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Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies (Last Updated: June 14,2023) |
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Title20 Professional and Occupational Licensing, Certification |
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SubTitle20-74i-1_20-74i-8. Continued Competency Requirements for Biennial License Renewal by Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants |
SubTitle20-74i-1_20-74i-8. Continued Competency Requirements for Biennial License Renewal by Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants
| Sec. 20-74i-1. Definitions |
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For the purpose of these regulations, the following definitions shall apply. (a) "Department" means the Department of Public Health. (b) "Licensee" means an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant licensed pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 376a. (c) "License renewal due date" means the last day of the month of July during an odd-numbered year in which licenses expire. (d) "Registration period" means the two-year period during which a license which has been renewed in accordance with Connecticut General Statutes, Section 20-74h, is current and valid and which two-year period terminates on the license renewal due date. (e) "Active practice" means the treatment in Connecticut of one or more patients by a licensee during any given registration period. (f) "Provider" means an individual health care provider or educator, organization, educational institution or other entity conducting a continued competency activity. Providers shall include but not necessarily be limited to: educational institutions accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education or its successor organization and its constituent organizations; and the Veterans Administration and Armed Forces when conducting programs at United States governmental facilities. (g) "Participant" means a licensee who completes a continued competency activity. (h) "Contact hour" means a minimum of 50 minutes of continued competency activity. (i) "Face-to-face instruction" means in-person, live instruction which a participant physically attends, either individually or as a part of a group of participants. (j) "Home study program" means continued competency activities clearly related to maintaining skills necessary for the safe and competent practice of occupational therapy that require successful completion of a proficiency examination, and may include distance learning and internet-based educational programs. (k) "Certificate of completion" means a document issued to a participant by a provider which certifies that said participant has successfully completed a continued competency activity. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-2. Number of continued competency contact hours required |
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(a) Each licensee applying for license renewal in and after 1991 shall have completed a minimum of 12 units of qualifying continued competency activity for occupational therapists, or a minimum of 9 units of qualifying continued competency activity for occupational therapy assistants, during the preceding registration period. For registration periods commencing on and after January 1, 2011, each licensee applying for license renewal shall have completed a minimum of 24 four contact hours of qualifying continued competency activity for occupational therapists, or a minimum of 18 contact hours of qualifying continued competency activity for occupational therapy assistants, during the preceding registration period. (b) Continued competency activities completed in one registration period shall not be allowed to carry-over to a subsequent registration period. (c) Each licensee applying for license renewal shall sign a statement attesting that the licensee satisfies the continued competency requirements specified in section 20-74i-1 through 20-74i-8, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-3. Award of continued competency contact hours |
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(a) Continued competency contact hours shall be awarded as follows: (1) Academic courses, institutes, seminars, programs, structured didactic inservice training and scientific meetings directly related to the practice of occupational therapy: one contact hour for each hour of attendance. (2) A maximum of 6 continued competency contact hours per registration period, shall be awarded for courses taught as an appointed faculty member at a school of occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education or its successor organization, provided that teaching is not the licensee's primary role. (3) Full-time post-graduate attendance throughout the registration period in an advanced educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education or its successor organization: ten contact hours per semester credit hour. (4) Successful completion of the Certification Examination for Occupational Therapist, or the Certification Examination for Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, if taken five years or more after graduation: twelve contact hours. (5) First presentation by licensee of a paper, essay or formal lecture in occupational therapy at a training program, an educational meeting or providing professional in-service training or instruction for occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants and related professionals: one contact hour for each hour of presentation. (6) First presentation only of a scientific or educational exhibit at a professional meeting: one contact hour for each hour of presentation to a maximum of twelve contact hours per registration period for occupational therapists and nine contact hours per registration period for occupational therapy assistants. (7) First publication for authorship of original work in occupational therapy, published in the scientific or professional press: 5 contact hours per article in a non peer-reviewed publication; 10 contact hours per article in a peer-reviewed professional publication or chapter in an occupational therapy or related professional textbook. (8) Clinical activities in a research project shall be awarded for appointment as a research assistant to a research project in occupational therapy which is funded by State, Federal or institutional grant: ten contact hours per project. (9) Appointment as a teaching assistant at a school of occupational therapy accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education or its successor organization: eight contact hours per registration period. (10) Supervision as the primary direct clinical supervisor of a 12-week field work placement for an occupational therapy student or an 8-week field work placement for an occupational therapy assistant student enrolled in a program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education or its successor organization: One contact hour for each week of supervision per student supervised to a maximum of twelve contact hours per registration period for occupational therapists and nine contact hours per registration period for occupational therapy assistants. (11) Professional manuscript review or editing for journals or textbooks: One contact hour for five hours of review to a maximum of twelve contact hours per registration period for occupational therapists and nine contact hours per registration period for occupational therapy assistants. (12) Auditing formal academic coursework: two contact hours per fifteen clock hours to a maximum of twelve contact hours per registration period for occupational therapists or nine contact hours per registration period for occupational therapy assistants. (b) Successful completion of an entire continued competency activity shall be required for award of any continued competency contact hours. (c) Activities which will not qualify for award of continued competency contact hours include: professional organizational business meetings; speeches delivered at luncheons or banquets; the reading of books, articles, or professional journals; correspondence courses, and other mechanisms of self-instruction except when used as a component of a home study program; and audio-visual materials, except when audio-visual materials are used as a component of a qualifying continued competency activity identified in subsection (a) of this section. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-4. Criteria for qualifying continued competency activities |
