NBCOT is your partner in promoting practice excellence throughout your career.
We believe that continually supporting your practice has long-term benefits for all stakeholders. As an OTR or COTA, you have access to a wide range of tools to help you maintain your certification and support your continued competency.
Certification at a National Level
Maintaining your national board certification with NBCOT means you are committed to meeting the highest standards of professional practice. You hold yourself accountable to practice standards and a code of conduct to serve the public interest.
You can use the same professional development for your certification and your licensure. You do not need to duplicate efforts in any state.
Twelve states currently accept NBCOT certification as an option for fulfilling state licensure requirements: Alaska, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina (NBCOT certification is a requirement for licensure), South Dakota, and Vermont.
You worked hard to earn the OTR or COTA certification. It is easy to maintain your credential and costs only $65 to renew. Have you let your certification lapse? Review details to reinstate.- Learn about the tools offered in the NBCOT Navigator® and how they can enhance your career. Units earned from these tools are accepted by 45 states for licensure renewal.
- Take a Practitioner Self-Assessment to rate your self-perceived knowledge and skills across practice settings.
- You agree to abide by the practice standards and code of conduct. It is important to review this on a consistent basis.
- Discover how you can give back to the OT community and take part in a rewarding professional opportunity.
- We recognize OTRs and COTAs who go above and beyond with our NBCOT Innovation Award and NBCOT Impact Award.
- Need to get in touch with your state licensing board? Thinking of moving to another state and want to find out the requirements for licensure? Find the contact details here.
- Send verification of certification or score transfer to a state, change your name, and find the other services available to OTRs and COTAs.
“ NBCOT sets the standard for competence in occupational therapy. Licensure between states is not universal and therefore, is not always a good indicator of a therapist’s continued competence in this growing field. Research and evidence-based practice influences how our profession evolves. The NBCOT credential verifies that a therapist meets the standards for maintaining knowledge of current practice.”