Welcome to guest blog and OT copy writing extraordinaire Krista Frahm!
As you know, CEUs (or PDUs) are a necessary part of maintaining your professional license and registration.
Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) have a multitude of options when it comes to where to purchase online continuing education courses. Before we even graduate, we tend to start getting flyers in our mailboxes asking us to purchase more education, right? At least we have options, and it’s a good idea to investigate these options before you spend your CE dollars.
Purchasing CEUs created by fellow OTPs and sold by OTP-owned companies not only benefits your professional growth but it also strengthens our entire profession.
Keep reading to learn:
- Why the quality of CEUs significantly impacts both practitioners and their clients.
- The specific advantages of opting for OTP-created CEUs.
- How supporting OTP-owned businesses with your CE dollars can elevate the occupational therapy profession.
By choosing wisely where to allocate your CE budget, you support the broader community and ensure your own continuing education is deeply relevant and impactful.
Do you remember any courses from school that felt like a waste of time?
Maybe you already knew the information, it was presented in a confusing way, or you simply weren’t interested in the topic and struggled to stay focused.
It’s no fun to sit through classes that aren’t impactful. The good news is, as a professional, you get to choose what you learn about and who provides the courses. (Some are mandatory, we know, but overall you have a lot more control now!)
The quality of online CEUs significantly impacts your ability to learn, assimilate, and apply this information to your practice. When you grasp the concepts, you’re better able to serve your clients, even when they have complex medical histories or comorbidities.
You also want to choose courses that match your level of understanding on the topic. Start with introductory courses, but don’t stay there.
Advanced, online CEUs ensure that OTPs are keeping up with best practices and building skills over time.
In occupational therapy, adherence to best practices and staying current with research and language trends is not optional—it’s a requirement for effective practice. As treatments evolve and new research comes to light, continuing education that integrates these advancements is essential.
High-quality, online CEU courses for occupational therapy practitioners are updated as new evidence comes out. Don’t stunt your professional growth by attempting to find the cheapest CEUs or only free CEUs when what you really need is high-quality (yet still affordable) online CEUs.
When it comes to continuing education, online courses created by OTPs offer distinct advantages that can significantly enhance your professional growth and practice.
OTP-created CEUs are designed with the day-to-day realities of occupational therapy in mind. They address common challenges and provide practical solutions that you can immediately apply in your work. You’ll also learn from real case-studies and examples that will be 100% relevant, because they’re OT examples and experiences. Nobody knows OT like another OTP.
Learning from fellow practitioners who understand your field deeply fosters a more engaging and relatable educational experience. Peer-to-peer learning enhances knowledge retention and allows for the exchange of valuable insights and experiences. If you’re attending a live, online CEU course you’ll often have the ability to interact and ask questions as well.
OTP-created CEUs are updated to reflect the latest research and best practices that pertain to the field of occupational therapy. This helps you provide the best possible care to your clients
By participating in OTP-created courses, you tap into a network of professionals who share your dedication to the field. These connections can lead to collaborations, mentorship opportunities, and a stronger professional community.
Courses created by OTPs are specifically designed to align with the most recent version of The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. This means the content is highly relevant and tailored to the unique needs and standards of our profession. You don’t have to wonder, “Is this in my scope of practice?”
Not only does purchasing courses that are created by other OTPs support your clinical knowledge and our profession… purchasing courses from therapist-owned companies keeps more money in our profession and advancing our profession.
When it comes to choosing where to spend your CE budget, whether it comes from your own pocket or your company's, it's essential to consider the impact of your investment. Supporting CEUs created by OTPs offers several unique benefits.
By choosing to spend your CE dollars on OTP-owned businesses, you are directly contributing to the elevation and recognition of the occupational therapy profession. Supporting OTP-owned businesses empowers other occupational therapists to contribute to research, create valuable resources, and become leaders in the field. This not only benefits you as a practitioner but also strengthens the entire occupational therapy community.
Choosing CEUs from OTPs means aligning your spending with your professional values. (This is, if you value supporting your profession. If not, disregard this section.) These courses are often created with a deep understanding of the ethical and practical aspects of occupational therapy, ensuring that the content is not only relevant but also delivered with integrity.
When you support OTP-owned businesses, you’re acknowledging the unique contributions that the field of occupational therapy provides to the greater medical field. These businesses also often reinvest in the occupational therapy community, supporting initiatives that promote research, education, and advocacy.
We are not PTs, we are not SLPs, we are OTPs. 💪
Aspire OT is owned and operated by an occupational therapist and an occupational therapy assistant. They still work in clinical settings and are "in the trenches" just like the professionals who take the courses available on their website. Their goal isn't to make as much money off of OTPs as possible; it's to elevate the OT profession and provide OTP-created courses for OTPs.
OTP-created courses
Ethics and values aligned content and structure
Online, on-demand courses available
Courses that fulfill requirements for live CEUs from the comfort of your home or office
OTPs who understand the dynamic practice and field of OT and are responsive to it
Examples and explanations that make sense for you because they come straight from other OTPs
Many other online CEU companies cater to occupational therapy practitioners, but aren’t owned by OTPs. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this, but if we can support each other’s businesses with our hard-earned money, we’ll slowly but surely make an impact on the bottom-line for OTPs everywhere.
When you support OTP-owned businesses with your CE money, you’re benefiting from the investment and investing in our profession.
Aspire OT is an OTP-owned and woman-owned business. They are professionals just like you who are committed to elevating the OT profession and highlighting our unique contributions to the rehabilitation field.
Their courses are extremely affordable, and the annual membership price is unbeatable.
