Qualifying To Take The NBCOT

In a perfect world, most of you will not need to go through this step - the pre-amble before you are allowed to register to take the NBCOT. 

If you graduated after 2007 and do not hold a Masters in OT - I'm sorry the road ends here...

1. If you graduated after 2007 and do not hold a Masters in OT from WFOT (World Federation of Occupational Therapy) recognised institution, you will not be able to take the NBCOT exam. If you are still looking to move to the States and work as an OT you will either have to acquire a Masters in your home country or some where world recognised (check this with the university you are applying to) or you could try and apply for a Masters in OT within the US. Having to do a Masters will set you back a few years and if you are looking to apply for financial aid as an international student be prepared to apply to schools at least 1-2 years in advance. You really have to be committed to working in the States as an OT to go down this route.

If you graduated before 2007 with a Bachelors or hold a Masters in OT - fun and games ahead!

2. If you graduated before 2007 with a Bachelors or hold a Masters in OT from a WFOT university then you should be eligible to take the NBCOT. However you may have to prove that your education is at the standard of American graduates who have completed their Masters in OT. As you go through the OTED (Occupational Therapy Education Determination) process you will find many hoops that you need to jump through. This is in an arduous process that I had to go through before I could register to take the exam. It also costs $500 to have this part of the application process approved - this is an expensive process - make sure you really want to do this before you get stuck in!

One of the longer steps is completing a document that states all the courses and subjects that American OT schools provide for their students and placing your equivalent course and course code next to it. So for example, usually at some point in your OT career you completed a psychology course. The form will say Neuropsychology methods, and you'll have to match that by listing a course that contains those elements. Then you will say how you were tested in the course - oral exam, case study, written papers etc. You continue with this for about 40 pages. It it also important that you get it right the first time and write out the course names for NBCOT. I listed the course codes (which is what the instructions said) on my application and they returned it saying that I had to write out the full name of the courses. I spent a lot of time writing 'Occupational Therapy Methods and Foundations 2' and the like. Get it right the first time! 

To further strengthen your proof, you need to get your university to send as detailed as possible course descriptions from their official course curricula. It's no use, you just writing course names next to the US equivalent. Sending transcripts will also help to show that you completed the requirements for each course. As I am a South African trained OT, I don't imagine that there are a lot of OTs from the same country as me trying to apply to take the NBCOT - I know of one, they are very skeptical of other countries and their training so it is important to give them as much information as possible - too much if you can - to show that you are at the same level as new graduates who take the exam. 

Concurrently, you may need to take an English language test to prove that you can speak, understand and read and write in English. Countries that are recognised as first language speakers of the English language do not need to take this test (the TOEFL). So if you are from Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand you do not need to take the TOEFL. Others like myself who are not from any of the listed countries but who speak English at home, were educated in English and work in an English speaking environment are still required to take the TOEFL and spend an additional $150. Those are 4 and a half hours of my life that I'll never get back. Also bare in mind that the TOEFL is only valid for 2 years so make sure you don't do it too early and then have to do it again.

It is always a good idea to check the NBCOT website to make sure that you are up-to-date with all their requirements. I took the NBCOT exam in October 2009 and began this process in December 2008. Things may have changed but I am pretty sure that the jist is all there. The website has a specific path for internationally-trained OTs to follow so it shouldn't be too hard to navigate. However, in hindsight, I wish that there had been more info about the process online so that I knew what I was getting myself in for.

So now you've taken you English test, submitted your course curricula, transcripts, degree certificates, NBCOT forms and paid exorbitant amounts on your credit card.. now what? Now, you wait and hope to your lucky stars that they except all your paperwork in due time and allow you to take the exam. It's one roller coaster after the next.