Continuing education and maintaining professional competence.

The credentials of new graduates in occupational therapy are determined by the degrees earned, the completion of fieldwork education, and the result of a national certification examination. Professional competence beyond graduation or after entry into the field is not formally or routinely assessed. Maintaining professional competence is a continual process, which combines cognitive knowledge, skill, judgment, and experience. "Competence is a quality that defines ability" (Sivarajan et ai, 1984, p. 603) New graduates entering the profession have succeeded in gaining cognitive knowledge, but it is uncertain whether they will be able to translate that cognitive knowledge into skill performance or apply it to the appropriate clinical problem. As a result of pressure from third-party payers and consumers for accountability, health care professionals have shown increased interest in developing a way to identify incompetence and evaluate competence. During the 10 years from 1971 to 1981 the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) has made several attempts to develop a competency testing plan (Jones & Kirkland, 1984; "Reports," 1985, wintel/spring); but a definitive one cou Id not be developed. The follOWing questions needed to be answered: Who should be responsible for monitoring continuing competence' What is an objective and fair way to measure competence' Responses to the questionnaires of an accountability study (conducted in response to Resolution 30021) repeatedly reflected the therapists' concerns about these unanswered questions. All plans proposed during this period were reValnere P. McLean