N.J. Admin. Code § 13:44K-2.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 21, November 4, 2024

Section 13:44K-2.1 - Eligibility requirements; occupational therapist; occupational therapy assistant

(a) To be eligible for licensure as an occupational therapist, an applicant shall:

1. Be at least 18 years of age;

2. Be of good moral character;

3. Except as provided in (d) below, have successfully completed:

i. A master's degree or its equivalent in occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor; or

ii. A master's degree or its equivalent in any field other than occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor and have fulfilled the academic requirements of an educational program in occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT), or other nationally recognized programmatic accrediting agency;

4. Have successfully completed at least 24 weeks of supervised fieldwork experience approved by the educational institution at which the applicant completed the occupational therapy education program in accordance with (a)3i and ii above, or, if applicable, (d) below; and

5. Have successfully passed the certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), or its predecessors and/or its successors.

(b) To be eligible for licensure as an occupational therapy assistant, an applicant shall:

1. Be at least 18 years of age;

2. Be of good moral character;

3. Have successfully completed:

i. An associate's degree or its equivalent in occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor; or

ii. An associate's degree or its equivalent in any field other than occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor and have fulfilled the academic requirements of an educational program for occupational therapy assistant accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy or other nationally recognized programmatic accrediting agency;

4. Have successfully completed at least 12 weeks of supervised fieldwork experience approved by the educational institution at which the applicant completed the occupational therapy education program as evidenced in accordance with (b)3i and ii above; and

5. Have successfully passed the certification examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), or its predecessors and/or its successors.

(c) A foreign-trained applicant who did not attend an education program that was accredited by ACOTE or WFOT at the time of the applicant's graduation may be eligible for licensure if the applicant can demonstrate that he or she has completed educational and fieldwork requirements substantially equivalent to those in this State. An applicant shall complete all other requirements required for licensure as set forth in N.J.A.C. 13:44K-3.1 or 3.2, as applicable.

1. To demonstrate substantial equivalence to the education requirements, a foreign-trained applicant shall provide the Council with a letter from the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) verifying that it has assessed the applicant's academic credentials and permitted the applicant to sit for the examination. An applicant may request from NBCOT a credential evaluation letter at http://www.nbcot.org.

2. The Council shall consider the NBCOT credential evaluation letter along with the applicant's transcripts and proof of fieldwork experience.

(d) The master's degree requirement for licensure as an occupational therapist shall not apply to an applicant who:

1. Prior to January 1, 2007, has successfully completed:

i. A bachelor's degree or its equivalent in occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor; or

ii. A bachelor's degree or its equivalent in any field other than occupational therapy from an accredited college or university approved by the Commission on Higher Education or its successor and has fulfilled the academic requirements of an educational program in occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy, or other nationally recognized programmatic accrediting agency;

2. Prior to January 1, 2007, has satisfied the fieldwork experience required in (a)4 above and successfully passed the certification examination for occupational therapists; and

3. The applicant has met all other requirements for licensure.

N.J. Admin. Code § 13:44K-2.1

Amended by 51 N.J.R. 769(b), effective 5/20/2019