Become an occupational therapy practitioner | AOTA (2024)

Both degree levels are currently routes of entry to the profession, prepare graduates to be entry-level practitioners, and are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®). The doctoral degree offers additional coursework that provides in-depth knowledge ofclinical practice skills, research skills, administration, leadership, program and policy development, advocacy, education, and theory development. Both degree levels require Level I and Level II fieldwork experiences. In addition, doctoral students must also complete a 14 week doctoral capstone and culminating project.

These are all appropriate degrees to award at the completion of an entry-level occupational therapy educational program. The degree awarded is an institutional prerogative based on consistency with the mission and structure of the college or university. All are considered entry-level degrees, although the MOT designation is more commonly used to designate an entry-level degree.

Examples of what other students have majored in at the undergraduate level include biology, kinesiology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, liberal arts, and anatomy. It is important that you contact the educational programs to which you are interested in applying and make sure you have taken the necessary prerequisites for admission into their programs.

All entry-level educational programs prepare you to be a generalist. Specializing in one area of practice would be something you would pursue after you graduate and successfully pass the national certification examination. Many practitioners do select a specialty area of practice. Others change their area of practice throughout their careers. Occupational therapy provides a great deal of career flexibility. Recent graduates and new practitioners interested in advancing their practice and specializing in the field of occupational therapy may want to consider completing a Fellowship Program.

Fieldwork education is a crucial part of your preparation to become an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. It provides you an opportunity to carry out practice and other professional responsibilities under supervision and role modeling by an experienced practitioner.

A combined bachelor's/master's program is an accredited program that accepts students without a bachelor's degree; awards a baccalaureate degree; then, upon completion of the master's-level academic coursework and fieldwork, awards an entry-level master's degree in occupational therapy. Successful completion of the master's degree portion of the program would be required for eligibility to sit for the national certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®). These types of programs will generally accept transfer students.

An entry-level program is for those students who want to study to become an occupational therapist. A post-professional program is for occupational therapists who want to further their education, usually in an area of specialization (e.g., pediatrics).

Both degree levels are currently routes of entry to the profession, prepare graduates to be entry-level occupational therapy assistant practitioners, and are accredited by ACOTE. The baccalaureate degree supports the students' ability to synthesize in-depth knowledge in a practice area through additional coursework and the development and completion of a baccalaureate project in one or more of the following areas: clinical practice skills, administration, leadership, advocacy, and education.

There are no accredited entry-level occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant educational programs that are offered in the online format. Some educational programs may offer some courses or parts of courses online, but there are no educational programs offered entirely online.

It is suggested that you contact local facilities that employ occupational therapists and/or occupational therapy assistants (e.g., hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, or school systems). You can find these programs by doing an internet search for "occupational therapy" or "rehabilitation" in the local area or by contacting your state occupational therapy association. These requests are made quite frequently and you will find most facilities accommodating. Be prepared to discuss your reason for the request and your availability. You are advised to call facilities rather than email them.

Neither the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) nor ACOTE ranks programs. Accreditation of a program indicates that the program is in substantial compliance with the accreditation Standards. Various programs may exceed the minimum standards, but they are not acknowledged as such by AOTA. Those Standards are available on the ACOTE Accreditation section

There are many factors that will impact your decision, including the mission and size of the college or university, faculty qualifications, geographic location, cost, degree awarded, length of the program, and program outcomes. The list of accredited programs will include links to the program's web page and telephone numbers for each program. You may wish to contact the program in which you are interested to inquire about the success of program graduates on the national certification examination, job placement rates, employer satisfaction with program graduates, and graduate satisfaction with the program. National certification exam results of OT and OTA programs are available on the NBCOT® School Performance website.

An occupational therapy assistant is a graduate of an accredited occupational therapy assistant educational program and is eligible to sit for the national certification examination. Most states regulate occupational therapy assistants. Occupational therapy aides provide supportive services to the occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. Occupational therapy aides usually receive their training on the job and are not eligible for certification or licensure. Occupational therapy aide programs are not accredited by AOTA's Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) and certification of aides is not required. You may want to contact your state regulatory board to determine what services and regulations apply to occupational therapy aides in your state.

A good number of students go back to school to become an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant. You would need to contact the individual educational programs to which you are interested in applying in order to determine what prerequisites you would need to take.

Contact the Financial Aid offices at the schools to which you have applied.

This is a national exam. You can take it anywhere it is offered. Your exam results will be reported to the appropriate state regulatory bodies that you have previously indicated. Once you successfully pass the national certification examination, you can apply for a license in any state.

This term refers to new programs that are not yet accredited but have completed the first step in the 3-step initial accreditation process. New programs seeking initial accreditation must submit a Candidacy Application to ACOTE. The application is reviewed and ACOTE must take action to either grant or deny Candidacy Status (step 1). Not all programs are successful in obtaining Candidacy Status, and that status must be attained before students can be admitted into the program. Although the "Candidacy Status" designation does not guarantee that the program will be accredited, it indicates that the resource allocation and plan for development of the proposed program appear to demonstrate the ability to meet ACOTE Standards. After a program is granted Candidacy Status, the program will submit a Report of Self-Study for review by ACOTE (step 2) and will have an on-site evaluation (step 3).

This term refers to new programs that are not yet accredited but have completed the first and second steps in the 3-step initial accreditation process. Although the "Preaccreditation Status" designation does not guarantee that the program will be accredited, it indicates that on the basis of the paper review of the submitted materials, the program would appear to meet ACOTE Standards if fully implemented in accordance with the plans of the sponsoring institution. An on-site evaluation (step 3) will be conducted before the first class completes the academic curriculum. If the program can successfully demonstrate substantial compliance with the Standards, it will be granted accreditation. If not, accreditation will be withheld.

There is definitely a degree of risk involved in entering a program that is not yet accredited. When a program fails to obtain accreditation before the first class of student graduates, the program is no longer viable and closes. In order to be eligible to sit for the NBCOT certification examination, one must graduate from an ACOTE-accredited program. This is why it is essential for new programs to obtain accreditation before the first class of students graduates.

The students will have earned the course/credit hours taken but are not eligible for the certification examination. To be eligible for the certification examination, those students would need to transfer to a program that is accredited and complete that program's requirements for graduation. Credits from the unaccredited program may or may not be accepted by another program.

The numbers are low, but occasionally there is a program that is not successful in obtaining accreditation. That is why the procedure requires that new programs obtain Candidacy Status from ACOTE prior to the admission of the first class of students.

As previously stated, there is definitely a degree of risk involved in entering a program that is not yet accredited because students must graduate from an ACOTE-accredited program to be eligible to sit for the NBCOT® certification examination. However, all new programs must follow a 3-step initial accreditation process which allows ACOTE to monitor progress toward compliance with the ACOTE accreditation Standards. Students considering enrolling in a new program are encouraged to contact the program to obtain information on the progress made toward compliance with the Standards.