Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions
- Continuing Education, Chapter 94 in Section 94-08. Occupational Therapy Regulations
- New Opportunity for Continuing Education credit hour:
I do not want to waste time and money taking
continuing education courses to just meet licensure requirements. How do I
choose continuing education that will really be a benefit to me by targeting my
growth in occupational therapy skills, my skill sets, and my growing or changing
interests?
The Board feels that you would benefit in selecting continuing education of true
value for continuous professional development. They suggest that you take a self
assessment evaluation offered from NBCOT to help direct you toward CE course
choices; and the Board will allow one (1) continuing education hour of credit
for taking this self evaluation. If you have changed jobs or treatment
settings/populations, this assessment tool could be very helpful in looking in a
new direction. Please keep documentation of your assessment for renewal credit.
Go to www.NBCOT.org and look under Competency Resources and then choose Self
Assessment to get started.
General CE Questions:
1. What are the types of setting requirements for
continuing education?
The SCBOT has elected to divide educational experiences into four types or
settings: 1) in-services, 2) conferences, 3) teaching, and 4) other
experiences. In-services are less structured educational experiences.
They are often offered within the work facility or in local special interest
group meetings. The Board will only allow 4 of the 16 CE hours required to come
from this type of education. Conferences, workshops, and seminars are more
structured and often sponsored through professional organizations or companies
that specialize in providing continuing education. Teaching includes experiences
where the practitioner presents information related to occupational therapy to
others (occupational therapy students and peers or other consumers of OT
services). Teaching may be formal through an educational setting as an
instructor or professor as well as a
guest lecturer. Only a maximum 8 hours of credit will be allowed per renewal
period from this type of continuing education. Other experiences can include
various types of structured or less structured education, to include on line
courses, as detailed in the question below.
2. What is meant by Setting/Type I/C/T/O and the documentation for each?
In-services (I): Presenter qualifications, topic outline,
in-service title, date, location, number of hours and participant's name are
needed to complete CE Reporting Form. No more than four (4) hours will count
toward credit.
Conferences, workshops, and seminars (C): Proof of attendance
to include an original certificate, or notarized copy, with participant's name,
date, location, course title, presenter(s) and number of program contact hours
are needed. If all of this information is not located on the certificate of
attendance, then additional materials must be maintained. The licensee may
submit a true, certified copy in lieu of the original certificates. Often this
information can be found on the program brochure. Conferences, which are
sponsored by an organization and have many presenters, do not need to list all
presenters' names, but the sponsor's name must be on the certificate of
attendance in place of individual presenters. Formal self-study with testing
through an agency may be counted in this category. Unlimited hours are allowed.
Teaching (T): Course title, content outline, date, location,
and duration of presentation are needed. No more than eight (8) hours will count
toward credit.
Other (O): Structured experiences (formal college coursework
with a transcript) or less structured experiences (self-study, journal reviews,
on line, video and audio reviews) are in this area. Unlimited hours are allowed.
3. What are the documentation requirements?
The South Carolina Board of Occupational Therapy (SCBOT or Board) is offering a
continuing education reporting form to you in advance with the recommendation
that it be utilized for professional record keeping. Licensees should maintain
CE records for three years. The form and documentation will only be
gathered from licensees who are selected for the random audit. In the
event of an audit, you must be prepared to submit the following materials listed
below under the different Settings/Types for proof of your continuing education
hours. An incomplete audit packet will be returned for resubmission.
4. What are the differences between in-services and conferences?
In-services are typically programs offered by employers or departments that have
not gone through the additional credentialing or standards necessary for a
freestanding educational experience. In-service is more informal in nature than
a conference.
Conferences, workshops, and seminars are more formalized experiences than
in-services. These programs are offered within a structured setting by a
facility, a professional organization, or CE provider with stated learning
objectives and goals. Brief "bios" should be provided on the presenters.
Original certificates of attendance must be given which participant's name,
date, location, course title, presenter(s), and number of contact hours.
5. What are the two category requirements for continuing education?
Educational experiences are divided into two categories: 1) Direct,
which refers to education related to direct client/patient services in
occupational therapy services and 2) Professional/Health Care Related,
which refers to education related to professional development. Occupational
therapy practitioners can wear many hats (clinician, supervisor, administrator,
educator, etc.). An example of education in these areas may be attending a
workshop on improving student supervisory skills. Even when a clinician's
primary responsibilities are not in providing direct client/patient services,
that clinician often supervises or educates those that do or will provide direct
client/patient OT services. For this reason, every licensee is required to
obtain a minimum of 8 of the 16 hours in content areas that relate to direct
client/patient OT services (ex. positioning techniques, splinting, spinal cord
precautions, insurance/billing documentation, etc.). For occupational therapy
practitioners who do not work within a traditional medical model, this "direct
care" category also includes other areas, which could be called direct OT
service provision (industrial/ergonomic consultation, OT within a wellness
model, community mental health, etc.). The remaining 8 hours submitted for
credit may also be in the area of direct client/patient services or they may be
in the area of professional development such as grant writing,
regulatory/political issues, general business education, teaching methods, etc.)
