(a) An occupational therapy assistant may practice occupational therapy only under the supervision of, and in partnership with, an occupational therapist who is licensed to practice occupational therapy in the State. The occupational therapist shall be responsible for occupational therapy evaluation, appropriate reassessment, treatment planning, interventions, and discharge from occupational therapy based on standard professional guidelines. The supervising occupational therapist and the supervised occupational therapy assistant shall have legal and ethical responsibility for ongoing management of supervision, including providing, requesting, giving, or obtaining supervision.
Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 457G-2.7
Occupational therapist: means a person who engages in the practice of occupational therapy in this State. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 457G-1
Occupational therapy assistant: means a person who engages in the practice of occupational therapy under the supervision of and in partnership with an occupational therapist. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 457G-1
Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
(b) The supervising occupational therapist shall:
(1) Determine the frequency, level, and nature of supervision with input from the occupational therapy assistant; and(2) Base the supervision determination on a variety of factors, including the clients’ required level of care, treatment plan, and experience and pertinent skills of the occupational therapy assistant.(c) The supervising occupational therapist shall supervise the occupational therapy assistant to ensure that the occupational therapy assistant:
(1) Does not initiate or alter a treatment program without prior evaluation by and approval of the supervising occupational therapist;(2) Obtains prior approval of the supervising occupational therapist before making adjustments to a specific treatment procedure; and(3) Does not interpret data beyond the scope of the occupational therapy assistant’s education and training.
