§ 5-40.1-21 - Supervision.
SECTION 5-40.1-21
§ 5-40.1-21 Supervision. – (a) A licensed occupational therapist shall exercise sound judgment and shallprovide adequate care in the performance of duties. A licensed occupationaltherapist shall be permitted to supervise the following: occupationaltherapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy aides, careextenders, occupational therapy students, and volunteers.
(b) A licensed occupational therapy assistant shall exercisesound judgment and shall provides adequate care in the performance of duties. Alicensed occupational therapy assistant shall be permitted to supervise thefollowing: occupational therapy aides, care extenders, students, and volunteers.
(c) Subject to the requirements of this section, a licensedoccupational therapy assistant may practice limited occupational therapy onlyunder the supervision of a licensed occupational therapist. Supervisionrequires at a minimum that the supervising licensed occupational therapist meetin person with the licensed occupational therapy assistant to provide initialdirection and periodic on-site supervision. The supervising licensedoccupational therapist working with the licensed occupational therapy assistantshall determine the amount and type of supervision necessary in response to theexperience and competence of the licensed occupational therapy assistant andthe complexity of the treatment program. The supervisor and the licensedoccupational therapy assistant shall be jointly responsible for maintainingrecords, including patient records, to document compliance with this regulation.
(d) A licensed occupational therapy assistant:
(1) May not initiate a treatment program until the patienthas been evaluated and the treatment planned by the licensed occupationaltherapist;
(2) May not perform an evaluation, but may assist in the datagathering process and administer specific assessments where clinical competencyhas been demonstrated, under the direction of the licensed occupationaltherapist;
(3) May not analyze or interpret evaluation data;
(4) May participate in the screening process by collectingdata and communicate the information gathered to the licensed occupationaltherapist;
(5) Monitors the need for reassessment and report changes instatus that might warrant reassessment or referral under the supervision of thelicensed occupational therapist; and
(6) Immediately discontinues any treatment procedure, whichappears harmful to the patient and immediately notifies the supervisingoccupational therapist.
(e) An occupational therapy aide shall be a worker trained onthe job. A licensed occupational therapist or licensed occupational therapyassistant using occupational therapy aide personnel to assist with theprovision of occupational therapy services must provide close supervision inorder to protect the health and welfare of the consumer.
(2) The primary function of an occupational therapy aidefunctioning in an occupational therapy setting shall be to perform designatedroutine tasks related to the operation of an occupational therapy service.These tasks may include, but are not limited to, routine departmentmaintenance, transporting patients/clients, preparing or setting up treatmentequipment and work area, assisting patients/clients with their personal needsduring treatment, assisting in the construction of adaptive equipment, andcarrying out a predetermined segment or task in the patient's care.
(f) The licensed occupational therapist or occupationaltherapy assistant shall not delegate to an occupational therapy aide:
(1) Performance of occupational therapy evaluation procedures;
(2) Initiation, planning, adjustment, modification, orperformance of occupational therapy procedures requiring the skills or judgmentof a licensed occupational therapist or licensed occupational therapy assistant;
(3) Making occupational therapy entries directly in patients'or clients' official records; and
(4) Acting on behalf of the occupational therapist in anymatter related to occupational therapy, which requires decision making orprofessional judgment.