How often do I have to have face to face supervisory visits with a new graduate OTA?
If you refer to pages 35 through 39 of the “Practice Act Booklet” you will find Section .0900 of the Rules relating to supervision and roles of the OTA. Rule .0903 states that entry-level OTAs require close supervision. Close supervision is defined in Section .0103(21) on page 17 as “daily, direct contact at the service delivery site (where treatment is provided).” It is the Board’s opinion that working under close supervision of an OT during the first year of practice is critical for an OTA in order to develop clinical reasoning skills and a background of experience to make clinical decisions. If the facility does not have an OT to provide proper and adequate supervision, the OTA may not continue to provide OT services. Contact by phone is considered “indirect supervision” and is not appropriate for a new graduate.
