SECTION 435:30-1-5. License renewal; late fees; continuing education; re-entry guidelines

(a)   Yearly license renewal. The occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant license is required to be renewed yearly on October 31 upon forms provided by the Board and shall be accompanied by fees set by the Board. In addition, late fees shall be assessed as set by the Board.

(b)   Continuing education for renewal.

(1)   Continuing education for renewal of licensure has been established to require therapists' involvement in activities which keep their skills and knowledge of current practice up to date. A point is the equivalent of 1 contact hour. Twenty contact hours every 2 years will be required. Penalties for failure to comply with continuing education requirements may be assessed after notice and hearing as required by law. Penalties may include imposition of additional continuing education contact hours, probation of license, suspension of license, or revocation of license. Failure to produce records of continuing education rebuts the presumption that continuing education requirements have been completed. The willful and intentional misrepresentation of compliance with continuing education requirements shall constitute prima facie evidence of a fraudulent application for licensure renewal.

(2)   A Sub-Committee, composed of Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants, may review all points submitted. The Sub-Committee will forward recommendations to the Occupational Therapy Advisory Committee for approval or denial. Reasons for denial will be given to each therapist. Should any individual therapist have questions as to the appropriateness of a program, the therapist could consult the Committee. The Committee would have the authority to decide on any type of program not listed and assign appropriate hours. The responsibility for showing how a particular activity is relevant to maintaining skills as an Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant will be with the therapist applying for approval. The Committee will automatically accept programs offered or approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association or the Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association as proved courses.

(3)   The Committee recognizes the role that ongoing practice plays in maintaining competence as an Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant. Continuing education requirements are designed to update knowledge and skills. Synthesis takes place when the therapist has the opportunity to apply this knowledge and these skills to their practice. Therefore, therapists will be asked to provide information about their practice of occupational therapy at the time of renewal.

(4)   Traditional method of points/value/documentation:

(A)   Traditional methods of points:

(i)   Workshops

(ii)   Inservices (6 point maximum per compliance period)

(iii)   Seminars

(iv)   Conferences

(v)   Programs offered by or approved by the American Occupational Therapy Association or the Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association or the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

(vi)   Programs at Special Interest Section meetings

(vii)   Occupational Therapy Education Council of Oklahoma workshops (points as assigned on request from Committee)

(B)   Assigned Value: 1 point per hour of participation.

(C)   Documentation: Verification of attendance and copies of supporting documentation such as program brochure, syllabus, etc. If unable to verify attendance, use Form B Verification of Conference Attendance, attach a copy of receipt for conference fee and statement of relevancy to practice of Occupational Therapy if not obvious from the program materials.

(5)   Alternative methods of points:

(A)   Presentations of occupational therapy programs

(i)   Presentations at workshops, seminars, conferences

(ii)   Presentations as guest lecturer at accredited occupational therapy curriculum

(iii)   Presentations as guest lecturer at other programs on topics related to occupational therapy department inservices

(iv)   Assigned Value: 2 points per hour for first presentation of original material. No additional points for subsequent presentations.

(v)   Documentation: Copies of supporting documentation such as brochures, programs, or syllabus and a statement of objectives of presentation.

(B)   Clinical Instruction of Occupational Therapist students or Occupational Therapy Assistant students.

(i)   Assigned Value: 1 point per week of continuous direct supervision.

(ii)   Documentation: Copy of letter of verification of fieldwork from educational program.

(C)   Publications (published or accepted for publication)

(i)   Authorship or co-authorship of a book relating to occupational therapy:

(I)   Maximum of 20 points.

(II)   Documentation: Copy of Title page.

(ii)   Authorship of a chapter in a book or journal article appearing in a professional journal:

(I)   Maximum of 10 points.

(II)   Documentation: Copy of table of contents and first page of chapter or article.

(iii)   Authorship of an article, book review or abstract in a newsletter (such as OOTA Newsletter, OT Newsweek, SIS Newsletter, or other related newsletters):

(I)   Maximum of 10 points per compliance period.

(II)   Documentation: Copy of article, book review or abstract evidencing title of newsletter and date of publication.

(iv)   Alternative media such as video tapes, slide/tape presentations, etc., that would be available for general viewing. Media or description of media to be submitted to Committee for approval and assignment of points as appropriate.

(I)   Assigned Value: 10-20 points per publication or finished product

(II)   Documentation: Copy of approval letter from Committee.

(D)   Research

(i)   Principal or co-investigator, project director or research assistant. Research proposal and final results submitted to Committee for approval:

(I)   10 points

(II)   Documentation: Statement of participation and abstract of proposal and results.

(ii)   Quality assurance studies completed and published in journal or newsletter:

(I)   5 points Assigned Value: 5-10 points per project

(II)   Documentation: Manuscript acknowledgment or copy of article.

