California Occupational Therapists Continuing Education Requirements

Oct. 22, 2014 - PRLog -- California-licensed occupational therapists have a biennial license renewal with a birth date deadline, even years. Twenty-hour (24 PDUs) continuing education hours are required to renew a license. There are no limits on home study if AOTA approved, and a certificate of completion is required. Twelve (12 PDUs) hours of continuing education must relate directly to occupational therapy service delivery.

Professional Development Resources is an American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)approved provider of continuing education (#3159). The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Continuing Education Requirements

Occupational therapists licensed in the state of California have a license renewal every two years with a birth date deadline, even years. Twenty-hour (24 PDUs) hours of continuing education are required for license renewal. There are no home study limits if AOTA approved, and a certificate is required. Twelve (12 PDUs) continuing education hours must relate directly to occupational therapy service delivery.

Information obtained from the California Board of Occupational Therapists on July 28, 2014.

Continuing Education Courses for Occupational Therapists:

Caregiver Help: Anger and Guilt (https://www.pdresources.org/course/index/5/1201/Caregiver...) is a 2-hour online video CE course. The emotional stress of caring for persons who are aging, chronically ill or disabled can be debilitating for family members as well as professional caregivers. This course addresses caregiver anger and guilt, and provides a three-step process that helps caregivers develop an attitude of what is described as “creative indifference” toward the people, situations and events that cause them the greatest amount of emotional stress. By gaining insights into how degenerative and progressive diseases affect the life of the caregiver, the mental health professional will be in a better position to empathize with the caregiver’s situation and provide strategies that will help them manage the stress of caring for someone whose situation will never improve. The significance of honoring and supporting caregivers’ feelings and helping them understand the importance of self-care can not only improve their physical and emotional well-being, but can also have a huge impact on the quality of care they are able to provide to their care receiver. This course includes downloadable worksheets that you can use (on a limited basis) in your clinical practice.

Autism Movement Therapy (https://www.pdresources.org/course/index/5/1191/Autism-Mo...) is a 2-hour online video CE course. Autism Movement Therapy® is an emerging therapy that combines movement and music with positive behavior support strategies to assist individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in meeting and achieving their speech and language, social and academic goals. Its purpose is to connect left and right hemisphere brain functioning by combining patterning, visual movement calculation, audile receptive processing, rhythm and sequencing into a “whole brain” cognitive thinking approach that can significantly improve behavioral, emotional, academic, social, and speech and language skills. This course is presented in two parts. Part 1 summarizes what is known about the brain functioning of individuals with ASD and illustrates how participation in dance, music and the arts can render the brain more amenable to learning social and language skills. Part 2 is a documentary created by Joanne Lara – Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the Arts, which spotlights – from a strikingly positive perspective – the challenges and accomplishments of eight individuals with ASD.

Managing Chronic Pain in Adults With or in Recovery from Substance Use Disorders (https://www.pdresources.org/course/index/5/1119/Managing-...) is a 5-hour online course. Medication for chronic pain is addictive; therefore, the treatment of individuals with both substance abuse disorders and pain presents particular challenges. This course is based on a document from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Managing Chronic Pain in Adults With or in Recovery from Substances Use Disorders: A Treatment Improvement Protocol (SAMHSA Tip 54). Intended for all healthcare providers, this document explains the close connections between the neurobiology of pain and addiction, assessments for both pain and addiction, procedures for treatment of chronic pain management (both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical), side effects and symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal from pain medication, managing risk of addiction to pain medication and nonadherence to treatment protocols, maintaining patient relationships, documentation, and safety issues. Written by panel consensus, SAMHSA TIP 54 provides a good introduction to pain management issues and also a good review for experienced clinicians.

Source: https://www.pdresources.org/blog_data/california-occupational-therapists-continuing-education-and-license-renewals/