National Council For Therapeutic Recreation

Certification

845.639.1439
nctrc@nctrc.org
www.nctrc.org

Welcome to NCTRC e-News!

NCTRC Recertification: November 1st and December 31st Deadlines

Whether you're a CTRS veteran or a recently certified CTRS, it is imperative to know the facts about NCTRC Recertification. However, if your five year expiration date is December 31, 2011, you should definitely be aware of the rules and standards governing NCTRC Recertification. A copy of the NCTRC Recertification Standards can be reviewed at www.NCTRC.org. Please submit your recertification application prior to November 1, 2011 to receive a waiver of the $50.00 recertification fee. After November 1st, NCTRC will accept applications postmarked by December 31, 2011 with the submission of a $50.00 recertification fee. For your convenience the recertification process can be completed on-line by visiting www.NCTRC.org and logging into MY NCTRC LOGIN. Please be advised that NCTRC can NOT accept recertification applications after the December 31, 2011 deadline.

Important NCTRC Recertification reminders:

• Please do not submit Continuing Education documents with your application. If your application is randomly pulled for audit you will be sent a letter requesting that you submit your original official documents to NCTRC.
• You can submit your recertification application online at www.NCTRC.org. Please go to MY NCTRC LOGIN for more information.
• Make a copy of the completed application and keep it for your records.
• If you mail your application by postal mail it is advisable to send it by certified, return-receipt mail.
• A letter of verification is required if your 480 hour TR work requirement is met with either part time or volunteer work.
• All continuing education hours must correspond to one of the NCTRC Job Analysis Knowledge Codes (FKW – Foundational Knowledge, PTR – Practice of TR/RT, ORG – Organization of TR/RT and ADV – Advancement of the Profession) and need to total 50 hours over the five year period.

Here are some of the ways you can acquire continuing education:

• Hospital/Agency Education - Many work-related educational sessions or in-services may be appropriate for recertification. (Please note: topics such as Infection Control, CPR, First Aid and Life Saving are not accepted.)
• Academic Courses - Coursework can be audited (8 hours per academic credit) or taken for credit (15 hours per academic credit). Academic courses may be taken online or through correspondence. (For a list of suggested coursework, click Certification Standards Part I: Information for New Applicants.)
• Teleconferences/Audio Seminars - A growing number of continuing education providers sponsor teleconferences. See Links for more information.
• Home Study Programs - Several organizations provide continuing education via professional journal review and home study courses. Similar to many online programs, educational material can be purchased for completion over an extended time period. See Links for more information.
• Internet - A simple search for “continuing education” will provide many opportunities for consideration. Many of the internet/online-based continuing education programs can be purchased for a reasonable fee.
• Conferences - Therapeutic Recreation, Recreation, or CE sessions in related disciplines are accepted as long as the content relates to the NCTRC Job Analysis Knowledge Areas.

Please contact NCTRC directly if you have any questions or concerns about Recertification.

It's Time for the NCTRC Election

NCTRC will be conducting the 2011 Board of Directors Election online from November 1st to November 30th, 2011. There are two (2) open positions to be filled via this year's election. The following four (4) individuals represent the slate of candidates up for consideration:

Susanne Lesnik-Emas, CTRS (PA)

Carolyn J. Mallaney Nagle, CTRS (IL)

Sharon Nichols, CTRS/L (NH)

Susan Popek-Boeve, CTRS (MI)

Please take the time to exercise your right to vote!

Between November 1st and 30th go to MY NCTRC LOGIN and click "Vote Online". You will be able to review information about each of the candidates by clicking “Candidate Information”. Once you have selected your two (2) candidates, complete the ballot and submit it directly to NCTRC. All e-ballots will be sent anonymously to NCTRC.

If you have any questions about the election process, please contact NCTRC at (845) 639-1439.

NCTRC Celebrates 30th Anniversary at Annual Certificants Meeting

NCTRC formally conducted its Annual Certificants Meeting at the annual conference of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) in Indianapolis, IN. During the meeting, NCTRC celebrated its 30th Anniversary with refreshments and remarks by past chairs of the Board of Directors as well as by NCTRC's first Executive Director, Dr. Peg Connolly. Information about the meeting and NCTRC is available for review at http://nctrc.org/documents/NCTRCMeetingofCertificantsATRA2011.pdf.

