Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants work in a variety of settings. It is important to know where, as a licensed practitioner, you may find the resources you need to ensure you are practicing within Florida’s Guidelines.
All of the specific Department of Health guidelines you should be familiar with are found under the Florida Statutes & Administrative Codes link on the Resources tab of this website. You will find laws which govern health care practitioners, in general, in Chapter 456, Florida Statutes. Specific regulations, to include definitions of practice, continuing education and renewal requirements for the occupational therapy profession, are found in Chapter 468, Part III, Florida Statutes and Chapter 64B11, Florida Administrative Code.
Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants who work in settings regulated by the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), such as health clinics, hospitals, home health, assisted living and long-term care facilities, should also be aware of any regulations which may affect practice in those facilities. Please review relevant information under “Helpful Links” in the Resources section. There you will also find links to professional associations which may be able to assist you with insight on a variety of every day practice issues. Note that some associations may require membership in order to provide such services.
Of particular interest to those working in AHCA facilities would be that agency’s background screening requirements, and the process of requesting an exemption should the screening result in a disqualifying offense, so that one may begin or continue working in such settings. You will find more information on these processes under “Exemptions”, found under the Resources tab.
Although the Occupational Therapy Board staff is happy to assist inquirers by providing references to applicable Department of Health laws and rules, or previous Board opinions which may be applicable, it should be noted that Board staff may not provide interpretations or opinions on regulations or specific practice scenarios. If unable to determine the applicability of a law or rule to a specific circumstance, applicants and licensees have the opportunity to seek a legal opinion from the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy by filing a Petition for Declaratory Statement for its review and response. You will find information regarding filing such a petition under “Helpful Links” in the Resources section.