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Continued competency activities identified in subsection (a) (1) of section 20-74i-3 shall qualify to satisfy the requirements of these regulations, provided: (a) the activity involves face-to-face instruction or a home study program; (b) the provider implements a mechanism to monitor and document physical attendance at face-to-face instruction or to verify that a licensee completed a home study program as defined in section 20-74i-1(j); (c) the provider retains written records for a period of three years including but not limited to: content description; instructor; date(s) of activity; location of activity; list of participants; and number of contact hours; (d) the provider implements a mechanism to evaluate participants' attainment of competency objectives and/or participants' assessment of the competency activity; (e) the provider issues a certificate of completion; such certificate shall not be issued by the provider prior to actual completion of the activity; such certificate shall include: participants' name; provider's name; title or subject area of the activity; date(s) and location of attendance; and number of contact hours completed; (f) the activity focuses on content specified in section 20-74i-5. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-5. Content areas for qualifying continued competency activities |
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(a) Subject matter for qualifying continued competency activities shall reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public. Only those continued competency activities which provide significant theoretical and/or practical content directly related to the clinical practice of occupational therapy or the development, administration, and supervision of clinical practice or service delivery programs by occupational therapists shall qualify to meet the requirements of these regulations. (b) Activities shall not qualify which provide content related to organization and design of occupational therapy treatment facilities; practice development, business management, or marketing; investments or financial management; personnel management; personal health or development; and similar topics of professional concern. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988) |
| Sec. 20-74i-6. Record retention by licensees |
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(a) Each licensee shall obtain a certificate of completion, for those activities properly completed, from the provider of continued competency activities. Each licensee shall maintain, for continued competency activities specified in section 20-74i-3, written documentation of completion. Certificates of completion and other required documentation shall be retained by the licensee for a minimum of three years following the license renewal due date for which the activity satisfies license renewal requirements. (b) The department shall audit such licensee records as it deems necessary. Certificates of completion and other required documentation shall be submitted by the licensee to the department only upon the department's request. Such records shall be submitted to the department by the licensee within 45 days of the department's request for an audit. It shall not be necessary for the licensee to submit such documentation in order to renew the license. (c) A licensee who fails to comply with the continued competency requirements of these regulations may be subject to disciplinary action, pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes, Section 20-74g and Section 4-177. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-7. Exemption from continued competency requirements |
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(a) Individuals applying for initial licensure in Connecticut and licensees applying for the first renewal of their license in Connecticut shall be exempt from continued competency requirements. (b) A waiver of the continued competency requirements may be extended to a licensee who is not engaged in occupational therapy during a given continued competency registration period provided the licensee submits, prior to the expiration of the registration period, a notarized application on a form provided by the department. The application shall contain a statement that the licensee shall not engage in active practice until the licensee has shown proof, to the satisfaction of the department, of completion of the requirements specified in sections 20-74i-1 to 20-74i-8, inclusive, of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. (c) The department may, in individual cases involving a medical disability or illness, grant waivers of the minimum continued competency requirements or extensions of time within which to fulfill the same. The application for a waiver or extension of time shall be accompanied by a document signed by a licensed physician detailing the nature of the medical disability or illness. Waivers of the minimum continued competency requirements or extensions of time may be granted by the department for a period not to exceed one (1) year. If the medical disability or illness, upon which a waiver or extension of time is granted continues beyond the period of the waiver or extension of time, the licensee may reapply for an additional waiver or extension of time. (d) A licensee who has received a waiver, pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, shall submit to the department evidence of successful completion of twelve contact hours for occupational therapists or nine contact hours for occupational therapy assistants within six months after returning to active practice. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |
| Sec. 20-74i-8. Reinstatement of lapsed licenses |
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Any licensee whose license has been void and who applies to the department for reinstatement shall be required to submit certificates of completion documenting completion of continued competency activities as specified below: (a) if the license has been void for two years or less, a minimum of twenty four contact hours for occupational therapists or eighteen contact hours for occupational therapy assistants of qualifying continued competency activity during the two-year period immediately preceding the application for reinstatement; or, (b) if the license has been void for more than two years, a minimum of forty eight contact hours for occupational therapists or thirty six contact hours for occupational therapy assistants of qualifying continued competency activity during the four-year period immediately preceding the application for reinstatement. |
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(Effective August 22, 1988; Amended December 4, 2009) |