Continuing Competency Requirements:

SUMMARY OF

Regulations to Renew Licenses Expiring June 30, 2008

Purpose

The Board of Occupational Therapy Practice has established regulations for continued competency.  When an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant applies for the renewal of a license, that licensee shall be required to certify to the Board the licensee's involvement in professional education activities updating competency in occupational therapy theory and practice and to provide documentation to that effect upon the Board's request.

Scope

The objectives of continuing competency are:

  1. Maintenance of professional competency in occupational therapy theory and practice;
  2. Improvement of professional skills in occupational therapy theory and practice;
  3. Assurance of completion of continuing education requirements before license renewal.

Unit Requirements

A.    Definition of Contact Hour:

  1. "Contact hour" means 1 hour spent in a continuing education activity that meets the requirements of the Board and is approved as outlined in this chapter.
  2. "Contact hour" does not include orientations, introductions, refreshment breaks, receptions, other social gatherings, and meals that do not include an acceptable educational activity.

B.    Contact Hours Required for License Renewal:

IF LICENSED FOR: LICENSURE DATES: CONTACT HOURS REQUIRED
More than 2 years prior to July 1, 2006

24 hours
Less than 2 years, but        More than 1 year between July 1, 2006 and  June 30, 2008

12 hours
Less than 1 year between July 1, 2007 and  June 30, 2008

0 hours

Time Frame

A license to practice occupational therapy or limited occupational therapy is valid for up to a 2-year period extending from July 1 of an even-numbered year to June 30 of the next even-numbered year.  

Documentation of Continuing Education

  1. At the time of licensure renewal, a licensee who has completed the continuing competency requirement during the specified time frame shall sign the licensure renewal form attesting to completion of the required contact hours.  
  2. A licensee shall retain continuing competency supporting documents for a period of 4 years after the date of renewal for inspection by the Board.
  3. A licensee's submission of any false statement regarding continuing competency requirements shall result in formal disciplinary action by the Board.  
  4. A licensee's failure to substantiate contact hours upon request of the Board shall result in formal disciplinary action by the Board.

Audit of Continuing Education

  1. A licensee is subject to an shall be prepared for a continuing competency requirements audit by the Board before renewal of licensure.
  2. A licensee who is audited shall successfully complete the requirement of the audit by the deadline specified by the Board before renewal of licensure.
  3. The Board shall audit the continuing competency requirement records of the number of licensees that time and resources allow.
  4. The Board shall select licensees to be audited randomly.
  5. A licensee to be audited shall receive notification of audit.  The licensee being audited shall submit to the Board a response to the requirement for audit by the date required along with official acknowledgment of successful completion of continuing competency requirements, such as certificates of completion awarded by the approved providers.

Extension Requests

Licensees who have not met the continuing education requirement within the specified time frame, i.e., January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2007, may request an extension of time to meet the requirement. A request for a time extension must be in writing to the Board, and must outline a plan for completing the requirement, and must be received by the Board prior to the deadline for completion, i.e., December 31, 2007. The Board has sole discretion in granting/denying extension requests.

A licensee will not be renewed unless the continuing education requirement has been met. Licensees who fail to meet this requirement may be eligible for reinstatement.

Licensee Attestation

All licensees applying for licensure renewal are required to sign a statement attesting to the completion of the required continuing education credits. A license will not be renewed unless the continuing education requirement has been met.

Additional Information

Refer to COMAR 10.46.04 for complete regulations. A statute and regulations manual is distributed to each licensee at the time of original application for licensure.

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