(E)   Formal Coursework

(i)   College and university coursework courses directly relating to improvement, advancement, or extension of one's skills as an Occupational Therapist. One credit course would be 10 points, 2-credit course 20 points, and 3-credit course would be 30 points. Assigned Value: 10-30 points as approved.

(ii)   College or university courses which are indirectly related, yet support skills and knowledge will be evaluated individually and assigned value accordingly.

(iii)   Documentation: Course description with statement of relevance to Occupational Therapy and transcript or other documentation of passing grade.

(F)   Self-Study: (Independent Learning Projects). A combination of activities which may include, but are not limited to a combination of reading, observing other therapists, viewing video tapes and quality assurance studies and related professional activities which enhance knowledge and skill in a specific area. A Report of Professional Self-Study should be submitted to Committee for approval (Form C). Points will be assigned by the Committee based on the relevance to practice and complexity. Documentation: Copy of approval letter from OT Advisory Committee.

(G)   Specialty Certification. Achievement of a specialty certification by a recognized body such as Neuro Developmental Techniques, Sensory Integration, American Society of Hand Therapists will be awarded 20 points one time only. Credit will be granted for Certification obtained within the compliance period in which certification was granted or the next subsequent compliance period only.

(H)   Professional Activities

(i)   American Occupational Therapy Association membership: 2 points Documentation: Copy of current AOTA membership card.

(ii)   Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association or American Occupational Therapy Association elected office (up to 8 points per year). Documentation: Copy of annual report submitted to OOTA or AOTA listing activities of office.

(iii)   AOTA or OOTA Committee chair - points awarded based on the extent to which activities are relative to maintaining involvement in the profession as evidenced by their annual report (up to 8 points per year). Documentation: Copy of approval letter from OT Advisory Committee.

(iv)   Member of Committee - based on evidence of involvement in appropriate activities (up to 4 points per year). Documentation: Copy of approval letter from OT Advisory Committee.

(v)   Active involvement in related organizations and committee upon approval by the Committee (up to 4 points per year). Documentation: List of dates of activities and types of activities, signed by committee chair, with a statement of relevance of the organization or committee to the practice of occupational therapy.

(6)   Guidelines for the audit process.

(A)   The Occupational Therapy Committee will, ninety (90) days before expiration date of each compliance period, randomly or for cause, select licensees for audit to ensure that all continuing education requirements have been met.

(B)   Licensees being audited have thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the letter of notification to submit proof of continuing education to the Committee.

(C)   The Occupational Therapy Committee or its appointed sub-committee shall review the documentation of each individual for compliance with established continuing education standards.

(D)   Licensees found to be in compliance shall be notified of such and that no further action regarding the audit is required.

(E)   Licensees found not to be in compliance shall be notified within (5) working days following the determination of non-compliance. The Board shall provide to the licensee specific information concerning areas of deficiency and what further information, if any, is needed to bring them into compliance. The licensee shall be given the opportunity to submit additional documentation for the Committee to consider, or he or she may elect to personally appear at the next Occupational Therapy Committee meeting. Provided, nothing in this provision shall prevent the Committee from requiring the licensee to personally appear for the purposes of ensuring compliance with the continuing education requirements.

(F)   A summarized report shall be submitted to the Occupational Therapy Committee listing the names of those audited who are in compliance with continuing education requirements. Those not in compliance shall be listed with notation of deficiencies found and/or recommendation.

(c)   Renewal license identification card. The Board shall issue to a licensee who has met all requirements for renewal a renewal license identification card.

(d)   Re-entry guidelines. Therapists with licenses lapsed more than twelve months wishing to re-enter the practice of Occupational Therapy will be required to file an application on forms provided by the Board. Therapists may be required to meet one or more of the following guidelines:

(1)   Personal appearance before the Advisory Committee.

(2)   At least 2 Continuing Education Units for each month license was lapsed.

(3)   Practice under the direct supervision of a licensed Occupational Therapist for one month (at least 22 days) for each year license was lapsed up to three months. The supervising Therapist will provide to the Committee a report on the applicant's performance prior to licensure.

(4)   NBCOT certification examination.

(e)   Personal appearance requirement. Therapists with licenses lapsed more than sixty months wishing to re-enter practice will be required to make a personal appearance before the Committee and meet any of the above guidelines as directed by the Committee.

[Source: Amended at 10 Ok Reg 1531, eff 4-26-93; Amended at 10 Ok Reg 2457, eff 6-11-93; Amended at 15 Ok Reg 2031, eff 5-26-98; Amended at 17 Ok Reg 1359, eff 5-11-00; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 1316, eff 5-11-01; Amended at 18 Ok Reg 2643, eff 7-12-01; Amended at 24 Ok Reg 1104, eff 5-11-07; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 2010, eff 9-11-20]