Prospective applicants to the Approved Provider Program

AOTA APP promotes high quality and relevant professional development (PD) activities for occupational therapy practitioners. AOTA Approved Providers may assign AOTA continuing education units (CEUs) to approved PD activities.

Once recognized, an AOTA Approved Provider has the ability to award AOTA CEUs for PD activities that are relevant to the practice of occupational therapy. These CEUs generally satisfy state licensure requirements and National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT®) recertification. There are a number of states that accept AOTA CEUs for licensure renewal. Visit the list.

The Application for Recognition as a Provider is tiered based on the number of PD activity titles delivered each year. Please visit Approved Provider Program benefits and pricing for more information.

Yes. AOTA Approved Providers must submit each PD activity for approval, and the cost is $75. Approvals last for 5 years. AOTA Approved Providers also pay annual fees based on the number of PD activity titles delivered each year.

Yes. To be eligible, an organization or sole proprietor must demonstrate that within the preceding 3 years they have delivered a minimum of one PD activity in each delivery format for which they would like to apply. AOTA considers an activity eligible if another accrediting body formally approved it within the preceding 3 years. AOTA also considers an activity eligible if the applicant had processes and procedures in place to determine satisfactory completion of the activity and contact hours awarded.

An eligible PD activity would include:

• Publications (APP Criteria and Guidelines | Section 10)
• Learning outcomes (APP Criteria and Guidelines | Section 13)
• Assessment of learning outcomes (APP Criteria and Guidelines | Section 14)
• Satisfactory completion requirements that resulted in contact hours awarded (APP Criteria and Guidelines | Section 3).

Please contact app@aota.org for questions about your organization’s eligibility.

Yes! If you're a sole proprietor or small business owner interested in becoming an AOTA Approved Provider, you may be unsure about the process. Watch an interview with a sole proprietor and small business owner to get a first-hand perspective about the process.

Prospective applicants may begin an application by creating an account in Survey Monkey Apply and clicking apply. 

Although the application must be submitted online, applicants may view it in PDF format. To download a PDF enter into the online form, click on the three dots (top right), and click download.

It is important to understand that when completing an Application for Recognition as an Approved Provider, the applicant is not applying for a specific PD activity approval. Instead, the applicant is applying to be an Approved Provider. Therefore, the organization should write general, overarching processes. The Recognition as an Approved Provider Application: Tips for Writing a Process will help you write them.  

The AOTA APP is glad you started the application process and is happy to provide guidance. The following webinars explain each section of the application.