DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

(Occupational Therapy Practice Board)

[Filed October 8, 2018, 10:17 a.m., effective November 8, 2018]

Effective Date of Rule: Thirty-one days after filing.

Purpose: Chapter 246-847 WAC, Occupational therapy, the occupational therapy practice board (board) adopted amendments to rule to clarify and modernize existing rules. The adopted amendments update WAC 246-847-080 Examinations, 246-847-135 Standards of supervision, and 246-847-150 Supervised fieldwork for occupational therapy assistant, in order to complement changes recently made to the occupational therapy chapter. The adopted rules add requirements for a jurisprudence exam as part of the application process, and revise language to more accurately reflect current national guidelines regarding timelines for accomplishing fieldwork and more clarification on proper conduct during supervision.

Citation of Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 246-847-080, 246-847-135, and 246-847-150.

Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 18.59.130.

Adopted under notice filed as WSR 18-12-113 on June 6, 2018.

A final cost-benefit analysis is available by contacting Kathy Weed, P.O. Box 47852, Olympia, WA 98504, phone 360-236-4883, fax 360-236-2901, TTY 360-833-6388 or 711, email kathy.weed@doh.wa.gov, web site doh.wa.gov.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted at the Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's own Initiative: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.

Number of Sections Adopted using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, Amended 0, Repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, Amended 3, Repealed 0.

Date Adopted: July 20, 2018.

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 06-24-137, filed 12/6/06, effective 1/6/07)

WAC 246-847-080Examinations.

(1) The occupational therapy practice board recognizes the examination administered by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy or its ((successor/predecessor))predecessor organization ((shall be))as the official examination for licensure as an occupational therapist or as an occupational therapy assistant.

(2) To be eligible for a license((,))an applicant((s)) must:

(a) Attain a passing score on the examination determined by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy or its ((successor/predecessor))predecessor organization; and

(b) Successfully pass the department's occupational therapy jurisprudence examination with a passing score of one hundred percent.

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 07-20-076, filed 10/1/07, effective 11/1/07)

WAC 246-847-135Standards of supervision.

The following are the standards for supervision of occupational therapy assistants, limited permit holders, and occupational therapy aides:

(1) A licensed occupational therapy assistant((s)) must be ((supervised through))in regular consultation ((by)), as defined by WAC 246-847-010, with an occupational therapist licensed in the state of Washington. Regular consultation must be documented and the documentation must be kept in a location determined by the supervising occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.

(2)(((a))) A limited permit holder:

(a) Who is waiting to take the examination for licensure must work in association with an occupational therapist licensed in the state of Washington with a minimum of one year of experience. "In association with" ((shall)) includes consultation regarding evaluation, intervention, progress, reevaluation and discharge planning of each assigned patient at appropriate intervals and documented by cosignature of all notes by the supervising occupational therapist.

(b) ((Limited permit holders who have))Who has failed the examination must be directly supervised by an occupational therapist licensed in the state of Washington with a minimum of one year of experience. Direct supervision must include consultation regarding evaluation, intervention, progress, reevaluation and discharge planning of each assigned patient at appropriate intervals and documented by cosignature of all notes by the supervising occupational therapist.

(3) An occupational therapy aide((s)) must be ((professionally)) supervised and trained by an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy assistant licensed in the state of Washington. Professional supervision must include documented supervision and training.

(a) The occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant shall ((train))provide professional supervision as defined in WAC 246-847-010 to the occupational therapy aide on client and nonclient related tasks ((at least once a month)).

(b) When performing client related tasks, the occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant must ensure the occupational therapy aide is trained and competent in performing the task on the specific client.

(c) The documentation must be maintained in a location determined by the supervising occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant.

(((4) Definitions can be found in WAC 246-847-010.))

AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 91-05-027, filed 2/12/91, effective 3/15/91)

WAC 246-847-150Supervised fieldwork experience—Occupational therapy assistants.

(("))Supervised fieldwork experience(("))as defined in RCW 18.59.050 (1)(c)(ii) ((shall)) means, for an occupational therapy assistant, a minimum two months, or eight weeks, of full-time equivalency of Level II fieldwork. The Level II fieldwork must be conducted in settings approved by the applicant's academic or training program. Level II fieldwork is to provide an in-depth experience in delivering occupational therapy services to clients and to provide opportunities for supervised practice of occupational therapy assistant entry-level roles. The minimum two months, or eight weeks, of full-time equivalency supervised fieldwork experience required by RCW 18.59.050 (1)(c)(ii) ((shall))does not include Level I fieldwork experience as defined by the ((American))accreditation council for occupational therapy ((Association))education.

((The supervised fieldwork experience shall consist of a minimum of two one-month sustained fieldwork placements not less than forty full-time workdays. "Full-time workdays" is as required by the fieldwork setting.))