Introduction

So to start off, let us introduce ourselves. We are two OTs who are internationally trained (in South Africa and Australia) and for various reasons, mostly involving men, we found ourselves needing to take the NBCOT. Up until last year I had never heard of the NBCOT, as such, and was only vaguely aware that in order to work in the US as an occupational therapist, one needed to take a board exam. When the time came to make the decision to move, the NBCOT loomed and after many months of stress, lots of money and energy invested and many Skype conversations, both of us passed the NBCOT comfortably. Chatting to the internet savvy OT community really helped us to conquer any perceptions we had about the exam and to actually study through Skype, email and forums/blogs. As we have both recently taken the exam (Sep and Oct 2009 respectively) we are very familiar with the process and can offer additional advice if you are an international OT wanting to take the exam. We can also explore which resources are really necessary to buy and which you can live without. Then, we can try and advise the best job search strategy especially if you are outside of the US and need a visa and job before you arrive. We hope that this becomes an interactive forum where legitimate, honest discussion and advice is imparted.