her text messages, some of which were sexually explicit, as well as photos of his genitalia, according to the board’s report. Some of the messages were sent while he was at work, according to the board.

Scott, who is listed as living in Lynchburg and obtained his physical therapy license in 1999, was suspended from the facility in February. His employer, the board documents state, reviewed Scott’s work laptop and found that he had been on dating sites for senior women and had been “messaging elderly women while he was at work.” 

The Virginia Board of Physical Therapy had already entered an order in May 2023 placing Scott on indefinite probation stemming from separate allegations that he sent inappropriate texts to an 81-year-old patient.

After three years, Scott can request his license be reinstated at a formal administrative proceeding of the board.

In a separate and unrelated case, the board entered an order on Oct. 11, indefinitely suspending the physical therapy assistant license of  John Cody Bradshaw of Yorktown “for a period of not less than six months.” 

In January and February, according to the board, Bradshaw provided in-home treatment to a patient. Prior to a scheduled visit on Feb. 22, the board alleged, Bradshaw sent a text to the patient providing his personal cell number. The pair continued to text and the messages became sexually explicit and included photos of a sexual nature.

Bradshaw can apply for his license to be reinstated after undergoing a psychological assessment and taking a course on professional boundaries.