FAQs

To become an individual member of the WFOT you must first be a member of a professional occupational therapy association that is a Member Organisation of the WFOT (List of WFOT Member Organisations). In some associations, members are also WFOT Individual members automatically. In others, members need to specifically purchase WFOT Individual Membership through their association.

Please visit the List of WFOT Member Organisations to check if you are a WFOT Individual Member automatically through your association or whether you need to purchase WFOT Individual Membership separately through your association. Unless the information regarding your association specifically states ‘WFOT individual member is included in the association’s subscription’, it is necessary for you to contact the organisation to purchase your membership.

If your country/territory does not have a national occupational therapy association or the national occupational therapy association is not a WFOT Member Organisation, you should explore whether it is possible to join another WFOT member organisation as an international member.

WFOT Individual Members can download their Individual Membership Certificates by following the instructions provided here. WFOT Individual Membership Certificates provide evidence of your membership and contribution to WFOT and the international occupational therapy community.

The use of the WFOT logo is restricted to official WFOT business and communications and cannot be used by individuals or groups. Refer to the Policy on the Use of the WFOT Logo for further details. As an alternative, you can use your membership certificate or the World Occupational Therapy Day logo to promote your WFOT Individual Membership and support to WFOT.

WFOT welcomes occupational therapy organisations that wish to join the Federation as Member Organisations.

Three categories of organisational membership are offered by WFOT. It is necessary to closely review the categories to determine the most appropriate type of membership for your organisation.

Full Membership- National Occupational Therapy Associations that have a constitution which meets the membership requirements of the WFOT in addition to having one or more WFOT Approved Education Programmes. Full Member Organisations have voting rights.

Associate Membership - National Occupational Therapy Associations that have a constitution which meets the membership requirements of the WFOT but no WFOT Approved Education Programmes. Associate Member Organisations have no voting rights.

Regional Membership - Regional occupational therapy associations that have articles of association which are congruent with the WFOT’s, a regional structure approved by WFOT and comprise the geopolitical regions of the United Nations.

Interested associations are advised to contact WFOT. Once an association’s constitution has been reviewed and found to meet the WFOT membership requirements, the WFOT General Assembly will vote on the acceptance of the association as a WFOT Member Organisation.

For more information about applying for WFOT Organisational Membership please visit this page.

WFOT can support with the advancement of occupational therapy for organisations wishing to establish membership in the Federation. Please refer to this page for more information: WFOT Resources and Assistance to Establish Organisational Membership.

The WFOT Human Resources Project reports located in the Resources of the WFOT website provide information from WFOT Member Organisations including the number of occupational therapists per 10,000 head of population and services where occupational therapy is provided.

WFOT receives many enquiries about the resources it provides regarding the education, research and international promotion of occupational therapy. WFOT is a voluntary organisation with limited paid resources, therefore personal requests to respond to individual research/questionnaires cannot be accommodated.

We recommend browsing the Our Work area of the WFOT website for information and resources that may be of assistance to you.

Job opportunities (when available) are posted on the WFOT Classifieds. Volunteering opportunities with NGOs are posted in News, and the WFOT Facebook and X official pages.

The official date for the “World Occupational Therapy Day” is 27 October each year. Celebrations can be organised on or around this date. WFOT realises, however, that some countries/territories have already established occupational therapy day, week or month at other times in the year and encourages them to use the WFOT information whenever they chose to celebrate their event.

Information and a wide range of resources (free download) for each World Occupational Therapy Day is available prior to 27 October annually.

For more information please visit our dedicated World Occupational Therapy Day page.

The “Occupational Therapy International Online Network” (OTION) is a dedicated interactive forum that enables occupational therapists, assistants and students from across the world to network, share ideas and communicate with the profession as a whole. OTION is a free resource that requires a simple registration process. We urge everyone to register and share their ideas and feedback. A number of forums have been established within the OTION platform:

• Education
• Practice
• Research
• Students
• Working in another country
• Studying in another country
• Congress

The ‘Chronicles of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (Parts I – IV) are available to download from the Resources. The WFOT Archival Collection is available at the Wellcome Library, London, UK. Go to http://archives.wellcome.ac.uk and enter ‘SA/WFO’ in the Reference search box.

WFOT Approved Education Programmes meet the WFOT Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists, for entry-level only into the occupational therapy profession.

WFOT Approved Education Programmes are subject to an international quality assurance process that includes international review, oversight and monitoring to promote the consistency and quality of occupational therapy entry–level programmes.

