Continued Competency Requirements

Effective July 1, 2025, the Department of Health updated the continued competency requirements for licensed occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) under WAC 246-847-065. These changes make it easier for you to maintain your Washington license while meeting national standards.

What Changed

The board adopted permanent rule amendments through WSR 24-24-012, filed November 21, 2024, and effective July 1, 2025. The board adopted these amendments on October 18, 2024, under the authority of 2SHB 1724 (chapter 425, Laws of 2023), codified as RCW 18.130.077.

The total number of required continued competency hours decreased from 30 to 24 every two years. This change aligns Washington's requirements with those of the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).

What Stays the Same

The following requirements remain unchanged under WAC 246-847-065:

• Activity types. You must earn hours through two or more of the approved activity types listed in WAC 246-847-065(3).
  
  
• Practice-related hours. A minimum of 20 of your 24 hours must directly relate to the practice of occupational therapy as defined in RCW 18.59.020 and WAC 246-847-010.
  
  
• Suicide assessment. You must complete at least 3 hours of suicide assessment training every 6 years, as specified in WAC 246-847-066. Keep your documentation for 6 years.
  
  
• Health equity training. As of January 1, 2024, you must complete at least 2 hours of health equity continuing education every 4 years. These hours count toward your 24-hour total. The course must meet the minimum standards under RCW 43.70.613 and comply with WAC 246-12-800 through WAC 246-12-830.
  
  
• Documentation. The department may ask you to provide documentation at any time, as required by chapter 246-12 WAC. All records must include your name, the date of the activity, and the number of hours.

Approved Activity Types

You may earn your 24 hours through any combination of two or more of the following activities (subject to per-category maximums):

• Continuing education coursework
  
  
• Employer-sponsored in-service training or professional study groups (max 15 hours)
  
  
• Attendance at a professional conference or workshop
  
  
• Coursework at an accredited college or university (max 15 hours; 1 course credit = 5 hours)
  
  
• Interactive online courses and webinars
  
  
• Presentations to professionals, including poster presentations (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Guest lecturing in an academic OT-related setting (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Authoring a publication (max 10 hours peer-reviewed; max 5 hours non-peer-reviewed)
  
  
• Development of instructional media or software (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Professional manuscript review (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Service on a professional board, committee, disciplinary panel, or association (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Self-study of peer-reviewed journals, textbooks, or professionally developed multimedia (max 10 hours)
  
  
• Direct supervision of an OT or OTA student (max 12 hours; 40 hours of supervision = 1 CE hour)
  
  
• Mentoring (max 5 hours; does not count toward the 20-hour practice-related minimum)
  
  
• Attending a Washington Occupational Therapy Practice Board meeting (max 2 hours)
  
  
• Passing the DOH occupational therapy jurisprudence examination with 100% (max 0.5 hours)

Expired and Inactive Licenses

The CE hour reduction also applies to expired and inactive license reactivation. If your license expired for more than 3 years but no more than 5 years, you must now complete 24 hours (down from 30) within the two-year period immediately before your application, as required by WAC 246-847-068. The same 24-hour requirement applies to inactive credential reactivation under WAC 246-847-070 for those inactive more than 3 years but no more than 5 years.