This petition aims to change the delivery model for the NBCOT exam during the COVID-19 crisis to a remote, proctored exam. Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants (OTs and OTAs) are essential healthcare workers, and entry-level clinicians who have completed all academic requirements and clinical rotations (fieldwork) are unable to become certified and licensed to practice due to testing site closures.

This proposed change benefits all stakeholders. A remote exam option would minimize the financial burden on recent graduates, who are unable to work in the field of OT without a license. It would minimize the burden that NBCOT and testing centers will experience once testing centers re-open. An influx of graduates applying to test in-person will inevitably overwhelm testing site centers and resources, and leave graduates waiting even longer to test. In the long-term, this could have an impact on employers, being unable to fill entry-level positions with a lack of certified and licensed entry-level practitioners due to the testing backlog. The lack of a modified testing option during this pandemic results in unnecessary burden for NBCOT, testing sites, testing candidates, and employers.



Other healthcare professions are taking action during this crisis. Licensing requirements and rules have been changed or suspended for nurses. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) are allowing testing candidates to test in a subset of testing centers while maintaining social distancing protocols. If remote proctored testing is not an option, we are open to discussions with NBCOT about how modifications can be made to the administration of the exam during this unprecedented time.



In summary, we are requesting that an already computerized test be administered utilizing remote proctoring software. Test candidates have met academic standards set by The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE), and these requirements were designed to produce entry-level practitioners. During our education, we trusted the system to prepare us to be entry-level occupational therapists. Please trust our professional assessment of the task, environment, and barriers. Trust our recommendation for accommodations necessary to allow us to take the NBCOT exam in a timely manner so we can begin serving the populations we are trained to serve.