6. Will the SCBOT accept college coursework for credit?
Yes. College credit taken through an accredited institution will be accepted for
continuing education credit. College courses require 15 hours of classroom
instruction for every hour of credit. Therefore, a three-credit course would
provide 45 hours of instruction. If the course is not related to direct
occupational therapy patient care, only 8 of the course hours would count toward
the 16 continuing education hours. A copy of the college transcript, the course
instructor, description and outline should be maintained in your files. If the
course is audited (meaning you attended but were not required to perform the
evaluation and measurement components) then it will be counted as an in-service.
Please refer to the maximum hours accepted in the in-service group.
7. What is structured self- study credit? Does this include on line?
Many professional organizations or education providers have begun to offer
continuing education credit for reading or reviewing materials and submitting a
test for credit. These offerings have established amounts of credit already
attributed to them. This includes on line courses. There is no limit set on the
number of self-study hours used for continuing education credit; however, the
SCBOT recommends a critical selection process to promote optimum learning.
Please note: the Regulations governing the Board do not permit acceptance of
credit for independent reading, peer review, or related studies, as is accepted
by other organizations such as NBCOT.
8. What is the acceptable use of video, audiotapes, and on line courses
for continuing education credit?
Video or audio materials will only be accepted if they met the requirements of
in-service, workshop, conference, or seminar.
9. What is the policy on CPR, universal precautions, HIPAA, and other
entry-level healthcare education?
The SCBOT places high value on the knowledge gained by participating in these
experiences; however, continuing education credit will not be granted. These
experiences are viewed as entry-level and do not promote advanced occupational
therapy competency. The South Carolina Occupational Therapy Board uses the
resources and the recommendations of multiple occupational therapy relevant
organizations to determine what materials are deemed entry-level versus beyond
entry-level.
10. How does the SCBOT define performance beyond the entry-level?
The SCBOT regularly refers to national standards offered through NBCOT, AOTA,
and ACOTE to assist the Board in justifying what is entry-level practice and
what is beyond entry level. NBCOT is the national credentialing body for
occupational therapists; AOTA is the American Occupational Therapy Association;
and ACOTE is the organization that accredits occupational therapy educational
programs.
11. What is the policy on research performance?
The SCBOT feels research is essential to the growth of the profession. The Board
is unable to measure participation and learning through research performance.
However, publications or presentations, which arise out of research, can be
attributed credit on a case-by-case basis.
12. What organizations/groups are considered "spresumptively" approved
for conferences, seminars and workshops?
Certain organizations have developed a history of providing quality educational
experiences that comply with the requirements in 94-08 (2). These courses are
considered presumptively accepted for credit in the system. Refer to the Related
Links on the Board Site Map on the website at www.llr.state.sc.us/pol for the
most up-to-date information or call the Board office. The list is not
all-inclusive, nor is it intended to suggest any limitations in the value,
quality or acceptability of other offerings. Be aware that, although the
educational offerings are considered of acceptable quality, it does not
guarantee that the offerings are relevant to your area of practice of
occupational therapy. The burden of demonstrating how the course contributes to
professional practice remains on each licensee. The Board does not pre-approve
continuing education courses for licensees. You as a professional can make these
decisions.
13. How does the SCBOT address meetings that combine business and
educational components?
Business meeting portions of workshops/meetings will not be considered for
credit. The meeting outline should identify the time attributed to each
component.
14. How is "germane to your practice as an occupational therapy practitioner"
defined?
Education selected for credit should directly relate to your current area of
practice or any anticipated change in practice area and be beyond entry-level.
15. Do "grand rounds/IEPs" count?
Many facilities offer "grand rounds" opportunities. When these experiences are
in a patient case review format, they will not be considered for credit. This
would be similar to the IEP development in the school system environment. When "grand rounds" are in a presentation style and structured around a topic, they
will be considered for in-service credit. In-services may not be counted for
more than 4 of the 16 hours required.
16. Can I receive credit for involvement in professional activities?
Yes. The SCBOT wishes to acknowledge the intense work required of people who
volunteer for professional activities. The Board does not have a complete list
of activities that would qualify for credit; however, the intent is to identify
activities that substantially contribute to clinical knowledge. An example would
be the role of an item writer for the NBCOT's OTR or COTA registration
examinations. Credit in this type of activity will be looked at on a
case-by-case basis. When completing the form, these activities would be recorded
under "Other" for setting/type.
17. Can I receive credit for supervising students?
Yes. Time spent educating students often promotes growth also in the educator.
Orienting students to patient care or OT service provision activities (example:
instruction in how to perform the components of an evaluation) and other basic
skills are not likely to significantly promote a practitioner's knowledge or
competency. However, advanced skill education may count as in-service
experiences even if it is individual or one-on-one in nature. Documentation
should meet in-service requirements and include topic, presenter's name, date,
location, number of hours, and objectives/outline of the content. As with other
forms of teaching, you may not receive credit more than once in a renewal period
for supervising the same material/activity.
18. How is teaching considered?
Teaching may take the form of preparing and teaching an entire course or
portions of a course in occupational therapy through an accredited institution.
Instructors may receive up to eight (8) contact hours of credit for the
preparing and teaching portion of the experience. Teaching non-occupational
therapy related material would not be granted credit. Instructors cannot receive
credit for teaching the same material more than once in the renewal period.
Teaching through an in-service is to be counted in the teaching category, not
the in-service category. Literature research can be considered as self-study.
Revised 11/23/10