Do I meet the currency requirement needed to renew?
Occupational therapists must have 600 practice hours in the past three years in order to maintain registration. For example:
- If you work full-time (30 hours or more per week), it will take about 4 months to reach 600 hours.
- If you work part-time (15 hours per week), it will take about 8 months to reach 600 hours.
What counts as practice hours?
Practice hours may include clinical and/or non-clinical work as outlined in the Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada.
The College will consider hours spent in other activities that support continuing competence and the delivery of safe, effective and ethical care. These unpaid professional activity hours (such as professional development or participation in other unpaid professional activities) cannot be more than 25% of your declared hours.
However, practice hours and unpaid professional activity hours will only be accepted if they were obtained while the you held a certificate of registration to practise as an occupational therapist.
If you are practising in a non-clinical role, you must include the role in your employment profile (Log in to the COTO Portal). If you are unsure what to select as your nature of practice, here are the definitions:
- Primarily clinical practice: a clinical occupational therapist who uses occupational therapy knowledge and skills to provide direct service to clients/patients, including assessment, consultation and referral to other services.
- Primarily non-clinical: a non-clinical occupational therapist who uses occupational therapy knowledge and skill, and does not provide direct service to clients. If you provide direct care to one or more clients then you do not fall into this category.
How should I use my professional title in these situations?
Job titles are often shared by individuals from different professions and are sometimes specific to an organization. By using the protected title together with a job title, the occupational therapist confirms their registration as an occupational therapist and their accountability to the College.
See Use of Title
What if I still don’t have 600 practice hours in the past three years?
If you do not meet the currency requirement you will receive a notice from the College asking for detailed information about your practice history. You will have 15 days to respond.
After reviewing the information, the Registrar will make a decision and notify you within 30 days. In some cases, you may be granted an extension.
For more information, please refer to the policy: Currency Requirement for Annual Renewal (8-50).