The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) is accepting applications for new members to serve on the Roster of Accreditation Evaluators (RAE).
RAE members assist in evaluating the compliance of more than 500 occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs with ACOTE Accreditation Standards through on-site evaluations and online reviews. Their work provides ACOTE with the necessary information to make accreditation decisions and helps to ensure the competency of future occupational therapy practitioners.
ACOTE is the only accrediting body for occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs and is a separate group that includes members representing occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant education and practice, public members, and an academic administrator. The primary role of the RAE is to evaluate educational programs and inform ACOTE. All decisions regarding accreditation of occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant educational programs are made by ACOTE.
To be eligible the applicant must:
- Have at least 5 years of experience as an occupational therapy assistant or occupational therapist
- Be a member of AOTA and in good standing (if not a member, must commit to joining AOTA)
- Not hold concurrent positions on an AOTA policy-making or decision-making body, e.g., Representative Assembly, Board of Directors, or Ethics Commission
- Not hold a position in a credentialing capacity, e.g., National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT), Executive Board member or Certification Examination Item Writer
Duties and Responsibilities
- Successful completion of the Accreditation Evaluator Workshop (expenses reimbursed, held in January)
- Completion of 1-3 on-site accreditation visits per year (expenses are reimbursable). On-site accreditation visits will occur outside of a member’s home state and may include, air travel, extended drives, rental car or ride-share transport, and touring large institutions.
- Additional online reviews as assigned (the amount of time required to complete a review varies based on the type of review, the quality and depth of the report under review, and the expertise of the RAE reviewer)
- Attend routine training to maintain familiarity with accreditation policies, procedures and standards through ongoing educational trainings
- Expeditiously handle all matters pertaining to accreditation
- Abide by the AOTA Code of Ethics
- Preserve the confidentiality of personnel, students, programs, institutions, and ACOTE actions
- Deny any service, whether paid or unpaid, to any institution or program in litigation with ACOTE or actively appealing an ACOTE action
Terms of Service
- 3.5 years
Professional Growth Opportunities
- Continuing education awarded for all program reviews and on-site visits (average 28-35 contact hours per on-site)
- Serve as Team Chairperson for on-site accreditation evaluations (by invitation)
- Serve as a member of ACOTE (by invitation)
Application and Selection Process
- Applications received by July 1 will be reviewed annually in August and notifications will be sent no later than October 31 for the next RAE training (applications received after July 1 will be reviewed the following year)
- Applicants must complete the fillable form and upload a current CV or resume
- The ACOTE Executive Committee, in collaboration with AOTA accreditation staff, will review all eligible applications and submit a final list of applicants to ACOTE for review
- All applicants will be informed of ACOTE’s final decision
Selected RAE members must commit to the time and effort required to fulfill the responsibilities outlined above.
Interested candidates please complete the RAE Application Form