There are over 1100 WFOT approved occupational therapy entry-level education programmes available in WFOT Member Organisation countries/territories. They can be at diploma; baccalaureate; bachelors; masters; or doctoral level.

Other post graduate courses are the responsibility of the education institution, and/or the professional organisation, and WFOT has no mechanism or standards to evaluate the programmes or approve them nor determine international portability.

Please note that WFOT approves courses – it does not accredit courses. Although WFOT establishes Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists, each country has the right and responsibility to establish eligibility criteria that meet both the WFOT standards and the regulations and needs of their own jurisdiction. The Delegates from each Member Organisation can assist you with this information.

International Fieldwork placements are not managed by WFOT. We recommend that you contact the relevant WFOT member organisation in the country of interest, who may be able to assist you with your placement and ensure local professional requirements are met. The ‘WFOT Student Guide for International Practice Placements’ provides valuable information for students considering an international placement. More information about working in another country can be found in the document 'WFOT Occupational Therapy International Practice Guide'.

WFOT advocates that occupational therapy is a protected title and to practice as an occupational therapist you need to complete a WFOT approved education programme in occupational therapy.

Since 1958, WFOT has established the Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists, which set the standard for entry-level occupational therapy education internationally. The Minimum Standards respect the international and local context of occupational therapy to ensure the quality of education programmes across the world. The current version of the Minimum Standards is the 2016 version.

Occupational therapy entry-level education programmes can apply for WFOT approval to:

• WFOT (if other approved education programmes do not exist in the same country)
• The Member Organisation of their country (if other WFOT approved programmes exist in the country).

More information about WFOT approval process can be found at: WFOT approval for entry-level occupational therapy education programmes.

WFOT provides information and advice for the establishment of new education programmes for occupational therapists. Please refer to this page for more information: Development of a New Occupational Therapy Entry-level Education Programme.

WFOT does not provide this insurance coverage. We suggest that students planning an international practice placement consider:

• Does your University provide insurance coverage for international practice placements?

• You may need to discuss with your National Occupational Therapy Association insurance provider – can they offer the coverage required?

• Or you may need to source an independent quote.
For further advice on international practice placements, refer to the ‘WFOT Student Guide for International Practice Placements.’

The WFOT Position statements present the official stance of WFOT on a substantive issue or subject, and inform practice, research, and other issues.

The WFOT Minimum Standards for the Education of Occupational Therapists 2016 provides important information regarding the expected competencies of entry-level occupational therapists and requirements for education programmes for approval by WFOT.

The Guiding Principles for Ethical Occupational Therapy outlines the ethical principles, values, and beliefs of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists and serves as a guide to Member Organisations for development of ethical codes relevant to the local context.

Occupational therapists can work in another country if they meet the

entry level practice requirements of the country in which they are seeking employment. Contact the relevant WFOT Member Organisation(s) and/or their WFOT Delegate.

The requirements of each member organisation can be found in the document 'WFOT Occupational Therapy International Practice Guide'.

Online discussions, including working in another country, are available via the WFOT Occupational Therapy International Online Network (OTION).

WFOT is not a regulatory body and does not have any direct influence or information regarding mechanisms such as licensure in individual countries. WFOT provides information/resources which may assist you:

• Information on WFOT Member Organisations

Documents:

• WFOT Occupational Therapy International Practice Guide
• Occupational Therapy Human Resources Project 2022 – Alphabetical
• Occupational Therapy Human Resources Project 2022 – Numerical

The WFOT website and social media services post opportunities (when available) for volunteering or working with organisations in low resource countries.

• WFOT website: Classifieds
• List of International Non-Government Organisations
• WFOT Facebook
• WFOT X (Twitter)

You may also wish to view the website of the WFOT Member Organisations of your choice.

There are also many searchable Non-Governmental/voluntary organisations websites for you to explore on the internet.

WFOT is a not-for-profit organisation and relies on its membership and donations to fund its activities. WFOT offers two funding opportunities:

• WFOT Thelma Cardwell Foundation Award for Research, to encourage research into developing areas of occupational therapy. This Award is available to occupational therapists conducting research in any area of occupational therapy and who are Individual Members of WFOT. Subscribe to the WFOT E-news to stay up to date with application openings.
• WFOT Congress Grants are available to support attendance at WFOT Congress. Grants are limited and have specific application criteria. Subscribe to the WFOT Congress newsletter to stay up to date with application openings.