| Occupational therapy, a division of physical | | | | apply to your continuing education requirement. |
| therapy, requires an extensive knowledge of | | | | Broaden Your Horizons |
| helping people to overcome physically, mental, | | | | If you specialize in helping people with mental |
| developmental and even social disabilities. As such, | | | | disabilities (as an example), consider taking some |
| getting occupational therapy continuing education | | | | occupational therapy continuing education classes |
| classes on a regular basis is important. | | | | in an other discipline. You could start to learn |
| Check with Your State | | | | about geriatrics, pediatric care, or some other |
| Step one in getting occupational therapy continuing | | | | area. When you consider that the Baby Boomer |
| education is checking with your state regulatory | | | | generation is getting older, the future holds great |
| department to see what they require. Often the | | | | potential for geriatric care. This will give you a |
| agency's website will list the accredited schools - | | | | wider variety of clients to help, and thus broaden |
| both online and locally - that are approved to give | | | | your client base. Also, if where you work - a |
| classes. The state will also tell you how many | | | | hospital or physical therapy center - suffers |
| hours of education you need each year, and what | | | | cutbacks in one department, you'll have the ability |
| types of classes you need to take. Sometimes | | | | to move to another. |
| you have to take a variety: a technical class, a | | | | Keep Good Records |
| legal or ethical class, and so on. In some states, | | | | Whether you're taking online occupational therapy |
| there is not a requirement that you document the | | | | continuing education classes or going to a local |
| classes that you have taken, merely that you | | | | college or durable medical equipment company, |
| attest you have. However, even in such a case, | | | | keep records on every aspect of each class. If |
| be sure to keep documentation to prove that | | | | you're ever required to verify that you took the |
| you have taken the classes. If, several years | | | | class, you need records. When it comes time to |
| from now, the state does an audit of your | | | | prepare your taxes the year after you take the |
| continuing education, you'll have to be able to | | | | classes, all of the costs associated with the |
| prove that you have fulfilled their requirements. | | | | classes will be tax deductible - the class tuition, |
| Stay Current on New Developments | | | | travel expenses, and so on. |
| Given the wide variety of areas you can specialize | | | | Check with Organizations |
| in, you want to pick classes that keep you | | | | When in doubt, check with groups like the |
| current with new therapy techniques and | | | | American Occupational Therapy Association. They |
| equipment. In some cases, the manufacturers of | | | | have a website at aota.org, and they can help |
| new equipment will offer free occupational | | | | you in finding the right classes for you, where |
| therapy continuing education classes for their | | | | upcoming seminars will be held, and what are the |
| products. So long as the class is accredited and | | | | new technologies to be on the lookout for in the |
| acceptable to your state regulatory agency, it can | | | | coming years. |