Using your credentials after your name: OTR, COTA, PT, DPT, PTA, CCC-SLP, and C-SLPA
Each credential belongs to the body that grants it, and each sets its own rules for using it. NBCOT says only people whose certification is active and in good standing may use the OTR or COTA marks. APTA lists PT or PTA first, then the highest physical therapy-related degree. ASHA lists the correct formats as CCC-A, CCC-SLP, C-AA, and C-SLPA, and says assistants whose certification is Not Current cannot use the designation. State license designations are set by each state and are not covered here.
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.
Sources read on November 10, 2026: NBCOT’s Voice a Concern page, Certification Renewal Handbook, what-is-an-OTR-or-COTA page, and Terms and Conditions; APTA’s Appropriate Use of Designations page and its position “Consumer Protection Through Licensure of Physical Therapists and Physical Therapist Assistants” (HOD P07-25-59-04); and ASHA’s logo pages, SLPA application page, assistants certification policies, and SLP certification FAQ.
OTR and COTA (NBCOT)
NBCOT’s Voice a Concern page states: “The OTR® and COTA® credentials are U.S. government registered trademarks assigned to NBCOT. In order for an individual to identify themselves to the public using the OTR® or COTA® certification marks, their certification status with NBCOT must be active and in good standing.”
NBCOT’s Certification Renewal Handbook describes three statuses:
- Active in Good Standing: “These individuals can identify themselves to the public as an OTR or COTA. These individuals can use the OTR or COTA credential after their name.”
- Retired in Good Standing: “Once the request has been processed, retired certificants can identify themselves to the public as an OTR, Retired or COTA, Retired.”
- Expired: individuals who miss the renewal requirements “are Expired and CANNOT 1) identify themselves to the public as an OTR or COTA or 2) use the OTR or COTA credential after their name.”
NBCOT’s What is an OTR or a COTA professional page states: “Only those who maintain an Active in Good Standing status with NBCOT can use the OTR or COTA credential.” It also states: “OTR and COTA professionals are also state-licensed professionals.” NBCOT’s Terms and Conditions state: “Use of any NBCOT logo or other NBCOT trademark without prior written permission from NBCOT is strictly prohibited.” The NBCOT pages read for this site do not set an order for combining OTR or COTA with a state license designation; ask your state board.
PT, DPT, and PTA (APTA)
APTA’s Appropriate Use of Designations page states: “Note that only the first designation of either PT or PTA is mandatory. All others are optional, but if you choose to include them they must be according to the requirements of the APTA position.” It lists five categories in order. The first is “PT or PTA”. The second is the “Highest-earned physical therapy-related degree”. The third is “Designation(s) issued by government entities for regulated occupations other than physical therapy”. The fourth is “Other earned academic degree(s) from an accredited college or university degree program”. The optional fifth is “ABPTS Certifications in alphabetical order and/or Fellow of APTA”. It adds: “If someone lacks a designation in any category or chooses not to include it as an abbreviation after their name, the next designation, if any, moves up a space. The order remains the same.”
APTA’s position Consumer Protection Through Licensure (PDF) gives the first item as “PT or DPT, PTA (the regulatory designation)”. It states that APTA supports DPT as the regulatory designation “where authorized by the practice act and/or regulatory authority of the jurisdiction”, and that in those cases the additional use of PT “is not required”. The web page’s first category reads “PT or PTA”. Both are quoted here and not reconciled. The web page’s examples include both “Tamica Dallas, PT, DPT” and “Tamica Dallas, DPT”.
The position also states: “Only physical therapists may use or include the initials ‘PT’ or ‘DPT,’ and only physical therapist assistants may use or include the initials ‘PTA’ in their professional, technical, or regulatory designation.” For students, it says APTA supports the designations SPT and SPTA “for physical therapist students and physical therapist assistant students, respectively, up to the time of graduation.” It continues: “Following graduation and prior to licensure or certification, graduates should be designated in accordance with state law.”
For board-certified specialists, the web page states that “ABPTS board-certified clinical specialists are encouraged to” spell out the name of the credential whenever space allows. See specialties.
CCC-SLP and C-SLPA (ASHA)
ASHA’s certified member logo page states: “ASHA also encourages members to indicate their area of certification after their name. The correct formats are: CCC-A and CCC-SLP.” Its certified assistant logo page states: “The correct formats are: CCC-A, CCC-SLP, C-AA, and C-SLPA.” Both say the logo “must always be printed in black” when used to indicate certification.
ASHA’s SLP certification FAQ states that until you receive notification from the National Office that certification has been awarded, “you may not present yourself as holding the CCC-SLP”. ASHA’s SLPA application page states, once the C-SLPA is awarded: “You may now use C-SLPA after your signature and take advantage of all the benefits of assistants certification.”
ASHA’s assistants certification policies page states that while certification is Not Current, “assistants cannot use the C-AA or C-SLPA designation”. It also says their status is listed publicly as “C-SLPA Not Current” to anyone requesting ASHA certification verification.
Checking a credential
To confirm a credential, use the official verification tools on how to verify a certification. Passing an exam and holding a certification are separate from a state license; see certification vs licensure.
What this page does not do
It does not state any state’s license designation or title rules, it does not set an order for combining credentials from different organizations, and it copies no fees. Ask your state board how to show your license.