Scope of Practice
Scope defined
Scope of practice is the range of services an OT or OTA may provide within the license, training, and setting. The exam tests whether a task is occupational therapy, who may perform it, and when the practitioner must refer or decline.
Core boundaries
- OT services focus on occupations and participation: evaluation, intervention, and outcomes related to self-care, work, play, leisure, education, and social participation.
- OTs may address performance skills and client factors as they relate to occupation, and may use modalities or techniques only when competent and permitted by Board rule.
- OTAs deliver delegated interventions and contribute to data collection; they do not evaluate independently, interpret results, or change the plan.
- Practice settings do not change the scope: schools, hospitals, homes, and telehealth all require the same license, competence, and supervision.
- When a request falls outside training or law, the practitioner refers, consults, or declines rather than learning on the client.
Worked example
A school team asks the OT to assess a student's reading decoding and recommend a phonics curriculum. Reading decoding is an educational skill, and the OT's scope is participation in school occupations, not teaching reading. The OT should clarify the referral, assess the student's functional participation and sensory/motor supports, consult with the teacher, and avoid claiming expertise in reading instruction. If the team needs a reading specialist, the OT says so.
Traps
Assuming a license authorizes every technique; confusing OT and PT roles; performing evaluative tasks as an OTA; and using telehealth to serve clients in a state where the practitioner is not licensed.