Continuing Education Requirements for Certified Hand Therapists The Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) is the governing body that is responsible for credentialing certified hand therapists (CHT). In order to maintain the CHT credential, a CHT must accumulate a minimum of 80 contact hours of professional development activities with a minimum of 36 hours in clinical hand therapy programs (category A) during their five-year accrual period. All Courses offered to Certified Hand Therapists via Exploring Hand Therapy are accepted. Exploring Hand Therapy  is an approved provider of the American Occpational Therapy Association.

The Hand Therapy Certification Commission does not pre-approve individual courses. Online continuing education credits are accepted under the following categories. Category A - Formal courses in Upper Quarter Therapy -a minimum of 3 hrs in length. Thirty-six hours (36), per 5 year accrual cycle, are required or all 80 hours may be submitted in this category. Category B - Informal courses in Upper Quarter Therapy - less than 3 hrs in length. A maximum of 30 hours, per 5 year cycle, can be obtained in this category. Category C - Formal courses with General OT or PT Content. A maximum of 30 hours, per 5 year cycle, can be obtained in this category. This category encompasses educational materials that address the clinical application of general occupational or physical therapy knowledge.

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Continuing Education Requirements for Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistants Continuing Education Requirements by NBCOT The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) is the national governing body responsible for credentialing Occupational Therapists (OTR) and Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA). In order to maintain current certification as an OTR or OTA, therapists must meet all NBCOT continuing education (CE) requirements. A total of thirty-six (36) professional development units beginning and throughout a three year cycle are required. These units can be earned through a variety of professional development activities including internet coursework. A maximum of 36 hours can be obtained through independent learning through online education. Continuing Education Requirements by State Continuing Education requirements for license renewal vary among States and are subject to change without notice. Please keep in mind that you should always check with your local Board for confirmation or prior approval for authorization for course credit. If your individual state Board does not require CEU, you will still need to satisfy NBCOT CE requirements in order to use the credential OTR or OTA as an Occupational Therapist or Occupational Therapy Assistant.

UNITED STATES REQUIREMENTS
STATE	CONTACT HOURS REQUIRED	ONLINE CREDIT
ALABAMA	OT: 30 biennially OTA: 20 biennially	Accepts online education.
ALASKA	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 12 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
ARIZONA	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 12 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
ARKANSAS	OT: 10 hrs annually OTA: 10 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
CALIFORNIA	No Current State CE Requirements OT/OTA: 12 hours of CE will be required in 2006	Accepts 36 hrs of online educationfor NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification. Post professional CE required for Advanced Practice Act for hand therapy, physical agent modalities, and /or swallowing assessments, evaluation or intervention.
COLORADO	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
CONNECTICUT	OT: 12 hrs biennially OTA: 9 hrs biennally	Home Study not accepted.
DELAWARE	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Accepts 10 hours of online education.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 12 hrs biennally	Accepts online education.
FLORIDA	OT: 26 hrs biennially OTA: 26 hrs biennially	Accepts 12 hrs of online education. Requires 1 hr in Aids/HIV. Requires 2 hrs in Prevention of Medical Errors. Requires 2 hrs in Florida laws and rules for OT.
GEORGIA	OT: 12 hrs biennially OTA: 12 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
HAWAII	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
IDAHO	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
ILLINIOS	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 24 hrs biennially	Accepts 4 hrs of online education.
INDIANA	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
IOWA	OT: 30 hrs biennially OTA: 15 hours biennally	Accepts online education.
KANSAS	OT: 40 hrs biennially OTA: 40 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
KENTUCKY	OT: 12 hrs annually OTA: 12 hrs annually	Accepts 6 hrs of online education.
LOUISIANA	OT: 15 hrs annually OTA: 15 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
MAINE	OT: 36 hrs biennially OTA: 36 hrs biennially	Accepts 10 hours of online education.
MARYLAND	OT: 24 biennially OTA: 24 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
MASSACHUSETTS	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
MICHIGAN	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
MINNESOTA	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 18 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
MISSISSIPPI	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Acceptsonline education.
MISSOURI	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 24 hrs biennially	Accepts 12 hrs of online education.
MONTANA	OT: 10 hrs annually OTA: 10 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
NEBRASKA	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 15 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
NEVADA	OT: 10 hrs annually OTA: 10 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
NEW HAMPSHIRE	OT: 24 hrs annually OTA: 24 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
NEW JERSEY	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online educationfor NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
NEW MEXICO	OT: 20 hrs annually OTA: 20 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
NEW YORK	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
NORTH CAROLINA	OT: 15 hrs annually OTA: 10 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
NORTH DAKOTA	OT: 10 hrs annually OTA: 10 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
OHIO	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
OKLAHOMA	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
OREGON	OT: 30 hrs annually OTA: 30 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
PENNSYLVANIA	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 18 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
RHODE ISLAND	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
SOUTH CAROLINA	OT: 16 hrs biennially OTA: 16 hrs biennially	Acceptsonline education.
SOUTH DAKOTA	OT: 12 hrs annually OTA: 12 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
TENNESSEE	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online educationfor NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
TEXAS	OT: 30 hrs biennially OTA: 30 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
UTAH	No State CE Requirements	Accepts 36 hrs of online education for NBCOT - OTR/COTA National Recertification.
VERMONT	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: 20 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
VIRGINIA	OT: 20 hrs biennially OTA: No Requirements	Accepts online education.
WASHINGTON	OT: 30 hrs biennially OTA: 30 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
WEST VIRGINIA	OT: 12 hrs annually OTA: 12 hrs annually	Accepts online education.
WISCONSIN	OT: 24 hrs biennially OTA: 24 hrs biennially	Accepts online education.
WYOMING	OT: 16 hrs annually OTA: 16 hrs annually	Acceptsonline education.