OTA Continuing Education Requirements
Pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes and the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (RSA), each licensee applying for license renewal shall complete a minimum of 18 contact hours of qualifying continued competency activity during the preceding two-year period for which the license is being renewed.
Continued competency completed in one registration period shall not be carried over to a subsequent registration period.
Award of Competency Units
1 contact hour for each hour of attendance at academic courses, institutes, seminars, programs, structured didactic in-service training, and scientific meetings directly related to the practice of occupational therapy.
A maximum of 6 continued competency contact hours per registration period, shall be awarded for courses taught as an appointed faculty member at a school of occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), provided that teaching is not the licensee’s primary role.
10 contact hours per semester credit hour shall be awarded for full-time post-graduate attendance throughout the registration period in an advanced educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
12 contact hours shall be awarded for the successful completion of the Certification Examination for Occupational Therapist administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) if taken five years or more after graduation.
1 contact hour shall be awarded for each first presentation of a paper, essay or formal lecture in occupational therapy at a training program, an educational meeting or providing professional in-service training or instruction for occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and related professionals.
1 contact hour for each hour of presentation to a maximum of 9 contact hours per registration period shall be awarded for the first presentation only of a scientific or educational exhibit at a professional meeting.
10 contact hours per article in a peer-reviewed professional publication or chapter in an occupational therapy or related professional textbook.
5 contact hours per first article in a non peer-reviewed publication.
10 contact hours per project for clinical activities in a research project shall be awarded for appointment as a research assistant to a research project in occupational therapy which is funded by state, federal or institutional grant.
8 contact hours per registration period for appointment as a teaching assistant at a school of occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
1 contact hour for each week of supervision per student supervised by the licensee to a maximum of 9 contact hours per registration period for time served as the primary direct clinical supervisor of a 12-week field work placement for an occupational therapy student or an 8-week field work placement for an occupational therapy assistant student enrolled in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE).
1 contact hour for 5 hours of review to a maximum of 9 contact hours per registration period for professional manuscript review or editing for journals or textbooks.
2 contact hours per 15 clock hours to a maximum of 9 contact hours per registration period for auditing formal academic coursework.
Successful completion of an entire continued competency activity shall be required for award of any continued competency contact hours.
Activities which will not qualify for award of continued competency contact hours include: professional organizational business meetings; speeches delivered at luncheons or banquets; the reading of books, articles, or professional journals; correspondence courses, and other mechanisms of self-instruction except when used as a component of a home study program; and audio-visual materials, except when audio-visual materials are used as a component of a qualifying continued competency activity identified above.