Step 4: Apply for the OTED Process

This step only applies for foreign-trained OTs who did not earn their entry-level master’s or doctoral degree in occupational therapy from a U.S. accredited university. In other words, if you have a bachelor’s or a masters degree from outside the U.S. then you will need to submit documentation, including at least 960 hours of clinical field work to the Occupational Therapist Eligibility Determination (OTED) process.

To apply for OTED:

1. Create an online account

2. Pay the $850 USD fee

3. Provide documentation that shows compliance with the eligibility criteria

Note: OTED may identify areas of discrepancy when they review your documents, which may require additional education or documentation. This can be completed in several different ways, but most commonly by taking CEU courses.

You will need to confirm that the course you are planning to take meets OTED's requirements as they may require a certain number of classroom/ lab hours which means you might need to take a course through a university which might get complicated.
Commonly, applicants are required to take the Physical Agents Modalities (PAMs), Assistive Technology, and Driver Rehabilitation courses.

Click here to find out more about the guidelines for completing additional coursework for OTED review.

Note: You can use the online OTED account to submit your application, check on your application's status, correspond with NBCOT about your application, and upload documentation.

You can find more information about the OTED requirements here.

Here’s also a checklist that will help you stay organized and prepared in this step: OTED Checklist