Becoming a Certified Hand Therapist (CHT)
The CHT is the specialty credential for occupational and physical therapists who treat the hand and upper extremity. It's awarded by the Hand Therapy Certification Commission (HTCC) and is earned through practice hours and an exam, not a course series.
3 yearslicensed as an OT or PT
4,000 hoursof direct hand therapy practice
HTCC examthen recertify every 5 years
Who qualifies
- You're an occupational therapist or physical therapist with a current license or credential, in good standing.
- Your license was issued at least 3 years before the exam window opens. Time on a temporary license doesn't count.
- You have at least 4,000 hours of direct practice experience in hand therapy, finished by the application deadline. Projected hours aren't accepted.
What counts as practice hours
Hands-on patient care: assessment, treatment planning, splinting and orthoses, modalities and exercise. Administration, research, teaching and consulting don't count, and neither do hours worked as an OTA or PTA. Hours from any point in your career and any country count.
Where courses fit
Courses don't count toward the 4,000 hours, but in-person hand and upper extremity courses build the skills the exam covers, and they count as CE for your license renewal. OTs and PTs both take them.
From the HTCC's eligibility requirements, checked October 24, 2026. Confirm the current rules, exam dates and fees with the HTCC before you apply.
Upcoming hand and upper extremity courses
October 2026
- Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25, 2026 · 2 days Management of Upper Extremity Disorders - Weekend Intensive Price on provider site · Baltimore (Nottingham), MD Details and registration
- Sat–Sun, Oct 24–25, 2026 · 2 days Systematic Evaluation and Treatment of the Elbow $679 · 15.25 contact hrs · Minneapolis, MN Details and registration
- Sat–Sun, Oct 31 – Nov 1, 2026 · 2 days Systematic Evaluation and Treatment of the Wrist I $679 · 15.25 contact hrs · Oak Lawn, IL Details and registration
November 2026
- Sat–Mon, Nov 7–9, 2026 · 3 days FMUE: Functional Mobilization Upper Extremities Price on provider site · 21 contact hrs · Bellevue, WA Details and registration
- Sat, Nov 7, 2026 Upper Extremity Nerve Injuries, Entrapments, and Flossing Interventions $170 · 3 contact hrs · Memphis, TN Details and registration
- Thu, Nov 12, 2026 Treating the Patient with Orthostatic Hypotension Price on provider site · Kansas City, KS Listed as approved by APTA Kansas. Check approval for your state with the provider. Details and registration
- Sat, Nov 14, 2026 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Dallas, TX Details and registration
- Fri, Nov 20, 2026 Upper Extremity Level 1 Price on provider site · Philadelphia, PA Listed as approved by APTA Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin; West Virginia Board of PT. Check approval for your state with the provider. Details and registration
December 2026
- Sat, Dec 5, 2026 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Portland, OR Details and registration
- Sat, Dec 12, 2026 Upper Extremity Nerve Injuries, Entrapments, and Flossing Interventions $170 · 3 contact hrs · Burbank, CA Details and registration
January 2027
- Fri, Jan 15, 2027 Neurodynamics: Examination and Intervention Skills for the Upper Extremity $170 · 3 contact hrs · Weehawken, NJ Details and registration
- Sun, Jan 24, 2027 Upper Extremity Nerve Injuries, Entrapments, and Flossing Interventions $170 · 3 contact hrs · Marietta, GA Details and registration
- Fri, Jan 29, 2027 Posture and Core Strengthening: NDT Handling and Kinesiology Taping Techniques for Early Intervention $300 · 6 contact hrs · Raleigh, NC Details and registration
- Sat, Jan 30, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Los Gatos, CA Details and registration
February 2027
- Sun, Feb 14, 2027 Upper Extremity Nerve Injuries, Entrapments, and Flossing Interventions $170 · 3 contact hrs · Savannah, GA Details and registration
- Sat–Sun, Feb 20–21, 2027 · 2 days Systematic Evaluation and Treatment of the Hand $679 · 15 contact hrs · Fort Smith, AR Details and registration
- Fri–Sun, Feb 26–28, 2027 · 3 days Dry Needling for Upper Extremity (SFDN-UE) $1,295 · 25 contact hrs · Fairview, TX Details and registration
- Sat, Feb 27, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Blauvelt, NY Details and registration
March 2027
- Fri–Sun, Mar 5–7, 2027 · 3 days Upper Extremity Dry Needling $1,000 · Tupelo, MS Details and registration
April 2027
- Sat–Sun, Apr 3–4, 2027 · 2 days Systematic Evaluation and Treatment of the Wrist II $679 · 15.25 contact hrs · Appleton, WI Details and registration
- Sat–Sun, Apr 17–18, 2027 · 2 days Management of Upper Extremity Disorders - Weekend Intensive Price on provider site · San Antonio, TX Details and registration
- Sat–Sun, Apr 17–18, 2027 · 2 days Management of Upper Extremity Disorders - Weekend Intensive Price on provider site · Denver / Boulder (Louisville), CO Details and registration
- Sat, Apr 17, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Mechanicsburg, PA Details and registration
- Sat, Apr 17, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Bellingham, WA Details and registration
- Sat, Apr 24, 2027 Optimizing Upper Extremity Exercise Interventions: A Practical Approach $350 · 8 contact hrs · Boise, ID Details and registration
May 2027
- Sat, May 1, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · Seattle, WA Details and registration
August 2027
- Sat, Aug 7, 2027 Optimizing Upper Extremity Exercise Interventions: A Practical Approach $350 · 8 contact hrs · Lincoln, NE Details and registration
- Sat, Aug 21, 2027 C-436 The Distal Upper Extremity for OT's Price on provider site · Dallas, TX Details and registration
September 2027
- Sat, Sep 18, 2027 COMT-4: Upper Extremity Price on provider site · New York, NY Details and registration
October 2027
- Sat–Sun, Oct 16–17, 2027 · 2 days Management of Upper Extremity Disorders - Weekend Intensive Price on provider site · Vineland, NJ Details and registration
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