The Best Cheap CEUs for Occupational Therapy

If you’re visiting this article, you’ve likely searched something along the lines of “Cheap CEUs for Occupational Therapy.” With costs growing everywhere these days, we are here to help you find the best cheap (but still high quality) CEUs for your OT practice. These CEU options are applicable for both OTs and COTAs.

You are already aware that maintaining your knowledge with continuing education courses is an essential aspect being a therapist. By keeping up to date with continuing education requirements, state and national boards are able to ensure that their practitioners keep the highest standard of care.

CEUs allow occupational therapy practitioners to brush up on the latest research and trends, learn new treatment approaches, and refresh their understanding of laws and rules.

However, sometimes CEUs can be very expensive and out of budget for many of us. Advanced certification CEUs can cost hundreds of dollars, with some entering the thousands! If that feels out of reach right now, here are several options to get your needed OT CEUs without breaking the bank.

In addition to this article, be sure to check out our companion article of 12 Free OT CEU Options for more continuing education options that will save you money:

While our free options are great, you may need or want more options than what we have listed in that article. So without further ado, here are some of our favorite recommendations for cheap OT CEUs to enhance your practice and maintain your professional requirements.

1. OT Potential

While a Google search of “Cheap OT CEUs” will bring up any number of sites, not all CEU sites are created equal. OT Potential is one of the best online CEU services available, which I can say with confidence as I am a user of OT Potential myself.

For $99/year, an OT Potential subscription included access to over 100 CEU courses as an AOTA-approved continuing education provider. These evidence-based courses cover a variety of topics, with information for all OT settings, from pediatrics to older adults and everything in between. With Occupationaltherapy.com now costing $129/year, OT Potential is now one of the lowest cost OT CEU options currently out there that does not skimp on quality.

Get 15% off of your yearly OT Potential subscription by clicking here and using the OT Potential promo code MYOTSPOT, making this an even better deal at only $85/year. 

OT Potential goes beyond simply providing CEUs, though. The highest price tier of $99 (even without any discount) is still significantly lower than most OT CEU sites, and includes many other benefits. For example, OT Potential also hosts live monthly webinars and the OT Directory. This is a national list of OTs that helps get your name out there and boost your clientele.

OT Potential also offers access to over 180 journal article reviews, documentation examples (I love these), an OT assessment search tool, and much more.

For more information about OT Potential’s CEUs, you can check out our OT Potential Review here.

Note: I am an affiliate for OT Potential and may receive a small commission of purchases at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use and love. 

2. Forums

When looking for affordable CEUs, another great options is to look locally. Local/state OT forums are a great resource for a number of reasons. Many local forums host regular meetings that include low-cost CEUs. Typically, these CEUs may be available to any who are interested, but at a higher rate than members of the local OT association.

In addition to hosting CEUs, these forums are great places to meet other OTs, network, and share techniques that can help regardless of the setting you practice in. Having a support system of other OTs that are in a variety of facilities, treatment settings, and experiences can be invaluable. These groups can also help to share other low-cost CEU opportunities, such as some of the other options mentioned below.

Online forums can also help you find cheap OT CEUs available to you. For example, Facebook and Reddit groups for occupational therapy can have a more global audience, meaning you can find cheap or free CEUs available online that you might not have found otherwise.

Similar to how local forums can keep you up to date on trends in the therapy world locally, being part of a nationwide or even worldwide forum for OT will help you stay informed of emerging trends around the world. You can find some of our favorite OT-related forums here:

Another option for finding affordable CEUs is through online webinars and workshops. Many organizations and universities now offer virtual continuing education options, usually much more cost-effective than their in-person events. These online courses can range from short sessions lasting a few hours to comprehensive multi-day workshops, all designed to accommodate the busy schedule of an occupational therapy practitioner.

Websites such as the AOTA and state OT associations frequently list upcoming webinars that cover relevant topics in occupational therapy. Additionally, many state occupational therapy associations host virtual events at reduced rates for members, making it easier to stay updated on current practices without straining your budget.

3. Local OT Schools

Occupational therapy programs place a high importance on giving back to the community and sharing with others in the field. Because of this, many schools act as a sort of community epicenter for the therapy world. Therapy schools provide a location for many low-cost or free CEUs to be conducted.

Many schools host events, such as CarFit, that benefit the community free of charge. In exchange for serving as part of the program, therapy practitioners are provided continuing education credits. As students work on projects to benefit themselves and the community at large, instructors generally try to facilitate opportunities to benefit the occupational therapy field by “paying forward” programs like this.

In addition to local forums and schools, exploring grants and scholarships can help lighten the cost of CEUs. Many professional organizations and foundations offer funding specifically for continuing education in occupational therapy.

For example, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) provides scholarships for OT practitioners to attend workshops, conferences, and online courses. Applying for these grants not only helps defer costs but also encourages practitioners to further their education and contribute to the field. It’s important to regularly check the websites of these organizations for application deadlines and eligibility criteria, as they regularly are updated.

Another great CEU opportunity is the supervision of local OT or OTA students in fieldwork settings. While this is a limited availability opportunity, OTs that take a student can earn up to 6 CEU hours per biennium by supervising a Level II OT/OTA student. Not only is this a free-of-charge CEU opportunity (and a great learning opportunity for you), it also helps grow the OT community and train our future of OTs.

_____________________

Navigating the world of OT continuing education can feel like a lot, especially when taking into account the financial cost. However, by exploring local forums, educational institutions, and online resources, you can almost always find affordable options to meet your CEU requirements and increase your knowledge base and help to further elevate the field of occupational therapy.

What are your favorite low cost OT CEU options? Please share them in the comments below so we can add them to this article. 

This article was co-written by Sarah Stromsdorfer, OTR/L and Michel Moniger, COTA/L.