How certification continuing education works: NBCOT units and ASHA PDHs
NBCOT certificants renew OTR or COTA certification by earning at least 36 units in each three-year cycle. Units can come from NBCOT Navigator competency assessments and from professional development activities on NBCOT’s Renewal Activities Chart. ASHA-certified SLPs earn 30 professional development hours (PDHs) every three years. Those hours must include 1 in ethics and 2 in a second content area, and ASHA states which activities count and which do not. Both are national certification rules. State license CE is a separate requirement set by each board.
Quoted from official pages checked November 10, 2026. Confirm current requirements, fees, and dates on those sites. This page is not legal advice and does not guarantee eligibility, certification, or licensure.
The basics (36 units for NBCOT, 30 PDHs for ASHA, NBCOT’s unit conversions) are on renewal and CE. This page covers what counts.
NBCOT (OTR and COTA)
NBCOT’s Certification Renewal Handbook (PDF, ID 46 rev091126), checked November 10, 2026, states: “Certificants must accrue at least 36 units during their renewal cycle. Units can be obtained through a combination of competency assessment units (CAUs) and/or professional development units (PDUs).” And: “Accepted activity types are listed on the Certification Renewal Activities Chart.”
NBCOT’s Certification Renewal Activities chart (PDF, ID 55 rev120424) has two parts. The first is Competency Assessment Units: “A certificant can earn up to 36 CAU by completing any combination of tools in the NBCOT Navigator®.” The second, Professional Development Activities, is grouped as Professional Service, Workshops/Courses/Independent Learning, and Knowledge Dissemination. Each activity has its own unit value, cap per cycle, and required documents. For example, the chart states: “A certificant can earn a maximum of 12 units from Fieldwork Supervision.” Read the chart for each activity’s value and limit.
On Navigator, the handbook states: “Navigator is a virtual platform housing a web-based assessment delivery engine and certificant dashboard.” And: “Certificants can access Navigator through their MyNBCOT account on www.nbcot.org.”
On audits: “All OTR and COTA certificants who renew their NBCOT certification are subject to a random audit of their compliance with the professional development requirements.” “Certificants should maintain all of their documentation for one full year after renewing their certification in the event that they are audited.” And: “Any certificant who is selected and does not successfully complete the audit will have their certification status changed to Expired.”
For hardship, the handbook says applicants who have experienced exceptional personal or medical circumstances “should contact NBCOT before March 31 of their renewal year.” NBCOT renewal fees are on renewal and CE, quoted from NBCOT, and are not repeated here.
ASHA (CCC-SLP)
ASHA’s Professional Development Hours page, checked November 10, 2026, states: “One PDH is equal to 60 minutes spent completing a professional development activity as a learner and participant.” It says professional development for maintaining or reinstating ASHA certification is an instructional activity that must meet these criteria:
- The certificate holder or reinstatement applicant is the learner.
- The content relates to the science or contemporary practices listed in the Scope of Practice in Audiology or Scope of Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
- Completion of the activity results in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills—or the enhancement of current knowledge and skills—necessary for independent practice.
- The certificate holder's or reinstatement applicant's attendance can be verified and documented by a third party (e.g., employer, educational institution, or sponsoring organization).
On choosing activities, it states: “you don’t need prior approval from ASHA for the activities you choose.” And: “An activity will count based on its date of completion, not the date it was started.” It also states: “If you complete more than 30 PDHs during your current maintenance interval, the additional hours cannot be applied to your next interval.”
ASHA’s professional development requirements page sets two required content areas within the 30 hours: Content Area 1 is “1 PDH in ethics”. Content Area 2 is “2 PDHs in topics that strengthen the ability of ASHA-certified individuals to” provide services that fit individuals’ histories, values, and circumstances, or to build self-reflection and collaboration. It states: “These certification standards changes are effective January 1, 2026.” It also states: “The learner determines if a professional development activity falls within acceptable topic areas and applies to their professional interactions and practice setting.”
Examples ASHA accepts include “Conferences and workshops offered by state audiology, speech-language pathology, or other professional associations” and “College or university course work (associate's, undergraduate, or graduate level), including formal online, non-credit courses”. Examples ASHA says do not count include “Supervising students”, “Mentoring SLP Clinical Fellows”, “daily clinical work”, “Volunteer work”, and “Association membership”. ASHA’s page has the full lists.
On units, it states: “The minimum duration of time accepted for any PDH is 15 minutes; however, PDHs may increase thereafter by 15-minute or quarter-hour intervals.” Its conversion table:
| PDHs for ASHA Certification | ASHA CEUs | Academic Coursework |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 | 0.05 | N/A |
| 1.0 | 0.1 | N/A |
| 1.5 | 0.15 | N/A |
| 10.0 | 1.0 | 1 quarter hour |
| 15.0 | 1.5 | 1 semester hour |
On records: “Hold onto the certificates of completion for each professional development activity you finish, in case of a maintenance audit or a need to reinstate your certification.” ASHA’s maintenance interval page states: “The 3-year certification maintenance interval begins the first January following the date certification was awarded.” ASHA dues and certification fees are not copied here.
Physical therapy
The NPTE is a licensure exam, not a renewable national certification. PT and PTA continuing competence is set by each jurisdiction. ABPTS specialists have their own maintenance process; see how to become a PT specialist.
State license CE is separate
Meeting NBCOT or ASHA requirements does not, by itself, meet a state board’s license-renewal requirements, and the reverse is also true. Each board sets its own hours, topics, and reporting. This page does not list state hours. See CE requirements by state for this site’s OT, PT, and SLP state pages, or use the state and territory directory and read the board’s rules.