Certification Regulations and Professional Continuing Education of Occupational Therapy inTaiwan
Hui-Fen Mao, MS.
Promoting the health and well-being of the public requires occupational therapists tocontinuously enhance their expertise in specialized fields and consistently improve the qualityof their professional services and competence in clinical education. This presentation provides
an overview of the occupational therapy specialty certification and continuing education
framework focused on educating clinical preceptors, which has been established by the Taiwan
Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) over the past twenty years.
TOTA has made steadfast efforts to develop and promote three certification regulations:1.

"Occupational Therapy Clinical Ladder System" (2004): This certification system

recognizes four levels of clinical occupational therapists, allowing professionals to advancebased on their clinical competencies.
2.

"Certification of Occupational Therapy Clinical Preceptor" (2010) & "Certification ofClinical Preceptor" regulated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Taiwan" (2011): Only
certified therapists are eligible to supervise occupational therapy fieldwork or newly recruitedtherapists in teaching hospitals, ensuring high-quality clinical training and mentorship.
3.

"Certification of Clinical Preceptor in Occupational Therapy Community-based Practice"(2018): Only certified therapists can supervise occupational therapy community-based
fieldwork, which was formally recognized as a fieldwork option for occupational therapy
licensure requirements in 2017.
To maintain the standard of specialized professional services, various ministries in Taiwan
have implemented certification systems that require individuals to complete required
continuing education courses to provide related services. These services encompass:1.

Special education school system services.

2.

Long-term care services 2.0 (LTC 2.0).

3.

Community health promotion programs for older adults.

4.

Assistive technology and environment modification services for people with disabilities.

5.

Vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, including vocationalevaluation, job accommodation, and employment services.
6.

Labor Occupational Safety Services.

These certification systems are designed to ensure that the therapists possess the necessary
skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality services to the public.

In summary, the Taiwan Occupational Therapy Association, in collaboration with thegovernment, has worked diligently to develop occupational therapy certification regulations
and continuing education initiatives. Our commitment lies in fostering expertise, improving
service quality, and promoting the overall well-being of individuals receiving occupational
therapy services.

Topic—OT Related Certification Regulations and Continuing Education in Taiwan

為促進民眾健康福祉，臨床實務工作的職能治療專業人員，需於專門領域精進，不斷提升專業服務及臨床實務教學的品質。以下介紹臺灣政府及台灣職能治療學會(TOTA)為達成以上目標，推展 OT 相關的各項認證制度，及其取得認證資格之專業人員繼續教育。
近二十多年來台灣職能治療學會陸續制訂並推動三種認證制度與辦法: 1)「職能治療師專業能力進階制度」(2004)：認證四個層級之臨床職能治療師。2)「職能治療臨床教師培育暨認證」(2010)及衛福部規範的臨床教師認證(2011)：取得認證者方能於教學醫院中指導實習學生
或新進治療師。3)「職能治療社區實務教師培育暨認證」(2018)：取得認證者方能於社區與長期照顧領域中指導實習學生。
臺灣政府各部會為能確保專門業務服務提供的品質，陸續發展了各項認證制度，需完成
教育訓練課程，取得認證資格者才能從事相關服務，包含：1) 特殊教育學校系統服務，2) 長照 2.0 居家與社區長期照顧服務，3) 社區高齡者健康促進課程(帶領者)，4) 身心障礙者輔具
與無障礙服務，5) 身心障礙者職業重建服務（評估、職務再設計與就業服務），6) 勞工職業安全服務。