Occupational Therapists and Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants Requirements and procedures to follow in applying for a license as an occupational therapist or for certification as an occupational therapy assistant in New York State. Information about applying for a limited permit in occupational therapy is also included.
Any use of the title occupational therapist (OT) or occupational therapy assistant (OTA) or the initials OT or OTA within New York State requires licensure.
General Requirements
The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Article 156 of New York’s Education Law and Part 76 of the Commissioner’s Regulations. To be licensed as an occupational therapist or certified as an occupational therapy assistant in New York State you must: Be of good moral character
Meet education, examination, and experience requirements
There are no citizenship requirements set by New York State. For an additional fee, you may obtain a limited permit to practice as an occupational therapist under supervision. You must document completion of education requirements before you can be approved for a limited permit.
You must file an application for licensure (Form 1) in addition to the other forms indicated. If you have been known by any other name(s), please include this information on the application. Submit all forms, along with the appropriate fee, to the Division of Professional Licensing Services (DPLS) of the NewYork State Education Department. The normal processing time, once all materials have been received, is four to six weeks. Please keep this time frame in mind when you are ready to begin the application process. Also, it is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.
Fees
The fees listed are those in place when this packet was printed. Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when the application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.
Fees for licensure and first registration are:
$270 for OccupationalTherapy
$95 for Occupational Therapy Assistant.
Do not send cash
Make your check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department
Mail appropriate forms and fee to:
New York State Education Department
Office of the Professions
Division of Professional Licensing Services, Fee Section
State Education Building - 2nd floor
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234
Please Note: Payment submitted from outside the United States should be made by check or draft on a United States bank and in United States currency; payments submitted in any other form will not be accepted and will be returned. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
Fee Refunds
Partial refunds may be granted only if you withdraw your licensure application.
Requests for refunds must be made in writing.
The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing agency.
If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new candidate, and you will be required to pay the licensure and registration fees and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time of reapplication.
Education Requirements
Occupational Therapy
You must have obtained a baccalaureate or entry-level master’s degree (or postbaccalaureate certificate) in occupational therapy from an approved program registered as licensure qualifying by New York State or, if outside New York State, accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), or its equivalent with satisfactory clinical experience in a country outside the U.S., in accordance with Sections 76.1 and 76.2 of the Commissioner’s Regulations.
If your program was completed outside the U.S., it must have totaled not less than four years of postsecondary study which included the professional study of occupational therapy and culminated in a degree or diploma accepted by the civil authorities of the country in which the studies were completed as preparation in occupational therapy in that country. The State Education Department will determine if your program can be considered equivalent to a registered or accredited program.
If your occupational therapy education was from a school outside the United States or its territories, and not accredited by the AOTA, and your application is postmarked on or after February 19, 2001, you must contact The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) at the address below to obtain the application and instructions for the CGFNS credentials verification process for New York State licensure applicants. The CGFNS credentials verification process for NYS licensure applicants obtains original transcripts of your education directly from your school. CGFNS charges a fee of $125 for this service. CGFNS will provide the State Education Department with these documents for evaluation. After evaluation by the State Education Department you will be advised whether your education meets New York's requirements.
To find out if your professional program is accredited by AOTA, you may check the AOTA website at www.aota.org/nonmembers/area13/links/LINK28.asp or call (301) 652-2682.
Contact CGFNS at:
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools
Post Office Box 8628
Philadelphia, PA 19104-8628
Phone: (215) 349-8767
Fax: (215) 662-0425
www.cgfns.org
empire@cgfns.org
Occupational Therapy Assistant
The education requirement can be met in one of two ways:
1. The first route requires that you must have completed a two-year associate degree program for occupational therapy assistants registered as licensure qualifying by New York State or, if outside New York State, accredited by the American Occupational TherapyAssociation (AOTA).
2. The second requires that you must have completed a postsecondary program in occupational therapy of at least two years duration which is satisfactory to the State Education Department.
