By Bill Asenjo, PhD, CRC; Linda Bagby, OTR

Ethics for Occupational Therapists is a new 3-hour online continuing education course that teaches OTs how to handle ethical and moral dilemmas in practice. Ethical and moral issues pervade our lives, especially in the healthcare arena. Occupational therapists are frequently confronted with a variety of ethical and moral dilemmas, and their decisions can have long-range effects both professionally and personally. Why does one decision win out over another? What does the decision process involve? How do these decisions impact those involved? This course will address these questions from the framework of ethical decision models and the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Code of Ethics. Course #31-65 | 2026 | 51 pages | 20 posttest questions | Mobile-Friendly

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Describe two purposes of the AOTA Code of Ethics
• Explain the eight core values and six principles of the Code
• List the six enforceable standards of conduct in the Code
• Identify five ethical considerations in the decision-making process
• Illustrate six steps in the decision-making process for solving ethical dilemmas
• Assess ethically complex scenarios and apply principles to resolve them

CE INFORMATION:

Professional Development Resources is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID #15413. This distance learning-independent course is offered at 0.3 CEUs [introductory level, professional issues]. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Professional Development Resources is also approved by the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 50+ boards).

COURSE DIRECTIONS:

This course is text-based (reading), and the CE test is open-book (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course materials). Successful completion of this course involves passing an online test (80% required, three chances to take) and we ask that you also complete a brief course evaluation. Contact us with any questions – we are here to help!

Ethics for Occupational Therapists

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Bill Asenjo, PhD, CRC, has been a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) and vocational rehabilitation consultant since 1994. He completed his PhD in the University of Iowa’s Rehabilitation Counseling program, and received an MS in health science, specializing in rehabilitation counseling, from the University of Florida. He has provided expert testimony in more than 100 hearings, trials and depositions. As a consultant to attorneys in disability-related cases, his reports have garnered glowing testimonials. An internationally published and award-winning freelance writer with fifteen years of experience, his work appears in numerous print and online publications, ranging from medical encyclopedias and health magazines, to trade publications for attorneys and anthologies like Chicken Soup for the Soul. On the way to his PhD, he received a writing award for his dissertation.

Linda Bagby, OTR, received her degree in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Kentucky University. She has more than 20 years of clinical experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including home health, long-term care and five years of work hardening. Her area of specialization is the geriatric population. During her employment in various nursing homes and rehabilitation treatment centers, she faced a number of ethical situations and challenges. Her ability to successfully cope with and overcome these challenges makes her uniquely qualified to write on this topic.

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Professional Development Resources, a small Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) organized in 1992, is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Professional Development Resources maintains responsibility for all programs and content. Professional Development Resources is also approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA #AAUM); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA #3159); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR Prior Approval Program); the Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling, Board of Psychology, Office of School Psychology, Board of Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, Board of Occupational Therapy, and Dietetics and Nutrition Practice Council; the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0145), State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0135) and marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0100), and the State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW-0664); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists (#193); the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678); and is CE Broker compliant (#50-1635 – completions are reported next business day, currently reporting for 47 boards). Learn more about us.

Target Audience: Psychologists, School Psychologists, Counselors, Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists (MFTs), Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), Occupational Therapists (OTs), Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs), and Teachers

Enjoy 20% off all online continuing education (CE/CEU) courses @pdresources.org! Click here for details.