Ohio Occupational Therapy Supervision and Delegation

Definitions

 “Supervising occupational therapist” means the occupational therapist who is available to supervise the occupational therapy assistant, the student occupational therapist, student occupational therapy assistant, or unlicensed personnel. The supervising occupational therapist may be the occupational therapist who performed the initial evaluation or another occupational therapist with whom that occupational therapist has a documented agreement.

 “Supervising occupational therapy assistant” means the occupational therapy assistant who is appropriately available to supervise the student occupational therapy assistant, the student occupational therapist who is completing the level I fieldwork experience, or unlicensed personnel.

Which services can only be performed by a licensed occupational therapist?

The occupational therapist shall assume professional responsibility for the following activities, which shall not be wholly delegated, regardless of the setting in which the services are provided:

• Interpretation of referrals or prescriptions for occupational therapy services;
• Interpretation and analysis for evaluation purposes;
• Development, interpretation, and modification of the treatment/intervention plan and the discharge plan.

What are the responsibilities of the OT when delegating?

The following factors must be considered by the supervising occupational therapist when determining the appropriate frequency, methods, and content of supervision:

• Complexity of the client needs;
• Number and diversity of clients;
• Skills of the occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant;
• Type and number of practice settings;
• Requirements of the practice setting; and
• Any other regulatory or administrative requirements.

Citation

Ohio Admin. Code § 4755-7-02

Ohio Admin. Code § 4755-7-04