About Occupational Therapy
The Profession of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy practitioners can be credentialed at either the professional (occupational therapist) or technical (occupational therapy assistant) level. Occupational therapy practitioners are credentialed as occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants. The occupational therapist completes a 5 or 6-year postbaccalaureate occupational therapy degree and the occupational therapy assistant (OTA) completes a 2-year OTA associate degree at one of approximately 280 accredited programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students must also complete a supervised fieldwork program and pass a national certification exam. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico regulate the practice of occupational therapy. Many of these jurisdictions mandate periodic continuing education requirements.
AOTA’s accrediting body, the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education® (ACOTE), has established standards for the profession (see Resources below) that have been adopted by many states in their laws and regulations. AOTA, through its accrediting body, has accredited the nation’s occupational therapy educational programs since 1935.