Conditional Licences and Provisional Title

NSOTR has two Registers and two types of Licence: Practising and Conditional. Most registrants hold a Practising licence.

Conditional registrants have a condition or restriction on their licence for one of these reasons:

• they have not met a registration and licensure requirement;
• as a result of a professional conduct process; or
• as a result of another regulatory process.

Conditional Licensure for New Graduates

New Graduates are often unable to meet two of the Registration and Licensure requirements:

• Proof of Academic Qualification (i.e. an official transcript)
• Completion of the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam (NOTCE)

Applicants can be licensed with a Conditional licence before they meet these requirements, under certain conditions.

Proof of Academic Qualification

If a Canadian-educated applicant has not yet convocated and cannot provide an official transcript that shows conferral of their occupational therapy degree, they are only eligible for a Conditional licence.

Required Document:

• A letter from the entry-to-practice occupational therapy university program confirming that the applicant has met all requirements for graduation.

The conditional registrant must arrange for their institution to send an official transcript to the Regulator within 30 days after convocation. Once NSOTR receives the official transcript, the registrant will receive a Practising Licence if they meet all other requirements.

National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination

An applicant who has not yet completed the NOTCE may be eligible for a Conditional licence until they successfully pass the NOTCE.

A registrant who has not yet passed the NOTCE will have the following conditions on their licence:

• they must practice under supervision of a licensed occupational therapist
• they may only use the following titles:
  • Provisional OT
  • Provisional Occupational Therapist
• they must write the NOTCE at the first opportunity, unless extenuating circumstances apply

Required Document:

• Proof of registration to sit the next NOTCE exam (an exam receipt from CAOT is acceptable proof of registration)

Supervision:

If you want to practice before you complete the NOTCE, you must be supervised in an employment relationship.

An applicant who has not completed the NOTCE but wishes to practice under supervision must provide NSOTR with a Supervision Agreement and, if necessary, a Supervisory Plan. It is the applicant’s responsibility to locate a position and supervisor. Supervised occupational therapists cannot practice as independent contractors or in a self-employment arrangement.

More information on Supervised Practice can be found in our Guide to Supervised Practice.

After Completion of the NOTCE:

Although CAOT shares exam results with NSOTR, the conditional registrant must still submit a copy of their NOTCE exam certificate to NSOTR to show they have passed the NOTCE. Once NSOTR receives the exam certificate, the registrant will receive a Practising Licence if they meet all other requirements.

Failing the NOTCE:

• NSOTR’s Registration Policies allow no more than 3 attempts to pass the NOTCE
• If you fail on your first attempt, the Registrar may extend your conditional licence, but:
  • you must sign a new supervision agreement AND
  • be supervised at a higher level (“Level 2 Supervision”)
• If you fail on your second attempt, you must get approval from the Registration and Licensing Committee to continue practicing under supervision.

Important Reminder:

You may not begin working (including participating in orientation or training at the workplace) as an OT until you are licensed with NSOTR and have received written confirmation that you can begin supervised practice and a licence number.