PCMH Supports CTRS Specialty Certification

In an effort to enhance employee qualifications and to improve patient care, Pitt County Memorial Hospital (Greenville, NC) has formally endorsed the NCTRC Specialty Certification Program and will financially reimburse all CTRS employees who obtain the specialty designation as an extension to their active CTRS. Pitt County Memorial Hospital 's Specialty Certification Reimbursement Plan assists PCMH employees to pursue certification in their area of specialty offered by an accredited national or state organization.

Under the provisions of the PCMH Specialty Certification Reimbursement Plan, the Department Manager determines the specialty certifications that will be supported for reimbursement. Consideration is given to those certifications that support expansion of services, addition of new services, or address the patient population served by a particular unit. A database is maintained indicating the names of employees who receive reimbursement, the type and reason for the specialty certification, and the dollars spent to support this venture. The specialty certification must relate to the employee's current specialty area of practice at PCMH. To be eligible to participate in this plan, the employee must:

• be a regular full-time or regular part-time (.5 FTE or above) employee who has completed the probationary period;
• not be involved in current disciplinary action process;
• “fulfill expectations” or above on their most recent performance appraisal;
• meet the application criteria as specified by the specialty organization.

The cost of the initial specialty certification at the membership rate is reimbursed, up to but not to exceed $ 450.00. The Plan does not include re-certification exams.

The PCMH endorsement of the NCTRC Specialty Certification Program is an excellent example of agency-employee cooperation to enhance quality recreational therapy services. Please share with NCTRC any similar programs that may exist at other health care facilities that directly support and reimburse CTRS employees to achieve the important recognition associated with the CTRS specialty certification.

The NCTRC Specialty Certification Program was established in 2010 to provide recognition for the CTRS who has reached an advanced level of professional practice. The CTRS specialty certification designation provides an additional level of assurance to patients, consumers, and employers regarding the delivery of quality recreational therapy services.

Pitt County Memorial Hospital is located in Greenville, NC and is one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina. PCMH is the flagship hospital for University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina and serves as the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. Pitt Memorial is a regional resource for all levels of health services and information. The hospital is a tertiary referral center and provides acute, intermediate, rehabilitation and outpatient health services to more than 1.4 million people in 29 counties.

ICE Promotes the Value of Credentialing and Certification

In recent press releases the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) provided growing support and evidence that national credentialing is an important component to both economic recovery and individual job growth. As job openings across the nation call for employees with upgraded skill sets, professional credentials play a significant role in helping employers find the right people to fill those opportunities, while helping employees become established and advance in their careers.

“Certification matters”, states Melissa Murer Corrigan, President of ICE. According to Corrigan, “professional credentials provide employers and employees with recognition for the time and training undertaken to develop expertise within a specific field. Certification may positively impact company profitability and provide employees with nationally portable credentials that set them apart when seeking a new job or advancing within their current organization.” Obtaining credentials can also be a helpful advancement tool for those who are currently employed. Employees should talk to their supervisors about reimbursement for work-related education. In this age of frozen salaries, Career Builders projects that 21 percent of employers are willing to invest in training to retain employees.

The ICE press release further states that certification programs are designed to aid the profession and the public that the professional serves. A certification shows that the candidate is qualified to a pre-determined industry standard. The main purpose of a certification exam is to distinguish the qualified from the not yet qualified.

Established in 1977, ICE (formerly the National Organization for Competency Assurance) is the leading international membership organization representing the credentialing community. ICE fulfills its mission through the delivery of education and training programs by setting quality standards for credentialing, and by providing accreditation services through its accreditation division, the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The ICE membership is composed of credentialing organizations, testing companies, and individual professional development consultants. ICE and NCCA are based in Washington , DC . For further information, please visit www.credentialingexcellence.org.

NCTRC is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).

Did you know ...

The Vision of NCTRC is:

• To be publicly recognized as the largest international body of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists to proivide recreation therapy services.
• To have premier recognition status among employers, regulators, and funding sources.
• To use research and technology to enhance the certification exam program and the critical functions of the Council.
• To establish a viable and effective organizational marketing program and promote the validity and value of the credential.
• To enhance opportunities for research and serve as a repository of information pertaining to credentialing opportunities within therapeutic recreation.

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

Thank you for your continued support of NCTRC and the CTRS credential.