If you’re an Occupational Therapist in New York, you probably already know that you must periodically renew your license in order to continue your practice. The requirements for a New York Occupational Therapy license renewal, including mandatory continuing education hours, are determined by the State Board for Occupational Therapy. Let’s take a look at those overall requirements.
The State Board of Office for Occupational Therapy determines the Continued Competency requirements in the state of New York. Many other states refer to these requirements as “CEUs,” or “Continuing Education Units.” No matter what you call them, it all boils down to the number of “contact hours” each learning activity is worth.
The Continuing Competency Learning Requirements for an OT license in New York are as follows:
These New York CEU requirements are the same for OTs and OTAs alike.
There are many ways to fulfill your 36 contact hours. You could attend a class, webinar, or workshop, so long as the course qualifies as a CEU and you receive a certificate of completion.
These courses may cover a wide range of topics, from ethics to patient care to taxes and state law. Importantly, you’ll need to make sure at least 24 hours of your courses are directly related to the practice of Occupational Therapy. That means you can spend up to 12 hours on other subjects, such as administrative and jurisprudence courses.
An academic or professional activity may also qualify as continuing education, such as chairing a professional practice committee meeting, publishing a field-related article or book, or participating in a professional study group. You can count up to 12 hours of independent study, but no more than 24 hours from self-study avenues.
For more details on New York CEU options, check out the Board website.
Most OTs and OTAs complete their competency requirements through coursework. Always make sure your courses come from a legitimate provider.
The New York State Board Office pre-approves any CEUs from the following providers: American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), New York State Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA), or the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), and any providers on this list already approved by the AOTA.
Many post-secondary institutions and professional education programs are also pre-approved by New York state for OT continuing education, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find several types of CEU providers.
Nowadays continuing education occurs in all kinds of formats, whether as weekend workshops or virtual webinars. New York’s State Board Office of Occupational Therapy only requires that 24 of your 36 courses be directly related to OT patient care, and that no more than 24 hours are done through self-study.
That means you could complete all of your CEUs online, through streaming video courses, live workshops, and interactive webinars.
MedBridge is a leading provider of OT CEUs for a number of reasons, one being the wide variety of course topics and formats available with each yearly subscription. Their impressive library of 1300 courses is available to browse – even before signing up!
As a Physical Therapist, I use MedBridge to satisfy my state’s CEU requirements each license renewal period. I’ve found that the quality of these CEUs is top-notch. You’ll learn from some of the best in the field, through professional video presentations and a user-friendly format.
With MedBridge, you can fulfill all your CEU course requirements from one provider at an affordable price. Plus, you’ll enjoy the variety of courses available and the convenience of online learning.
For my full review on MedBridge Online CEUs, check out this article.
If you want to give MedBridge a try for your next renewal year, you can save $150 on your subscription with the promo code “PTProgress.”
Every approved CEU provider, including MedBridge, issues a certificate of completion when you finish a CEU course or activity. The New York State Board Office of Occupational Therapy does not require this document or any other proof of your CEU completion with your license renewal.
Instead, you will simply indicate on your application whether you completed the continuing education requirement. However, it’s important that you retain records of your completed CEUs for at least 6 years after your license renewal period is complete. Be sure to store these documents safely in case you are selected by the board for a continuing competency audit.
Your OT license is valid for three years, and all licenses expire triennially on December 31 st .
You may apply for your license renewal online through this portal.
OTs pay $45 to renew their licenses each period; OTAs pay $25.
For more information on renewing your OT license in New York, contact the State Board Office for Occupational Therapy.
