(1) The license to
practice as an Occupational Therapist or an Occupational Therapy Assistant is
prescribed and limited by the Tennessee Code Annotated (see especially T.C.A.
§
63-13-103). The license is
conferred by the Board of Occupational Therapy for applicants who have been
found to meet established standards.
(2) The Board adopts for licensed
occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, as if fully set
out herein, and as it may from time to time be amended, the current
"Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics" issued by the American Occupational
Therapy Association and the "Candidate / Certificant Code of Conduct" approved
by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, except to the
extent that it conflicts with the laws of the state of Tennessee or the rules
of the Board. If either document conflicts with state law or rules, the state
law or rules govern the matter. Information to acquire copies may be obtained
by contacting the following:
| (a) The American Occupational Therapy
Association, Inc. 4720 Montgomery Lane PO Box 31220 Bethesda, MD 20824-1220
Telephone: (301) 652-2682 Fax: (301) 652-7711 TDD: (800) 377-8555 Internet:
www.aota.org |
The National Board for Certification in
Occupational Therapy, Inc. 800 South Frederick Ave. Suite 200 Gaithersburg, MD
20877-4150 Telephone (301) 990-7979 Fax (301) 869-8492 Internet :
www.nbcot.org |
| (b) Board of Occupational Therapy 227
French Landing, Suite 300 Heritage Place, MetroCenter Nashville, TN 37243
Telephone: (615) 532-3202 ext. 25135 Telephone: (800) 778-4123 ext. 25135 Fax:
(615) 532-5164 Internet: www.tennessee.gov/health |
|
(3)
"Occupational therapy practice" means the therapeutic use of everyday life
activities (occupations) for the purpose of enabling individuals or groups to
participate in roles and situations in home, school, workplace, community and
other settings. Occupational therapy addresses the physical, cognitive,
psychosocial and sensory aspects of performance in a variety of contexts to
support engagement in occupations that affect health, well-being and quality of
life. Occupational therapy practice includes, but is not limited to:
(a) The screening, evaluation, assessment,
planning, implementation and discharge planning of an occupational therapy
program or services in consultation with the client, family members, caregivers
and other appropriate persons;
(b)
Selection and administration of standardized and non-standardized tests and
measurements to evaluate factors affecting activities of daily living,
instrumental activities of daily living, education, work, play, leisure and
social participation, including:
1. Body
functions and body structures;
2.
Habits, routines, roles and behavior patterns;
3. Cultural, physical, environmental, social
and spiritual context and activity demands that affect performance;
and
4. Performance skills,
including motor, process and communication/interaction skills;
(c) Methods or strategies selected
to direct the process of interventions, such as:
1. Modification or adaptation of an activity
or the environment to enhance performance;
2. Establishment, remediation or restoration
of a skill or ability that has not yet developed or is impaired;
3. Maintenance and enhancement of
capabilities without which performance in occupations would decline;
4. Health promotion and wellness to enable or
enhance performance and safety of occupations; and
5. Prevention of barriers to performance,
including disability prevention;
(d) Interventions and procedures to promote
or enhance safety and performance in activities of daily living, instrumental
activities of daily living, education, work, play, leisure and social
participation, including:
1. Therapeutic use
of occupations, exercises and activities;
2. Training in self-care, self-management,
home management and community/work reintegration;
3. Development, remediation or compensation
of physical, cognitive, neuromuscular and sensory functions and behavioral
skills;
4. Therapeutic use of self,
including an individual's personality, insights, perceptions and judgments as
part of the therapeutic process;
5.
Education and training of individuals, family members, caregivers and
others;
6. Care coordination, case
management, discharge planning and transition services;
7. Consulting services to groups, programs,
organizations or communities;
8.
Assessment, recommendations and training in techniques and equipment to enhance
functional mobility, including wheelchair management;
9. Driver rehabilitation and community
mobility; and
10. Management of
feeding and eating skills to enable feeding and eating performance;
(e) Management of occupational
therapy services, including the planning, organizing, staffing, coordinating,
directing or controlling of individuals and organizations;
(f) Providing instruction in occupational
therapy to students in an accredited occupational therapy or occupational
therapy assistant educational program by persons who are trained as
occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants; and
(g) Administration, interpretation and
application of research to occupational therapy services.
(4) Occupational therapy services are
provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness to those clients who
have, or are at risk of developing, illness, injury, disease, disorder,
impairment, disability, activity limitation or participation restriction and
may include:
(a) Training in the use of
prosthetic devices;
(b) Assessment,
design, development, fabrication, adaptation, application, fitting and training
in the use of assistive technology and adaptive and selective orthotic
devices;
(c) Application of
physical agent modalities with proper training and certification;
(d) Assessment and application of ergonomic
principles;
(e) Adaptation or
modification of environments (home, work, school or community) and use of a
range of therapeutic procedures (such as wound care management, techniques to
enhance sensory, perceptual and cognitive processing, and manual therapy
techniques) to enhance performance skills, occupational performance or the
promotion of health and wellness.
(5) Occupational therapy practice may occur
in a variety of settings, including, but not limited to:
(a) Institutional inpatient settings, such as
acute rehabilitation facilities, psychiatric hospitals, community and specialty
hospitals, nursing facilities and prisons;
(b) Outpatient settings, such as clinics,
medical offices and therapist offices;
(c) Home and community settings, such as
homes, group homes, assisted living facilities, schools, early intervention
centers, daycare centers, industrial and business facilities, hospices,
sheltered workshops, wellness and fitness centers and community mental health
facilities;
(d) Research
facilities; and
(e) Educational
institutions.
(6)
Occupational therapy practice includes specialized services provided by
occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants who are certified or
trained in areas of specialization, which include, but are not limited to, hand
therapy, neurodevelopmental treatment, sensory integration, pediatrics,
geriatrics and neurorehabilitation, through programs approved by AOTA or other
nationally recognized organizations.
(7) Universal Precautions for the Prevention
of HIV Transmission - The Board adopts, as if fully set out herein, rules
1200-14-03-.01 through 1200-14-03-.03 inclusive, of the Department of Health
and as they may from time to time be amended, as its rule governing the process
for implementing universal precautions for the prevention of HIV transmission
for health care workers under its jurisdiction.
