AOTA’s Professional Certificates & Micro Credentials

Elevate your practice and get the knowledge you need to be the best OT or OTA that you can be. Whether you’re looking to master a specific skill set or take a deep dive into a specific topic area, AOTA’s Professional Certificate Program and Micro Credentials are for you! Both levels of our certificate program will equip you with knowledge and skills to better serve your clients and advance within the profession.

man working at laptop with AOTA specialty area professional certificate logo displayed over image

What is a Professional Certificate?

A professional certificate is a verifiable designation and document that attests to knowledge obtained by a practitioner regarding a specific topic or topic area.

Both OT and OTA practitioners who have completed the three related micro credentials specifically chosen for that certificate, the associated essentials courses, and a final integration course will be immediately awarded their Professional Certificate.


Why earn a Professional Certificate and/or Micro Credential?

  • Get personal and professional recognition of knowledge and skills within a specified area of practice.
  • Set yourself apart from the crowd when looking for job opportunities or career advancement.
  • Use the digital badge as a tangible way to market your skills to employers, payers, and clients.
  • Effortlessly share your learning achievements with peers, potential employers, educational institutions, and more on email and social media platforms.
  • Be perceived as a trusted provider by clients.
  • Improve outcomes for your clients.

 


Professional Certificates available

At this time, we have three professional certificates available:


Model of the Professional Certificate and Micro Credential Process

 

woman typing on laptop at table with AOTA specialty area microcredential logo displayed over image

What is a Micro Credential?

A micro credential is issued upon completion of a set of required thematically connected courses. The micro credential provides acknowledgement of the growing knowledge of the practitioner and can either be completed as a step to the professional certificate as stated above or completed for its own merits without advancement to a certificate—it is considered a stand-alone designation.


Micro Credentials available

Determine which micro credentials interest you as either stand-alone designations or as part of a professional certificate. At this time, we have eight micro credentials available:



What are Essentials courses?

A series of courses that are intended to provide OT content covering issues and approaches that may be new to practitioners.

 

What is a verifiable digital badge?

Once a professional certificate or micro credential is earned, you will receive a verifiable digital badge, unique to the professional certificate or micro credential. Your digital badges are concrete evidence of your accomplishments and can be easily shared online in your email signatures and your social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook, so that your peers can celebrate your accomplishments along with you


Smiling woman sitting at desk looking at laptop with pen in hand taking research notes

Compare your options

View the comparison table to learn about the differences between these programs: Micro Credential, Professional Certificate, and Advanced Certification.


Comparison table