National Council For Therapeutic Recreation

Certification

845.639.1439
nctrc@nctrc.org
www.nctrc.org

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NCTRC Board of Directors Meeting in Canada

The NCTRC Board of Directors recently conducted its fall meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, marking the first time that the Board has officially met in Canada. The NCTRC Board meets twice a year (April and November) to conduct its business and review current issues and strategic initiatives. The fall meeting was held October 27-28 at the Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Building, part of the Capital District Health Authority. The Recreation Therapy Department hosted the Board and provided a complimentary conference space for the two-day meeting. In recent years the NCTRC Board has used the fall meeting as an opportunity to connect with TR/RT students and local CTRSs. This year the Board was able to host an evening reception for TR/RT students from Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Community College, followed by a reception the following night for CTRSs residing in the greater Halifax region. The Board made a conscious decision to conduct its fall meeting in Canada in an effort to demonstrate support for Canadian CTRSs and to meet with local TR/RT officials in support of their effort to establish a provincial RT licensure program that will use the CTRS credential as its base criteria.

Ritcey elected “Chair-Elect” of the NCTRC Board of Directors

Andrew Ritcey, CTRS, was elected to the position of Chair-Elect of the NCTRC Board of Directors at the Board's fall meeting held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on October 27-28. Ritcey, who has served in the capacity of Vice Chair and a member of the Executive Committee during the past year, will assume the position of Chairperson of the NCTRC Board of Directors in April 2009. Ritcey is a native of Halifax and has held various positions within Therapeutic Recreation in a career that spans over 30 years. He currently serves as a Health Services Manager providing direct administrative oversight to the departments of Psychology, Music Therapy, Recreation Therapy and Vocational Counseling at the Capital District Health Authority in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

NCTRC Announces New Certification Standards Changes

At a recent meeting conducted in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the NCTRC Board of Directors voted to approve the following changes pertaining to the NCTRC Certification Standards:

1. That the number of Therapeutic Recreation courses required for NCTRC professional eligibility be increased to five courses with each course being a minimum of three credit hours. The implementation date would be January 1, 2013.
2. That content specific Therapeutic Recreation coursework be required as part of the NCTRC professional eligibility requirements. The specific course content will include the following areas: a/ Assessment; b/ TR Process; and c/ Advancement of the Profession. It is recommended that each content area be addressed by a specific TR course and that, at a minimum, at least 50% of the course be devoted to the designated content material. The implementation date would be January 1, 2013.
3. That the NCTRC field placement requirement be increased to a minimum of 14 weeks and 560 hours. The implementation date would be January 1, 2013.
4. That the Academic Field Placement Supervisor be an active CTRS at the start of the field placement experience, and required to sign the final Field Placement Verification Form signifying that the candidate completed all stated components of the NCTRC field placement requirements. The implementation date would be January 1, 2013.

The above changes were recommended to the NCTRC Board by the NCTRC Job Analysis Professional Eligibility ad hoc Committee in its written report to the Board. The recommended changes, as outlined above, were based upon a thorough review of the 2007 NCTRC Job Analysis study results and current practice in the field of TR/RT.

Did you know ...

• As of January 1, 2010, a CTRS field placement supervisor must possess the CTRS credential for at least one year prior to supervising interns.
• You can submit your recertification application until December 31, 2008 with an additional late fee of $50.00.
• You can find the “NCTRC Scope of Practice for the Practice of Recreation Therapy” at www.NCTRC.org under Standards and Publications.

Please contact NCTRC at 845-639-1439 or nctrc@nctrc.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Wishing you a very safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday!