Since I got here in Canada, a lot of my friends have been asking about how to apply to for the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam and so I decided to make a detailed post about it. Just a reminder to you guys that this procedure is for World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) accredited schools; however, you are very free to read it if you would like.
BASIC WEBSITES
First and foremost, let's go over the basic websites to access the information you need in your endeavor. I have to say, it took quite some self assertion to tie up the loose strings in this puzzle. Listed below are the websites with a simple description and the basic knowledge you can get from them:
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| The first thing you'll see when you click the link above |
The prime of them all! Everything and anything you need to know about applying starts from here. The steps you must take in applying is detailed there. You can find both the application process for the WFOT accredited and the Non-WFOT in this website. However, you can easily get lost in this website as there are a lot it covers and it is in your discretion to filter what you need to read from what you don't. I spent hours trying to filter those stuff but don't worry, I have a smart advice about browsing the site. So, upon entering "CAOT Central". That blue rectangle up there in the main picture, the site will open up with this:
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| CAOT Central page |
So, what I want you to do is ignore all other tabs aside from the one that has a red arrow pointing to it. Once you have clicked that, the page should look something like this:
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| The IEOT page in the CAOT website |
Okay, this time you must take your time to read and understand just what an IEOT is. From my point of view, the explanation is as plain as day so there is really no need to divulge on its meaning. In the next websites that you will check, the term IEOT will be a standard. At this point however, you must note whether you come from a WFOT accredited school or not because the path you take for application is totally different as IEOTs. So, from there you have two choices to follow. One is to just click the eligibility requirements page I have provided here for both WFOT accredited and Non-WFOT accredited schools or you follow the other path I will provide. For the second path, you must click the National Occupational Therapy Certification Examination (NOTCE) link found on at the bottom of the first division of the site. You will be redirected to this:
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| The NOTCE page from the "Students" tab |
From here, you must click the link that the red arrow is pointing. This page frequently changes so this might not be the one you'll see if you're going to visit the site again in November. However, I believe that the link to the "eligibility requirements" is always there. After clicking the link, you will be redirected to the "International Graduates" page that is also located on the first division of the page. From there, you'll you can easily follow the steps in applying.
This website is specially made for IEOTs like us. It is a great site that simplifies the things you need to go over for your overall transition of practice here in Canada. See that encircled icons below? Those are the things you need to go through and if you get lost during browsing (because the pages will redirect you to other websites), you just need to go back here and click on what you have yet to cover.
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| IEOT Portal main page |
The greatest thing I love about this website is the "Success Stories" page. I really recommend that you take time to watch their videos there. They really give you a glimpse of what to expect in applying and in practicing occupational therapy here in Canada. And of course, they give out really handy tips.
3. Citizenship and Immigration Canada
As you may have read already from the learned from the second website I have listed, it is compulsory to emigrate to Canada. As far as I know, you need to have a permanent resident status or you have papers in process for getting into Canada to apply for the exam. In this website, you'll find it easier to navigate. My tip is to know what type of application you want and then search the tabs located at the upper side of the main page.
Let's put a little depth on what to search so that you won't get lost in the site. If you have at least two (2) years of experience in the occupational therapy field, you can apply for the "Skilled Workers and Professionals". The downside of this is I think you have to have an arranged employment contract. Another important matter that may limit this choice is that the government of Canada is cutting down on getting skilled workers and professionals to migrate. I do not really know why but that is the last I have heard. You might want to go check the website time and again to get updates. My family and I went through the "Provincial Nominee" process. You might want to check that out as well.
Other Important Websites
Aside from those three basic websites, you will need to decide on what PROVINCE to practice in. Deciding on where to practice at this early stage is essential because there are some differences in "registering" for practice per province. Let's say in the Western parts of Canada like The College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia, the language requirement is English. However, in the Eastern parts like in College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario, the better choice of language is French. I believe that there are also provinces that do not allow temporary practice without a license and there are those many who allow it if you are already eligible for the exam. Check out this page to know see the list of provincial regulators.
CONTACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Now that you know the basic information, it is time to contact people. At this point, there are two important people you must contact - the Exam Services Administrator in CAOT and one staff from the provincial registry (the registrar I think). You can also e-mail them in their general mailing address that is exam@caot.ca for CAOT and again, your preferred provincial regulator. For those interested in British Columbia, mail this address info@cotbc.org. They will reply to you in one business day. Yes, that fast.
So, after knowing who to contact, you must learn on how to contact them. Although you are going to contact them, you must do it with finesse. Be sure to address them properly and as how they would like it. For example, when Mr. Ryan Govern, the Exam Services Administrator of CAOT, replies to you and said that you can address him as Ryan, you do so. Otherwise, you will be culturally inappropriate. However, if he does not permit you so, you will remain calling him as Mr. Ryan. Subsequently, you must construct the body of the letter in an organized manner. Ideas and questions expressed clearly will get an answer with the same transparency or at least I believe so. Of course don't forget to introduce yourself before you actually ask a question. Lastly, sign with your whole name and your title. If you need help in articulating yourself in writing, you better start learning now because having that skill gives you an edge. Mr. Ryan McGovern will ask you to construct a cover letter to accompany your application form. And you will also need to construct cover letters when you apply for jobs. Actually, you write cover letters here for almost everything!
Also another option is to call CAOT and the provincial regulator to ask your questions but I think e-mailing is as good. Better perhaps! Because you can browse through it again.
DOCUMENTS NEEDED
For the documents you need, I am pretty sure it is almost everything I got from my school. I ordered a lot of documents! And honestly, I can't remember their descriptions but I'll try hard to list them down. Here is the list:
1. Diploma
2. Transcript of Records
3. Certificate of Internship
4. Course Syllabus (with description)
5. Certification that the school is WFOT accredited
6. Certification of Graduation
7. Certification of Completion (?) - hmmm...I'm not sure about this
8. Other certificates (e.g. academic scholar certificate, dean's lister certificate, etc.) although I don't think this matters much
Okay, so after contacting Mr. Ryan on applying and you have sent the application, you will need to have the documents above reviewed. A year before, you need to pass it to BCIT but now they made it easier. They recruited the World Education Services (WES) to assess the documents. You can also find the WES link in CAOT. The required assessment is the basic document by document credential report. Other documents I have missed in the list may be listed there when you browse through the application.
THE COST
Costs will be tearjerking, I tell you. Once your application is approved, it will cost you an immediate 500 CDN . 200 CDN for your language assessment and 120+ CDN for the credential assessment. Add to that the money you need to get all of the documents you need in your school. One thing you need is a credit card to make payment handy but a cheque would do nicely as well. You just need to make sure it gets to Canada safely. If you intend to use a cheque, please do not, DO NOT send it through ordinary mail. Send it via couriers (if they allow it).
There are a lot of information to digest, I know. And perhaps with all of the meticulous process you need to go through, you will be discouraged. However, I assure you that Canada is a great country to go to. The people are willing to help you as long as you don't give up on them. I suggest giving it a try before letting the idea go. After all, you will only go as far as you think you'll go.
As you may have read already from the learned from the second website I have listed, it is compulsory to emigrate to Canada. As far as I know, you need to have a permanent resident status or you have papers in process for getting into Canada to apply for the exam. In this website, you'll find it easier to navigate. My tip is to know what type of application you want and then search the tabs located at the upper side of the main page.
 |
| See how friendly the site is? You'll know more when you navigate through it |
Let's put a little depth on what to search so that you won't get lost in the site. If you have at least two (2) years of experience in the occupational therapy field, you can apply for the "Skilled Workers and Professionals". The downside of this is I think you have to have an arranged employment contract. Another important matter that may limit this choice is that the government of Canada is cutting down on getting skilled workers and professionals to migrate. I do not really know why but that is the last I have heard. You might want to go check the website time and again to get updates. My family and I went through the "Provincial Nominee" process. You might want to check that out as well.
Other Important Websites
Aside from those three basic websites, you will need to decide on what PROVINCE to practice in. Deciding on where to practice at this early stage is essential because there are some differences in "registering" for practice per province. Let's say in the Western parts of Canada like The College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia, the language requirement is English. However, in the Eastern parts like in College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario, the better choice of language is French. I believe that there are also provinces that do not allow temporary practice without a license and there are those many who allow it if you are already eligible for the exam. Check out this page to know see the list of provincial regulators.
CONTACTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
Now that you know the basic information, it is time to contact people. At this point, there are two important people you must contact - the Exam Services Administrator in CAOT and one staff from the provincial registry (the registrar I think). You can also e-mail them in their general mailing address that is exam@caot.ca for CAOT and again, your preferred provincial regulator. For those interested in British Columbia, mail this address info@cotbc.org. They will reply to you in one business day. Yes, that fast.
So, after knowing who to contact, you must learn on how to contact them. Although you are going to contact them, you must do it with finesse. Be sure to address them properly and as how they would like it. For example, when Mr. Ryan Govern, the Exam Services Administrator of CAOT, replies to you and said that you can address him as Ryan, you do so. Otherwise, you will be culturally inappropriate. However, if he does not permit you so, you will remain calling him as Mr. Ryan. Subsequently, you must construct the body of the letter in an organized manner. Ideas and questions expressed clearly will get an answer with the same transparency or at least I believe so. Of course don't forget to introduce yourself before you actually ask a question. Lastly, sign with your whole name and your title. If you need help in articulating yourself in writing, you better start learning now because having that skill gives you an edge. Mr. Ryan McGovern will ask you to construct a cover letter to accompany your application form. And you will also need to construct cover letters when you apply for jobs. Actually, you write cover letters here for almost everything!
Also another option is to call CAOT and the provincial regulator to ask your questions but I think e-mailing is as good. Better perhaps! Because you can browse through it again.
DOCUMENTS NEEDED
For the documents you need, I am pretty sure it is almost everything I got from my school. I ordered a lot of documents! And honestly, I can't remember their descriptions but I'll try hard to list them down. Here is the list:
1. Diploma
2. Transcript of Records
3. Certificate of Internship
4. Course Syllabus (with description)
5. Certification that the school is WFOT accredited
6. Certification of Graduation
7. Certification of Completion (?) - hmmm...I'm not sure about this
8. Other certificates (e.g. academic scholar certificate, dean's lister certificate, etc.) although I don't think this matters much
Okay, so after contacting Mr. Ryan on applying and you have sent the application, you will need to have the documents above reviewed. A year before, you need to pass it to BCIT but now they made it easier. They recruited the World Education Services (WES) to assess the documents. You can also find the WES link in CAOT. The required assessment is the basic document by document credential report. Other documents I have missed in the list may be listed there when you browse through the application.
THE COST
Costs will be tearjerking, I tell you. Once your application is approved, it will cost you an immediate 500 CDN . 200 CDN for your language assessment and 120+ CDN for the credential assessment. Add to that the money you need to get all of the documents you need in your school. One thing you need is a credit card to make payment handy but a cheque would do nicely as well. You just need to make sure it gets to Canada safely. If you intend to use a cheque, please do not, DO NOT send it through ordinary mail. Send it via couriers (if they allow it).
There are a lot of information to digest, I know. And perhaps with all of the meticulous process you need to go through, you will be discouraged. However, I assure you that Canada is a great country to go to. The people are willing to help you as long as you don't give up on them. I suggest giving it a try before letting the idea go. After all, you will only go as far as you think you'll go.
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