Assessment of international qualifications

Registration

Assessment of international qualifications

If the Board does not already recognise your international qualification, you will need to apply for us to assess your qualification portfolio. We will assess your qualification(s) against the assessment criteria below to advise you if you are qualified for general registration.

Submit this form to us to have your qualification portfolio assessed:

Portfolio for the assessment of non-approved qualifications – Available soon

Explanation of key terms as used in the assessment criteria:

Diploma supplement: an official document from your education provider that explains your qualification.
Education provider: an institution, such as a college, school or university, that provides education services.
Quality assurance or accreditation: the process of checking a qualification to make sure it meets the required quality standard.
Statutory registration or licensing body: an organisation that is authorised to provide registration or licenses to practice in a profession such as occupational therapy.
Transcript: an official document from your education provider that states the subjects you completed and your results.

Assessment criteria

1.Professional registration	Supporting documentation
1.1 Your qualification was recognised by a statutory registration or licensing body for registration as an occupational therapist in the country, state or province where you obtained the qualification. Where required, you also met any pre-registration assessment or examination requirements set by the regulatory body for the profession.	If you have ever been registered, provide: a clear colour scan of a certified copy of your valid registration/license certificate and/or any pre-registration assessment or examination results. If you are not currently registered, provide: supporting information from the registering authority confirming that your qualification was eligible for registration at the time of study.
OR
1.2 If there is no statutory registration or licensing body, your qualification enabled you to practice as an occupational therapist in the country, state or province where you obtained the qualification.	Provide: your registration with a non-statutory regulatory body or documentation of professional membership in a professional association or if available, documentation showing that your qualification led to professional practice in the country you trained in.
2. Quality assurance and accreditation	Supporting documentation
2.1 When you completed your qualification, it was subject to quality assurance and was recognised or accredited by a body external to the education provider, based on published standards for education in occupational therapy which, at a minimum, included: contemporary approaches to education in occupational therapy evidence-based and contemporary practice in occupational therapy assessed professional practice in occupational therapy within relevant health settings (recommended minimum of 1,000 hours) institutional resources such as staffing and facilities a published process to review programs and providers against the standards which included: an assessment conducted by an individual or team, independent from the education provider, with expertise in education and practice for the occupational therapy profession regular review of the qualification such as annual reporting or cyclic re-accreditation to ensure it continues to meet the standards core topics and competencies required for an approved qualification to ensure safe and ethical practice in occupational therapy.	Provide (if available): practical placement or internship records from your qualification course curriculum including descriptions of learning outcomes and assessment tasks verifiable course syllabus or handbook.
OR
Your qualification was issued by a legally authorised academic institution, and it meets the minimum requirements for safe and ethical practice in Australia including: the nature and substance of the qualification is occupational therapy learning and assessment of any essential content recommended minimum of 1,000 hours of assessed practical experience.	Provide the supporting documents listed for 2.1. No extra supporting documentation is needed.
AND
2.3 When you completed your qualification, it was a World Federation of Occupational Therapy (WFOT) approved education program.	We will check the WFOT website to confirm if your qualification is WFOT approved. You do not need to supply supporting documentation.
3. Academic level	Supporting documentation
3.1 The academic level of your qualification is comparable, at a minimum, to the level of an approved qualification in Australia which is a Bachelor degree – Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 7	Provide: a clear colour scan of certified copies of original documents such as your transcript and/or diploma supplement, award certificate, or equivalent official documents issued by your education provider. If either the transcript/diploma supplement or the award certificate is unavailable, you must provide: a letter from your education provider’s registrar confirming the qualification awarding date, program duration, subjects completed, and credits earned. If you hold multiple profession-relevant qualifications, you must submit documentation for all relevant qualifications.
OR
3.2 The academic level of your qualification is comparable, at a minimum, to one level lower than the minimum level of an approved qualification in Australia which is an: Associate degree – (AQF) level 6 Or Advanced diploma – (AQF) level 6	Provide the supporting documents listed for 3.1. No extra supporting documentation is needed.

The core topics and competencies needed for a qualification to be substantially equivalent, or based on similar competencies, to an approved qualification are:

understanding of diverse communities and inclusive practice
knowledge of relevant and contemporary theory and evidence informed practice
awareness of patient/consumer rights protection and commitment to client choice and control
autonomous management of patient/consumer service provision
collaboration with inter-professional teams, to deliver client-centred care
safe, ethical, lawful and accountable practice in occupational therapy
an approach to occupational therapy process and practice that is client-directed and recognises the relationship between health, wellbeing, and human occupation
open, responsive and appropriate communication to maximise occupational performance and engagement of patients/consumers
implementation of evidence-based occupational therapy interventions that promote participation, function, and well-being
prescription of products and services, such as home modifications, equipment, non-pharmacological therapies and assistive technologies

The essential content required for a qualification to be relevant to the profession are:

knowledge of relevant and contemporary theory and evidence informed practice
awareness of patient/consumer rights protection and commitment to client choice and control
an approach to occupational therapy process and practice that is client-directed and recognises the relationship between health, wellbeing, and human occupation
open, responsive and appropriate communication to maximise occupational performance and engagement of patients/consumers

Assessment outcomes

If you need to have your qualification portfolio assessed, we will assess your qualification(s) against the Board-approved assessment criteria. A qualification portfolio means all your qualifications in occupational therapy. For details about assessment criteria see the Assessment of international qualifications page

The table below summarises the three qualification assessment outcomes.

Criteria 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1	If we assess these criteria as met, your qualification meets the National Board’s requirements to be considered substantially equivalent or based on similar competencies to an approved qualification – section 53(b) of the National Law.
Criteria 1.2, 2.2 and 3.2	If we assess these criteria as met, your qualification meets the National Board’s requirements to be considered relevant to the profession – section 53(c) of the National Law.
Criteria 1.2, 2.2 and/or 3.2	1.2, 2.2 and 3.2 are threshold requirements. These are the minimum criteria that you need to meet. If we assess one or more of these criteria as not met, your qualification is not considered substantially equivalent or based on similar competencies to an approved qualification, nor is it relevant to the profession.

For more information on the assessment outcomes, see the Next steps page.