If your occupational therapy education was from a school outside the United States or its territories, and not accredited by the AOTA, and your application is postmarked on or after February 19, 2001, you must contact The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) at the address below to obtain the application and instructions for the CGFNS credentials verification process for New York State licensure applicants. The CGFNS credentials verification process for NYS licensure applicants obtains original transcripts of your education directly from your school. CGFNS charges a fee of $125 for this service. CGFNS will provide the State Education Department with these documents for evaluation. After evaluation by the State Education Department you will be advised whether your education meets New York's requirements.
To find out if your professional program is accredited by AOTA, you may check the AOTA website at www.aota.org/nonmembers/area13/links/LINK28.asp or call (301) 652-2682.
Contact CGFNS at:
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools
Post Office Box 8628
Philadelphia, PA 19104-8628
Phone: (215) 349-8767
Fax: (215) 662-0425
www.cgfns.org
empire@cgfns.org
Examination Requirements
Occupational Therapy
You must pass the examination of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. (NBCOT).
The passing score is 450
Examination scores must be sent directly to: The New York State Board for Occupational Therapy
State Education Building - 2nd floor
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12234.
The examination is administered four times a year. To obtain a Candidate Handbook for the examination, and for specifics regarding administration and dates, contact NBCOT at:
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc.
800 S Frederick Avenue, Suite 200
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-4150
(301) 990-7979
www.nbcot.org
Occupational Therapy Assistant
There is no examination requirement for New York State certification as an occupational therapy assistant.
English Proficiency
In accordance with Commissioner’s Regulations, an applicant for licensure/certification whose application is based on credit granted for the completion of courses of study in a country where English is not the principal language spoken must demonstrate proficiency in English by passing either an acceptable examination in English proficiency or a licensing examination given in English (for example, the NBCOT certification examination) which is acceptable to the Department.
If your application is based on study in a country where English is not the principal language spoken AND you have not passed a New York State licensing examination given in English, you must provide verification of English proficiency directly to the New York State Education Department. For further information, contact the State Board for Occupational Therapy at (518) 474-3817 ext. 100.
Experience Requirements
Occupational Therapy:
New York State Education Law states that an applicant must "have a minimum of six months of supervised occupational therapy experience which supervision and experience shall be satisfactory to the board of occupational therapy and in accordance with the commissioner’s regulations."
The Commissioner’s Regulations state the experience may be completed as part of the basic educational program. Full-time experience not completed as part of an approved program must be under the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. In addition, for those candidates who have accumulated other than full-time supervised experience, part-time experience may be counted if it is obtained at the rate of at least two full days per week (minimum of 15 hours) and for continuous periods of not less than two months for an accumulated total of six months.
NOTE: The experience requirement is typically completed as part of the basic educational program. If an applicant is a graduate of a New York State-registered licensure-qualifying program or is a graduate from a school outside of NewYork State that is nationally accredited, the experience requirement is included as part of the curriculum.
Limited Permits
A limited permit in occupational therapy allows an individual who has completed an occupational therapy program to work, under supervision, between the time of completion of the education and the time that the licensing examination results are received. As soon as the application form, the initial fee, and evidence of satisfactory education are submitted, you may apply for a limited permit, if you wish.
A permittee is authorized to practice occupational therapy only under the supervision of a New York State licensed occupational therapist or a New York State licensed physician and shall practice only in a public, voluntary, or proprietary hospital, or health care agency, or in a preschool or elementary or secondary school for the purpose of providing occupational therapy as a related service for a handicapped child.
The Application for Limited Permit (Form 6) must be completed with the prospective employer and supervisor. Submit the form along with an additional fee ($70.00), to the address indicated. The limited permit is valid for a period of one year and may be renewed once, at the discretion of the Department, for one additional year.
The limited permit will become void if the permittee fails the licensing examination. In this case, an applicant could applyforcertification as an occupational therapy assistant. To do so you must submit a new application, appropriate fee and proof of education (even if previously sent fory our occupational therapy application). If you need a new application packet, please call customer service at: (518) 474-3817.
NOTE: Both the employer and the employee may be prosecuted under Title VIII of the Education Law if an occupational therapist is employed without a license or limited permit. |
