Recreational therapy
is a recognized human service profession that utilizes recreation
involvement as a means to psychological and physical health,
recovery, and well-being. Recreational therapy has been a recognized
form of health care and human service provision for over four
decades. The Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO) defines a Recreational Therapist, Qualified
in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (1995):
Recreational Therapist,
qualified. An individual who, at a minimum, is a graduate
of a baccalaureate degree program in recreational therapy
accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation body;
is currently a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
(CTRS) by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation
Certification (NCTRC); meets any current legal requirement
of licensure, registration, or certification; or has the
documented equivalent in education, training and experience
and is currently competent in the field.
In order to obtain CTRS certification, candidates must first
meet minimum educational and experiential requirements and
then pass a computer-based examination. The examination is
administered by an independent, experienced, national testing
service. CTRSs are also required to become recertified every
five years. CTRSs become recertified by accumulating a combination
of work experience, continuing education, and/or retesting.
The NCTRC recertification program was established to ensure
the continued and current competence of therapeutic recreation
specialists.
As a professional, a recreation therapist needs to demonstrate
to the public (employers and consumers) that s/he has the
knowledge, skill and ability to provide therapeutic recreation
services. NCTRC was awarded federal trademark of the title
"Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist" and
the mark "CTRS" by the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO). The ability to protect the consumer
is strengthened with USPTO trademark registration. The trademark
registration provides significant legal protection against
unauthorized users of NCTRC's marks. Only those individuals
who meet and maintain adherence to NCTRC certification program
standards are allowed to use the title Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialist and the designation: "CTRS".
The CTRS credential is viewed as a strong and viable credential
in healthcare today. The CTRS credential has been developed
and accredited by nationally accepted standards for certifying
agencies. The following specific criteria have established
the CTRS as an accepted and viable healthcare credential:
- NCTRC certification standards are based on the knowledge
and skill necessary for competent practice in the delivery
of recreational therapy services as verified by national
research on the Job Analysis.
- Every CTRS has passed a national certification exam which
has established norms for both validity and reliability.
- Every CTRS completes recertification designed to measure
continued competence to hold the credential.
- Every CTRS complies with NCTRC disciplinary code to retain
the credential. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation
Certification has been the main focal point for addressing
the disciplinary codes for the profession of recreational
therapy.
Significant strides have been made in refining the Certified
Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential by adding
standardized testing, standards for professional conduct and
continued professional competence. There has also been an
increased emphasis on education of the public regarding meaning
and value of the credential for assuring minimum competence
and quality in the delivery of therapeutic recreation services.
Overall, the value of the CTRS credential has increased significantly
during the past decade.
NCTRC fulfills its mission of protecting the consumer of therapeutic
recreation services through three important functions. First,
NCTRC standards are based on current knowledge and skills
necessary for competent practice and continued competence
in therapeutic recreation. Second, NCTRC evaluates individual
qualifications for certification and recertification through
a comprehensive system of review, verification, and standardized
national testing to assure that each individual awarded the
CTRS has in fact, met the qualifications to hold the credential.
Third, NCTRC monitors adherence to standards to assure that
cases involving potential harm to public health and safety
are investigated fully and that appropriate sanctions of reprimand,
suspension and/or revocation are instituted as needed. NCTRC
standards include education, experience, continuing professional
development, and adherence to principles of appropriate professional
conduct. To assure that NCTRC meets its mission of protecting
the consumer, each CTRS continues to maintain competence for
recreational therapy practice. The CTRS credential is the
designation used to inform the public and consumer of health
care services of the existence of this competence in recreational
therapy. In fact, it is the only national certification designed
to protect the consumer of recreational therapy services.
There are certain measures an employer can take to verify
whether an
employee or candidate for employment is certified by NCTRC
as a CTRS. Upon the award of certification and renewal of
certification, each CTRS receives a certificate
and a card. Both of these official documents contain the certificant's
name, certification level, certification expiration date and
certification number. The certification number is a
five-digit ID number issued by NCTRC.
In the realm of professional conduct, the general public,
as well as the consumers of recreational therapy services,
assume professionals operate according to appropriate values
and ethics. Competence, truthfulness, integrity, and professional
appropriateness are expected of all who hold the CTRS credential.
Certain types of conduct are not appropriate for health and
human service professionals in our society. NCTRC insures
that its certificants meet these societal expectations for
health care professionals in recreational therapy.
NCTRC acts as the overseer in the interest of the public.
Its standards and procedures relating to conduct in practice
were developed for the protection of the consumer. NCTRC has
the right to limit or revoke certification credentials when
it finds that a certificant has not complied with required
standards and may pose a threat to the health and safety of
the public. These issues governing the CTRS' behavior are
not unique to the field of recreational therapy but are in
fact representative of conduct standards held by most legitimate
health care professions and are as strong as state licensure
conduct standards. The critical importance that ethics and
conduct matters play in the delivery of competent, effective,
and credible health care services to clients has become more
and more evident over the past twenty years of technological
advancement in the health care industry.
NCTRC's professional conduct standards, coupled with procedures
for implementation, and the development of national peer review
committees, keep the focus of credentialing in recreational
therapy directly on the protection of the consumer of services.
Employers and healthcare agencies who hire the 15,000 NCTRC
certificants can rely on the value of the CTRS. Employers
can also be assured that the CTRS must adhere to standards
of conduct and recertification requirements for continued
professional competence.
The certification program of NCTRC is in harmony with these
current concerns for quality healthcare in the United States.
The emphasis has been, and will continue to be, the health
and safety of the consumer. NCTRC certificants can take pride
in their CTRS credential as an indicator of a health professional
whose first priority is quality service and protection of
the consumer.
NCTRC can provide information on whether or not a specific
individual is certified. NCTRC adheres to a strict procedure
when requests for information are received in an effort to
protect the confidentiality of certificant records.
Individuals can access the NCTRC Verification link by going
to the NCTRC Home page and clicking on the “ONLINE VERIFICATION”
button on the bottom of the page. A verification search can
be conducted by listing the individuals name, certification
ID number, or social security number. Certification verification
may also be conducted via phone or mail. An individuals full
name, certification number or social security number is needed
to conduct the verification.
All requests about certification status are handled by NCTRC
Credentialing Specialists, who are certified at the CTRS professional
level and authorized to release the following information
by telephone:
- The certification level, if any, including CTRS status
or professional eligibility.
- Whether or not the certified individual is in good standing
(i.e., not under disciplinary limitation),
- The date certification or professional eligibility was
granted.
- The date certification or professional eligibility will
expire.
NCTRC will not release information regarding expired or denied
records.
If an employer inquires about the certification status of
an individual against whom NCTRC has issued a final sanction
that currently affects the individual's eligibilty or certification
status, NCTRC will disclose:
- NCTRC rule(s) found to have been violated.
- The date of the finding of the violation.
- The sanction(s) applied against the individual
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