My fieldwork site wants to hire me as soon as I finish. What are supervision requirements for a new graduate who is not yet certified?
In Michigan, supervision requirements are addressed two ways: by the Public Health Code (state requirements) and third party payors (whose services will be reimbursed). Supervision is not defined in Michigan law because we do not have a scope of practice (registration versus licensure). All major payors require that services are provided by or supervised by an OTR. Since a new graduate is not an OTR and not a student, he or she is functioning, by default, as if she were an aide. According to AOTA Supervision Guidelines, an aide requires direct supervision of an OTR for any service billed as occupational therapy.
